Penn Badgley

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Penn Badgley

Born Penn Badgley
November 1, 1986 (1986-11-01) (age 21)
Baltimore, Maryland
Occupation Film, television, voice actor,
model, spokesperson
Years active 1998 – present
Official website

Penn Badgley (born November 1, 1986) is an American actor and voice actor of film, television, and video games. He presently portrays Dan Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl.

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[edit] Early life

Badgley was born in Baltimore, Maryland and split his childhood years between Richmond, Virginia and Seattle, Washington. In Seattle, he attended Charles Wright Academy (in Tacoma, WA), and was involved with the Seattle Children's Theatre. He soon began doing voice-overs for a children's radio stations. Badgley was named after a tennis ball brand called Penn because his father would often grip on Penn tennis balls, and the fact that, when first seen in the womb, Badgley was said to be as small as a tennis ball.[1]

Around 1999, he relocated with his mother to Hollywood and began to be homeschooled (one of his homeschool classmates was actress Blake Lively).[2] At the age of 14, Badgley took the California High School Proficiency Exam and began attending Santa Monica College. At 17, after completing two years of credits at Santa Monica College, he was accepted as a Junior at the University of Southern California (USC), where he deferred admission due to contractual obligations.

[edit] Career

[edit] Early career

Badgley's first credit was voice work for the video game Mario Golf 64 in 1999 although he claims to have never played it himself. He followed this in 2000 with voice work on Mario Tennis 64. His first screen acting credit was on an episode of Will & Grace. He followed this up with appearances on shows such as Daddio, The Brothers Garcia and What I Like About You, among others.He also appears in John Tucker Must Die playing Scott Tucker. In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $14.3 million, ranking third in the U.S. box office results for that weekend. As of November 2, the film has grossed $41 million domestically.

[edit] Breakthrough

Badgley's first notice came with his role as Phillip Chancellor IV #8 on the soap opera The Young and the Restless (2000 - 2001). He was nominated for a 2001 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime Series for his work.

In 2002, he starred in the WB half-hour series Do Over. Badgley starred as Joel Larsen, a 34-year-old man, gets a second chance to get his life right, thanks to a freakish accident that catapults him back to 1980, as a 14-year-old.The show premiered on The WB Television Network, which is currently known as The CW. He appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno as this show opened. The series was cancelled short of a full season. Badgley later apppeared in Drive-Thru playing Van co-starring future castmate Leighton Meester.

Wider audiences may recognize him from his next starring role as Sam Tunney in The Mountain (2004 - 2005), but was cancelled after the first season. The same thing happened to The Bedford Diaries, another series where Badgely had a lead role. While the show was popular, it was cancelled in its first season.

In The CW's new drama Gossip Girl, Badgley portrays Dan Humphrey, the son of 1990's former rock star Rufus Humphrey (Matthew Settle). He plays the love interest of Upper East Side's it girl, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively). The show revolves around the lives of socialite young adults growing up on New York's Upper East Side who attend elite academic institutions while dealing with sex, drugs, and other teenage issues.

He is set to star in the announced 2008 remake of the 1987 American thriller film The Stepfather. The story centers on a teenage boy (Badgley) who discovers his soon-to-be stepfather isn’t all he appears. In fact, the man who fell in love with his mother (Sela Ward), might be a psycho who murdered his previous family.

[edit] Personal life

In late 2007, it was reported that Badgley was dating his Gossip Girl co-star and former childhood classmate Blake Lively,[3] though, when asked, Badgley declined comment.[4] In May 2008, People magazine published photos of Lively and Badgley kissing while on vacation in Mayan Riviera, Mexico.[5]

In 2007, Badgley was named one of People's "Sexiest Men Alive."[6]

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Will & Grace Todd
Mario Golf 64 Voice Over
2000 The Brothers Garcia Eddie Bauer
Bull Zack
Mario Tennis 64 Voice Over
Daddio Todd
2001 The Fluffer Young Sean
The Young and the Restless Phillip Chancellor IV
2002 What I Like About You Jake Wood
Do Over Joel Larsen Main Role/TV series
2003 The Twilight Zone Jace Malone
2004 - 2005 The Mountain Sam Tunney Main Role/TV series
2006 The Bedford Diaries Owen Gregory Main Role/TV series
John Tucker Must Die Scott Tucker
Drive-Thru Van
2007 - Present Gossip Girl Dan Humphrey Main Role/TV series
2008 Forever Strong Lars Main Role/Feature film
The Stepfather Michael Main Role/Feature film

[edit] References

  1. ^ Penn Badgley Was Named After A Tennis Ball!.
  2. ^ Blake Lively and Penn Badgley on E! News.
  3. ^ Blake Lively match isn't just 'Gossip'. The New York Daily News (December 27, 2007).
  4. ^ Penn Badgley on Ryan Seacrest. E! News.
  5. ^ Exclusive: Blake & Penn's Romantic Getaway. People magazine (May 13, 2008).
  6. ^ Sexiest Man Alive People (magazine)

[edit] External links