| Damian McGinty | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Damian Joseph McGinty, Jr. |
| Born | September 9, 1992 Derry, Northern Ireland |
| Occupations | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Website | www.damianmcginty.com |
Damian Joseph McGinty, Jr. (born 9 September 1992)[1] is an Irish actor and singer from Derry, Northern Ireland.[2] McGinty has been performing for over a decade, and was a member of the group Celtic Thunder for four years starting when he was fourteen.[3][4] On 21 August 2011, McGinty won the Oxygen reality show The Glee Project, earning him a seven-episode guest-starring role on the hit Fox television show Glee.[2][5]
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McGinty was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, the son of Damian McGinty, Sr., and Joanne McGinty. He has been performing for over a decade, winning his first singing competition when he was just six years old. In 2006, McGinty won another competition and the following year he made a CD which was recorded for charity. It was then passed along to Celtic Thunder Producer Sharon Browne and Music Director Phil Coulter, who invited McGinty to sing for their first show. Damian was later accepted into the group at the age of fourteen and has been performing, as well as touring the USA and Canada with Celtic Thunder. In 2011, it was stated that McGinty was leaving Celtic Thunder, as a result of winning the Oxygen reality show The Glee Project, which gave him a seven episode arc on the Fox television show Glee. McGinty was selected as one of the top twelve finalists out of 40,000 contenders in a MySpace audition search, who competed for a role on The Glee Project.[3][6] After making the top twelve, he came close to not being able to continue the competition when he had difficulties securing an O visa.[7]
Along with Samuel Larsen, McGinty won a seven-episode arc on the third season of Glee.[2][5] On his final performance on The Glee Project, McGinty sang "Beyond the Sea", which he chose to show Glee producer Ryan Murphy that he could handle a lead role.[8] Comments from Glee producer Ryan Murphy have fuelled speculation that McGinty's character may become a leading role similar to Cory Monteith's character, Finn Hudson.[7]
Following the final episode of The Glee Project, McGinty was featured in a special video on the Oxygen channel website with Cameron Mitchell, who won the Bing Fan Favorite. The two sang Michael Bublé's "Haven't Met You Yet".[2][9] Mitchell saved McGinty from elimination earlier in the season, when Mitchell chose to leave the competition on the evening that McGinty was slated to be eliminated, though Mitchell hadn't known this when he made his decision.[2][9] McGinty made his first appearance on Glee in the fourth episode of the season entitled "Pot o' Gold" playing Rory Flanagan, a foreign exchange student who is staying with Brittany S. Pierce's family.[10] His initial seven-episode stint was later extended.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Glee Project | Himself | Winner (10 episodes) |
| 2011-present | Glee | Rory Flanagan[10] | Recurring role in season 3 (won a 7-episode arc in The Glee Project, later extended) |
| 2011 | Glee: The 3D Concert Movie | Himself | Brief Cameo - Uncredited |