Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American
entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in
Derrick Comedy while studying at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, ...
, Glover was hired at age 23 by
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
as a writer for the
NBC sitcom ''
30 Rock
''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', ta ...
''. He later rose to fame for portraying college student
Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom ''
Community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...
'' from 2009 to 2014. From 2016 to 2022, Glover starred in the
FX series ''
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
'', which he created and occasionally directed. For his work on ''Atlanta'', Glover won various accolades, including two
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
s and two
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
s.
Glover has starred in several successful films including the supernatural horror ''
The Lazarus Effect'' (2015), the comedy-drama ''
Magic Mike XXL'' (2015), and science fiction film ''
The Martian'' (2015). He played
Aaron Davis in the
superhero film
A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature action, adventu ...
''
Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017), and played
Lando Calrissian
Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) as an old friend of Han Solo and the administrator of the floating Cloud City on the gas p ...
in the
space western ''
Solo: A Star Wars Story'' (2018). He also provided the voice of adult
Simba
Simba is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's ''The Lion King'' franchise. Introduced in the 1994 film ''The Lion King'', Walt Disney Animation's 32nd animated feature, the character subsequently appears in '' The Lion King II: ...
in ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, ...
'' (2019).
Glover is also a filmmaker, and starred in and produced the short film ''
Guava Island
''Guava Island'' is a 2019 American musical film directed by Hiro Murai (his feature directorial debut) with a screenplay by Stephen Glover from a story by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Ibra Ake, Jamal Olori and Fam Udeorji. It stars Donald Glo ...
'' (2019).
Following independently released albums and mixtapes, Glover signed with
Glassnote Records in 2011, and released his first studio album, ''
Camp'', that year. In 2013, he followed this with his second album, ''
Because the Internet''.
Glover's third album, ''
"Awaken, My Love!"'' (2016), spawned the single "
Redbone", which peaked at number twelve on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and eventually earned him his first
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
. In 2018, Glover released "
This Is America", which
debuted at number-one on the Hot 100, and won four Grammy Awards, including for
Song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
and
Record of the Year. Glover's fourth album, ''
3.15.20
''3.15.20'' is the fourth studio album by American singer Donald Glover, under his stage name Childish Gambino. It was initially uploaded to the website donaldgloverpresents.com on March 15, 2020, before being taken down 12 hours later and reapp ...
'', was released in 2020.
Early life
Donald McKinley Glover Jr.
was born at
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...
in
Edwards, California
Edwards (formerly, Muroc and Wherry Housing) is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California.
It is located east-southeast of Mojave, about northeast of Lancaster, east of Rosamond, and south of California City at an elevation ...
, on September 25, 1983,
and was raised in
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...
, where his father was stationed. His mother, Beverly (née Smith), is a retired daycare provider, and his father, Donald Glover Sr., was a
postal worker.
His parents served as foster parents for 14 years. Glover was raised as a
Jehovah's Witness, but he is no longer religious.
His younger brother,
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...
, would later become a writer and producer who collaborates with him. He has a sister named Brianne.
Glover attended
Avondale High School and
DeKalb School of the Arts, and was voted "Most Likely to Write for ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
''" in his high school yearbook.
In 2006, he graduated from the New York University
Tisch School of the Arts
The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University.
Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
with a degree in Dramatic Writing. While at Tisch, he self-produced the independent
mixtape ''The Younger I Get'', which has not been released and has been disowned by Glover for being the "too-raw ramblings" of what he calls a "decrepit
Drake".
He began
DJing and producing
electronic music
Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...
under the moniker MC DJ (later as mcDJ)
remixing
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...
' album ''
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...
'' (2005).
Career
2006–2010: Derrick Comedy, ''Community'', and mixtapes
In 2006 Glover caught the attention of producer
David Miner after Glover sent writing samples including a
spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...
that he had written for ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
''. Miner and
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
were impressed by Glover's work and hired him to become a writer for the
NBC sitcom ''
30 Rock
''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', ta ...
''.
From 2006 to 2009 Glover wrote for ''30 Rock'', in which he also had occasional appearances. He and his co-writers were presented with the
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Series in 2008 for his work on the third season.
In 2008, Glover unsuccessfully auditioned to play
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
on the sketch comedy program ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
''; the role went to cast member
Fred Armisen
Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, Armisen was the co-creator and co-star of the IFC sketch comedy series '' Portlandia''. ...
. While attending NYU, Glover became a member of the
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...
group Derrick Comedy, having appeared in their sketches on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
since 2006, along with
Dominic Dierkes
Dominic Dierkes is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his involvement in the sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy.
Early life
Dierkes was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He began doing stand-up comedy at the age of 14 ...
, Meggie McFadden,
DC Pierson, and
Dan Eckman. The group wrote and starred in a feature-length film, ''
Mystery Team'', a comedy about amateur teenage detectives; it premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
in 2009. With a limited release, the fans requested the film in their local theaters.
Glover starred as former high school jock Troy Barnes on
Dan Harmon
Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/ Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast '' Harmont ...
's
NBC sitcom ''
Community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...
'', which premiered in September 2009. Glover did not return as a full-time cast member for the show's
fifth season, appearing only in the first five episodes. Despite speculation that he was leaving to pursue his music career, a series of hand-written notes that Glover posted to
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
revealed that his reasons were more personal, citing a need for projects that offered him more independence as he worked through some personal issues. Although Harmon approached Glover about returning to the show for its sixth season, Glover declined, feeling that his character's return would not serve the show, the audience, or himself as an actor.
Glover's stage name, Childish Gambino, which he used to start his musical career, came from a
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close a ...
name generator. In June 2008, he released the independent
mixtape ''Sick Boi''.
In September 2009, he released his second mixtape ''Poindexter''.
A pair of mixtapes titled ''I Am Just a Rapper'' and ''I Am Just A Rapper 2'', were released in close succession in 2010, and ''
Culdesac'', his third mixtape, was released in July of that year. In March 2010, Glover performed a 30-minute set on the stand-up showcase program ''
Comedy Central Presents''.
In May 2010, a fan suggested Glover for the role of
Peter Parker in ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...
'' film, encouraging his supporters to retweet the hashtag "#donald4spiderman". The campaign sparked a viral response on Twitter. The call for Glover to audition for the role was supported by
Spider-Man creator
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which w ...
. However, Glover did not audition, and the role went to
Andrew Garfield. He later revealed that he was never contacted by
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acq ...
. Comics writer
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an American comic book writer and artist. He has won five Eisner Awards for both his creator-owned work and his work on various Marvel Comics books.Bendis, Brian Michael and Oeming, Michael Avon, ...
, who announced
Miles Morales
Miles Gonzalo Morales Ahmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' #1 (2018) Marvel Comics (New York). () is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and is one ...
, an African-American version of Spider-Man, a year later, said he had conceived of the character before Glover's campaign went viral.
Bendis gave credit to Glover for influencing the new hero's looks for Spider-Man; Bendis said, "I saw him in the costume
n ''Community''and thought, 'I would like to read that book. Glover later voiced this incarnation of Spider-Man on the ''
Ultimate Spider-Man
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
'' animated series.
Glover received the Rising Comedy Star award at the
Just for Laughs festival in July 2010, and was featured in
Gap's 2010 holiday advertising campaign.
2011–2014: ''Camp'' and ''Because the Internet''
His first
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. , titled ''
EP'', was released as a free digital download in March 2011. A music video for the song "Freaks and Geeks" was released in that month and Glover hosted the
MTVU
MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel was first known as VH1 Uno from 2000 to ...
Woodie Awards at
South By Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
.
Glover commenced his nationwide IAMDONALD Tour in April.
The tour was a one-man live show that consisted of rap, comedy, and video segments.
Glover appeared at the
2011 Bonnaroo Music Festival as both Childish Gambino and as a comedian, performing a set with
Bill Bailey
Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom ''Black Books'' and his appearances on the panel shows ''Never Mind the ...
. His one-hour stand-up special, ''Weirdo'', aired on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy program ...
in November 2011.
For his 2011 debut studio album, Glover approached ''Community'' score composer,
Ludwig Göransson for production assistance; Göransson has become his most frequent collaborator. Prior to its release, Glover signed with
Glassnote Records and embarked on The Sign-Up Tour. The album titled ''
Camp'', was released on November 15, 2011, backed by his debut single "
Bonfire
A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration.
Etymology
The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Cath ...
" and "
Heartbeat
A heartbeat is one cardiac cycle of the heart.
Heartbeat, heart beat, heartbeats, and heart beats may refer to:
Computing
*Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system
*Heartbeat, clus ...
", which peaked at number eighteen on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
and number fifty-four on
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
.
''Camp'' debuted at number eleven on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling 52,000 copies in the first week, and was generally well received by critics, with ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...
'' writer Steve Lepore finding it to be "undoubtedly one of the best records of any genre to come out in 2011".
His Camp Gambino tour was scheduled to commence in March 2012, but was postponed to April after he fractured his foot.
Glover released the songs "Eat Your Vegetables" and "Fuck Your Blog" through his website in April and May 2012. Throughout May and June, he premiered tracks from his sixth mixtape, ''
Royalty
Royalty may refer to:
* Any individual monarch, such as a king, queen, emperor, empress, etc.
* Royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen regnant, and sometimes his or her extended family
* Royalty payment for use of such things as int ...
'', which was released as a free digital download in July. The album featured several artists, including his brother
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...
, under the alias Steve G. Lover III. The single "
Trouble" by British artist
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...
from her album ''
Glassheart'' (2012) featured Gambino with a guest rap performance. The song peaked at number seven on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, making it his first UK Top 10 single. In November 2012, Göransson stated that he and Glover were in the studio generating new ideas for the next album which was to be "bigger" and "with more people involved".
In 2013, Glover signed a deal to create a music-themed show for
FX titled ''
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
'', in which he would star, write, and serve as an executive producer.
Although several networks were interested in picking up his half-hour comedy, he chose FX due to their willingness to work around his touring schedule.
Glover had a supporting role in the romantic comedy ''
The To Do List'' (2013), which performed below expectations, and guest starred in two episodes of the comedy-drama television series ''
Girls'' in early 2013, as a
Republican who is the brief love interest to
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham (, born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is known as the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series '' Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations ...
's character.
His second studio album, ''
Because the Internet'', finished recording in October 2013 and was released in December, debuting at number seven on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart.
''Because the Internet'' yielded the singles "
3005", "
Crawl" and "
Sweatpants". "3005" peaked at number eight on the
UK R&B Chart
The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Albums, or simply the UK Urban Chart) are 40-posi ...
and sixty-four on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
To promote the album, Glover wrote a short film ''Clapping for the Wrong Reasons'' which stars himself,
Chance the Rapper
Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape ''10 Day'' in 2012. He ...
, and
Danielle Fishel among others. Directed by
Hiro Murai, it was released prior the album's release and serves as its prelude. Additionally, a 72-page screenplay designed to sync up with the album was also released. The
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA) certified "Heartbeat" Gold for shipping 500,000 copies in June 2014 – making it Glover's first Gold certification. ''Because The Internet'' was also certified Gold.
From February to May 2014, he embarked on The Deep Web Tour.
Glover directed the music video for the song "
The Pressure" by
Jhené Aiko
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American singer who embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in several music videos for R&B group B2K. In an effort to promote Aiko and cultivate a following for h ...
, whose previous single, "
Bed Peace", had featured a guest appearance by him. On October 2, he released a mixtape titled ''
STN MTN'' and the following day an EP titled ''
Kauai'', which spawned the single "
Sober". While ''STN MTN'' was a free download, the proceeds of ''Kauai'' went to law enforcement policies, maintenance and preservation of
Kauai island. Glover described them as a joint project and the "first concept mixtape ever" that continues the story told in ''Camp'' and ''Because the Internet''. At the
57th Annual Grammy Awards, Glover received his first Grammy nominations in
Best Rap Album for ''Because the Internet'' and
Best Rap Performance for "3005".
2015–2017: Film roles, ''Atlanta'', and ''"Awaken, My Love!"''
Glover appeared in three films in 2015. In ''
The Lazarus Effect'', he played a scientist working with a team of researchers who bring dead people back to life with disastrous consequences. Next, Glover played a singer in the comedy-drama ''
Magic Mike XXL'' and performed a cover of the
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...
song "
Marry You
"Marry You" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars from his debut studio album, ''Doo-Wops & Hooligans'' (2010). Written and produced by the Smeezingtons, it serves as the record's sixth track and was released as a single outsi ...
" in the film, which was included in the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
. His third release that year was
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades th ...
's science fiction
adaptation ''
The Martian'', featuring Glover as a
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States.
Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA ...
astrodynamicist who helps rescue an astronaut, played by
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among '' Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Amer ...
, stranded on
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmos ...
. Glover contributed to the soundtrack of ''
Creed'' (2015), a film in the ''
Rocky'' film series, providing vocals to the song "Waiting For My Moment" and co-writing another titled "Breathe".
After being in development since August 2013, FX ordered the ''
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
'' series in December 2014, announcing a 10-episode season in October 2015, which premiered on September 6, 2016, to widespread critical acclaim.
Glover writes, occasionally directs, executive produces, and stars in the series as Earnest "Earn" Marks, a
Princeton dropout who manages his rapper cousin as they navigate through the
Atlanta hip hop scene. For his work on the show, Glover has earned various accolades, including
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
for
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and
Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
s for
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, making him the first black person to win an Emmy for the latter category.
Due to the success of the series, FX signed Glover to an exclusive deal to write and produce more shows for the network. The first of these shows was an animated series featuring the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
character
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in '' New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, De ...
, which was set to premiere in 2018 but was later canceled due to creative differences. Glover later posted an unofficial and unproduced script to his Twitter account, stating he was not "too busy to work on Deadpool", ending media speculation.
In September 2016, Glover held three musical performances, known as the "Pharos Experience", in
Joshua Tree, California, where he debuted songs from his third studio album ''
"Awaken, My Love!"''. The album was released in December, charting at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was later certified platinum accumulating 1,000,000 certified units.
It was considered a bold departure from his usual hip hop style as it primarily featured Glover singing rather than rapping, and saw him draw influences from
psychedelic soul,
funk and
R&B music,
particularly of the funk band
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkade ...
. ''"Awaken, My Love!"'' produced the singles "
Me and Your Mama
"Me and Your Mama" is a single by American rapper and singer Childish Gambino. It was released on November 10, 2016 worldwide, and is the first single from his third studio album ''"Awaken, My Love!"''
It was noted by Billy Gill of ''A Nation of B ...
", "
Redbone" (which peaked at number twelve on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100), and "
Terrified".
Its vinyl release featured a
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
headset and an accompanying app that allowed owners to access virtual reality live performances from the Pharos Experience. The album was positively received by music critics and was nominated for both the 2018
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regar ...
and
Best Urban Contemporary Album, while "Redbone" won
Best Traditional R&B Performance and received nominations for
Record of the Year and
Best R&B Song.
Glover performed "Terrified" at the award show's
60th ceremony.
In 2017, Glover appeared as criminal
Aaron Davis in the superhero film ''
Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017). Davis is the uncle of the
Miles Morales
Miles Gonzalo Morales Ahmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' #1 (2018) Marvel Comics (New York). () is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and is one ...
version of
Spider-Man, whom Glover had voiced in the ''
Ultimate Spider-Man
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
'' animated series. The casting was described as "a surprise treat for fans" by the film's director
Jon Watts, aware of his 2010 campaign to portray the superhero.
In April 2017, ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'' named Glover in its annual "
100 Most Influential People in the World
''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...
".
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
wrote the entry for Glover, stating that he "embodies his generation's belief that people can be whatever they want and change what it is they want, at any time".
Glover announced his intention to retire the Childish Gambino stage name in June 2017, telling the audience at
Governors Ball Music Festival
The Governors Ball Music Festival (commonly known as Governors Ball or Gov Ball) is a multi-day music festival held in New York City. Launched in 2011 by original founders Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, Yoni Reisman, the festival features an arr ...
, "I'll see you for the last Gambino album" before walking off stage. He further explained his decision in an interview, feeling his musical career was no longer "necessary" and added "There's nothing worse than like a third sequel" and "I like it when something's good and when it comes back there's a reason to come back, there's a reason to do that."
2018–2020: "This Is America" and ''3.15.20''
Glover signed with
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
in January 2018, which Glover called "a necessary change of pace".
In May 2018, he released a single titled "
This Is America" while performing as both host and musical guest on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
''.
The song debuted at number one, becoming both Glover's first number one and top ten single in the United States. It features him singing and rapping, drawing influence from
trap music
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the 1990s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is ch ...
. The lyrics addressed a variety of topics including
gun violence
Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide (except when and where ruled justifiable), assault with a deadly weapon, an ...
and
being black in the United States, while its controversial video, directed by Japanese filmmaker and frequent collaborator
Hiro Murai, showed Glover with a firearm shooting at a choir. "This is America" won the Grammy for Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Rap/Sung Performance and Record of the Year, becoming the first rap song to win the latter.
While filming ''Atlanta'' second season, Glover portrayed a young version of
Lando Calrissian
Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) as an old friend of Han Solo and the administrator of the floating Cloud City on the gas p ...
in ''
Solo: A Star Wars Story'' (2018), causing him to miss appearances in some episodes; Calrissian was previously played by
Billy Dee Williams
William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thirt ...
in two films in the
original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. Despite the film's turbulent production and poor box office returns, Glover's performance was praised, particularly by critic
Stephanie Zacharek for his "unruly, charismatic elegance". In July 2018, Glover released the ''
Summer Pack
''Summer Pack'' is the third extended play recorded by American musician Donald Glover, under his stage name Childish Gambino. It was released by Wolf+Rothstein, Liberator Music and RCA Records on July 11, 2018. It contains only two songs, " Summe ...
'' extended play containing the songs "
Summertime Magic
"Summertime Magic" is a song by the American recording artist Childish Gambino. Written and produced by Gambino and Ludwig Göransson, the song was released by Wolf+Rothstein and RCA Records on July 11, 2018. The song was speculated to be the lead ...
" and "
Feels Like Summer", the former of which was originally meant to be the lead single from Glover's forthcoming fourth studio album. "Summertime Magic" debuted at forty-four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Glover began his fifth concert tour,
This Is America Tour in September, announcing it would be his last during its opening show in Atlanta. Two previously unreleased songs, "Algorhythm" and "All Night", were made available to people who bought tickets to the tour.
In February 2018, Glover approached
New Regency, without a script, about a project he would like to work on while he had free time between ''Solo'' promotional duties and his This Is America Tour. Due to his previous success, they accepted his offer quickly and
Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed t ...
agreed to distribute the film. ''
Guava Island
''Guava Island'' is a 2019 American musical film directed by Hiro Murai (his feature directorial debut) with a screenplay by Stephen Glover from a story by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Ibra Ake, Jamal Olori and Fam Udeorji. It stars Donald Glo ...
'', the resulting film written by
Stephen Glover and directed by Hiro Murai, was filmed in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. It stars Glover as a musician who decides to throw a festival on his homeland, with
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...
co-starring as his partner and muse. It was released in 2019 through
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service p ...
to generally favorable critical appraisal after premiering at
Coachella Coachella may refer to:
* Coachella, California
* Coachella Canal, in California
* Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California
* "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind
"Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind" is a song by Ame ...
. Glover provided guest vocals to the track "Monster" on
21 Savage's 2018 album ''
I Am > I Was'', reflecting on his negative feelings toward the music industry and why he wants to retire from music.
He partnered with
Adidas Originals to reimagine three pairs of classic
Adidas sneakers, which were launched in April 2019 under the "Donald Glover Presents" line and were promoted by a series of advertisements starring comedian
Mo'Nique.
Days after headlining Coachella in April 2019, Glover premiered a new song, "Algorythm", through the mobile app Pharos AR. The augmented reality application allows users to open the virtual Pharos world with other players. During his headlining performance at the 2019
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival
The Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is a music festival held annually in San Francisco, California, at Golden Gate Park. The festival is produced by Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly Presents, and Starr Hill Presents. It is the lar ...
, Glover drew "the biggest crowd that Outside Lands has ever had" and also announced that it was "the second to last show that we'll be doing" before retiring the Childish Gambino pseudonym. When asked on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's l ...
'' about the status of retiring, Glover said he was unsure and may continue to perform after the ''This Is America Tour''. Glover was expected to release another album per the RCA Records contract he signed in January 2018.
Glover provided the voice for adult Simba, the titular protagonist and lion prince turned king in
''The Lion King'' (2019), a remake of the 1994
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film
of the same name. Glover praised the director,
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia Favreau (; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as '' Rudy'' (1993), '' PCU'' (1994), '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Very Bad Things'' (1998), '' Deep Impact'' (1998 ...
, for the way he constructed the timeless story and asked him to re-record his lines as he connected to the film's story line more personally after his father's death.
Glover sang on the film's soundtrack and on the curated album '' The Lion King: The Gift'', featuring songs inspired by the film. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the film grossed $1.6 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of all time. In December 2019, Glover endorsed 2020 Democratic candidate Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and politician. Yang was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. He is the co-c ...
and joined his campaign
Campaign or The Campaign may refer to:
Types of campaigns
* Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed
* Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme
* B ...
as a creative consultant.
On March 15, 2020, Glover streamed his surprise fourth album on his website Donald Glover Presents, where it played on a loop for twelve hours until it was taken down. 21 Savage and Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
feature on the album. The album was released on digital services the following week under the name ''3.15.20
''3.15.20'' is the fourth studio album by American singer Donald Glover, under his stage name Childish Gambino. It was initially uploaded to the website donaldgloverpresents.com on March 15, 2020, before being taken down 12 hours later and reapp ...
''. It was well received by music critics and debuted at number 13 on the ''Billboard ''200. In November 2020, in a rare appearance on his Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account, Glover opined that seasons 3 and 4 of ''Atlanta'' would be on the caliber of ''The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...
'' and that his next musical project would be his "biggest by far".
2021–present: Return to television
In 2021, Donald Glover signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed t ...
. It was announced that he would be producing and starring in a television reboot of Doug Liman
Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), '' Jumper'' (2008), '' E ...
's 2005 film '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'', with Maya Erskine co-starring. In April 2021, Glover tweeted that he was in the midst of writing a trilogy of feature films.
In February 2022, both seasons 3 and 4 of ''Atlanta'' had completed filming, with season 3 premiering on March 24 and the final season set to premiere in the fall. In March, Glover announced that he was working on a Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
Star Wars series based on Lando Calrissian
Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) as an old friend of Han Solo and the administrator of the floating Cloud City on the gas p ...
. He also began directing a television series, tentatively titled ''Hive'', starring Dominique Fishback, Damson Idris, and Chloe Bailey, about a Beyoncé-esque character.
In December 2022, it was announced that Glover would star and produce a feature set in Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man universe. The film currently has no title but is said to revolve around the Hypno-Hustler.
Influences
In an interview with ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'', Glover stated, "I'm influenced by LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals, various instruments), Nancy Whang (synthesizer, keyboards, vocals), Pat Mahoney ( ...
as much as Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...
. A lot of the rap shows I saw as a kid were boring, but if you went to a Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...
show or a Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
show, the kids were losing their minds. Kids just want to go nuts, Odd Future know that. People want to experience something physical." Glover also cites hip-hop duo Outkast and trio Migos, and funk band Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkade ...
as being influences.
Glover has influenced a number of younger musicians and actors. Rapper Vince Staples has praised Glover's ability to " osomething different every time".
Personal life
Glover began dating Michelle White in 2015. They have three sons, born in early 2016,[ January 2018, and 2020.
Glover is known as a private person and rarely posts on ]social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...
or does interviews unless for promotional work. In an interview with ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
'', he stated that social media made him feel "less human" and that he only visits online discussion pages in which he can stay anonymous and communicate with people who understand what he is saying.
On December 17, 2018, during the final stop for the This Is America Tour, Glover announced that his father had died. He said, "I lost my father a couple weeks ago and I wanted to play him some of the new songs but he didn't want to hear them, because he was like, 'I know they're going to be great.
Discography
* '' Camp'' (2011)
* '' Because the Internet'' (2013)
* '' "Awaken, My Love!"'' (2016)
* ''3.15.20
''3.15.20'' is the fourth studio album by American singer Donald Glover, under his stage name Childish Gambino. It was initially uploaded to the website donaldgloverpresents.com on March 15, 2020, before being taken down 12 hours later and reapp ...
'' (2020)
Tours
Comedy tours
* IAMDONALD Tour (2011)
Musical tours
* The Sign-Up Tour (2011)
* Camp Gambino Tour (2012)
* Deep Web Tour (2014)
* This Is America Tour (2018)
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Web
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
Donald Glover
on YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
*
*
*
*
2018 Profile of Glover
on BBC Radio Four
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glover, Donald
1983 births
Living people
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American singers
African-American film producers
African-American male actors
African-American male comedians
African-American male rappers
African-American record producers
African-American screenwriters
African-American songwriters
African-American television producers
Alternative hip hop musicians
American comedy musicians
American film producers
American hip hop record producers
American hip hop singers
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male screenwriters
American male television actors
American male television writers
American male voice actors
American stand-up comedians
American television directors
American television writers
Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
Comedians from California
Comedians from Georgia (U.S. state)
Former Jehovah's Witnesses
Glassnote Records artists
Grammy Award winners
Male actors from California
Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state)
Male actors from Los Angeles County, California
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
People from Kern County, California
People from Lancaster, California
People from San Bernardino County, California
People from Stone Mountain, Georgia
Rappers from California
Rappers from Georgia (U.S. state)
Rappers from Los Angeles
RCA Records artists
Record producers from California
Screenwriters from California
Screenwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)
Songwriters from California
Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)
Southern hip hop musicians
Television producers from California
Television producers from Georgia (U.S. state)
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Writers Guild of America Award winners
American tenors