Justin Guarini (born Justin Eldrin Bell; October 28, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and actor who in 2002 was the runner-up on the first season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

''.

Early life

Guarini was born in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

. His father, Eldrin Bell, is African-American and is a former

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 498,715 ...

, Georgia,

Chief of Police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the b ...

, and former chairperson of the Clayton County Commission in

Clayton County, Georgia Clayton County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2021, the population was estimated to be 297,100 by the Census Bureau. The county seat is Jonesboro. Clayton County is included in the Atlanta metr ...

. His mother, Kathy Pepino Guarini, is Italian American, and was a journalist for

WTVM WTVM (channel 9) is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television, which provides certain services to dual NBC/ CW+ affiliate WLTZ (channel 38, owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting ...

TV in Columbus, and later for

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

. Guarini was primarily raised by his mother and stepfather, physicist Jerry Guarini, in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

suburb of

Doylestown, Pennsylvania Doylestown is a borough and the county seat of Bucks County in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Trenton, north of Center City, Philadelphia, southeast of Allentown, and southwest of New York City. As of the 2020 ...

. He attended

Central Bucks High School East Central Bucks High School East is a public high school serving students in tenth through twelfth grades, one of three high schools in the Central Bucks School District. The school is located in Buckingham, Pennsylvania in Bucks County, adjacent to ...

Career

Beginnings

Guarini's musical experience started at age four when he was accepted by the

Atlanta Boy Choir The Atlanta Boy Choir is a renowned choral group for boys and men in Atlanta, Georgia. The choir, as it is known today, was founded in 1959 by Maestro Fletcher Wolfe and his wife Roberta Kahne Wolfe. The choir is an ambassador internationally, p ...

. After moving to Pennsylvania in 1985, he joined the

Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well a ...

Boys Choir. Throughout his school years Guarini sang in school choirs, and from 1996 to 2000 was the lead soloist in an award-winning a cappella group named The Midnight Voices. The group released an independent album in 1999 with proceeds benefiting a music scholarship fund at Guarini's alma mater,

Buckingham, Pennsylvania Buckingham is an unincorporated community in Buckingham Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Buckingham is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 202, Pennsylvania Route 263, and Pennsylvania Route 413 Pennsylvania Route 4 ...

. He was a director/performer at the Riverside Haunted Woods in

Bridgeton Township, Pennsylvania Bridgeton Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regi ...

, in 2001. His high school and college theatre credits include the lead roles in ''

The Mystery of Edwin Drood ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' is the final novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in 1870. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, it focuses more on Drood's uncle, John Jasper, a precentor, choirmaster and opium ...

'', ''

The Little Prince ''The Little Prince'' (french: Le Petit Prince, ) is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 an ...

'', ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'', ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'', and ''

Once on This Island ''Once on This Island'' is a coming-of-age one-act stage musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It is based on the 1985 novel ''My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl'' by Rosa Guy, a Caribbean-set retelling ...

''. In addition to singing and stage performing, Guarini plays the piano, guitar, and banjo. After studying vocal performance and theater studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Guarini later moved to New York City, where he attended the

School for Film and Television The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (NYCDA) is a private acting college in New York City. Originally conceived for the purpose of training actors for film and television acting, in 2009 the conservatory gained accreditation to offer Assoc ...

. He worked in New York nightclubs, and auditioned for New York Theatre before successfully auditioning for ''American Idol'' in April 2002. Shortly after being chosen for ''American Idol'', he was offered a role in the Broadway production of ''

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 ...

''. Guarini wrote about his decision between the two offers in his exclusive 2008 blog for the television site, Fancast, stating, "I had attended master classes… I learned Zulu and Sotho phrases, as well as the music from the show. It was a dream almost come true at the time. But, now I knew I was onto something, and I wasn't letting go. I politely declined the offer of a role...". He was also considering a contract offer from an independent record label, but the show's rules prohibited participants from having existing record contracts.

''American Idol''

''Idol'' judge

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

praised Guarini's performance in the show's first season, at one early audition telling him "Justin, you know, occasionally you're very privileged when you do a competition like this to hear somebody undiscovered who has a voice like yours", with Guarini ultimately becoming the runner-up to winner

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

in September 2002. Soon after, Guarini signed with ''American Idol's''

19 Management Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK ...

and secured a record deal with

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

. Prior to the American Idol Tour, he was the only contestant asked to appear on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

'', on which Oprah Winfrey told him, "Justin, you have ''it''."

''American Idol'' performances

2003–2004: ''Justin Guarini''

His eponymous album debuted in June 2003, coinciding with the single releases of the current second season ''American Idol'' top two finalists and the movie ''

From Justin to Kelly ''From Justin to Kelly'' is a 2003 American musical romantic comedy film written by Kim Fuller and directed by Robert Iscove. The film, starring ''American Idol'' first season winner Kelly Clarkson and runner-up Justin Guarini, won the Golde ...

'', in which Guarini co-starred with Kelly Clarkson. The film was critically panned, while the album sold 146,000 copies. In December 2003 Guarini was dropped from

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 A ...

. Guarini had a role in the 2004 pre-Broadway New York Stage and Film Powerhouse Theater workshop/presentation of the musical ''

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record ...

'' at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

. His performance (which included singing, dancing, acting, and playing guitar) landed Guarini an offer to continue the role in the original Broadway production, which he eventually declined.

2005–2007: ''Stranger Things Have Happened''

Guarini co-produced his second album '' Stranger Things Have Happened'', independently released in December 2005 through his own production company, Justice Entertainment, Ltd.. The album of reinvented

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

standards was described by

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

as "a successful reinvention... where his natural skills shine", ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' said that "Guarini displays an agile, attractive voice with good phrasing, supported by a sophisticated and funky backing ensemble." Guarini wrote, co-arranged and recorded a benefit song released with H.H. Gayuna Cealo, and a song for the documentary series ''Project Everlasting,'' in August 2006 and featured on the ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...

.'' The title track from his album ''Stranger Things Have Happened'' was also used in the documentary. From 2007 to 2011,

TV Guide Network The American cable and satellite television network Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized channel and program listings for cable television providers. Later on, the service, branded Prev ...

signed Guarini as permanent co-host for ''Idol Wrap'' and ''Idol Tonight''. On-air duties with the network expanded to include guest hosting/appearances on other TV Guide Network shows, hosting movie premiere specials, and serving as a member of TV Guide Network's awards show team with on-air coverage of awards shows such as the Grammy Awards and Emmy Awards.

2008–2009: ''Revolve''

Atlanta Hard Rock Cafe (2012) Guarini playing with fellow musicians after play performance

In May 2008, Guarini released an acoustic EP titled ''Revolve'' comprising three songs ("Sweet Time", "Rock Bottom", and "When She Cries") co-written and co-produced with Shaun Ingram. While stepping out to support the opening of ''

The American Idol Experience The American Idol Experience was a theme park attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. Inspired by the popular American television series ''American Idol'', the attraction invited park guests to audition in fro ...

'' at

Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by M ...

in February 2009, Guarini confirmed his impending marriage to his fiancée, Reina Capodici. In an exclusive pictorial of the wedding, ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'' reported that the couple married on September 26, 2009.

2010–present: Acting, hosting and performing

Guarini became a part of the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

community with his 2010 Broadway debut as Carlos in a musical adaptation of

Pedro Almodovar Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning " ...

's film ''

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' ( es, Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios) is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. The film brought Almodóvar to ...

.'' Critics called Guarini's debut "surprisingly charming", "captivating" and "extremely likeable". Guarini played Will, one of the three male leads in Green Day's rock musical '' American Idiot'' performing March 1, 2011, through the show's closing night, April 24, 2011. On April 26, 2011, his first child with wife Reina Capodici, William Neko Bell Guarini, was born. His second child, Asher, was born on February 25, 2013. In 2013, Guarini was cast in a modern Broadway production of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' Romeo and Juliet'' as Paris. After its Broadway run, the live-filmed stage play was released in movie theaters. Guarini joined the Broadway production of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'', in the role of

Fiyero ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by ''Son of a ...

from February 25 to December 14, 2014. Other stage work includes lead roles in regional productions of ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

,'' ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

,'' '' Company'' and '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'' Original regional productions include ''

Ghost Brothers of Darkland County ''Ghost Brothers of Darkland County'' is a musical by John Mellencamp, Stephen King, and T Bone Burnett. It debuted at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2012. A touring production began in late 2013 through the South and Midwest. A ...

'' as one of two feuding brothers in 2012 at the

Alliance Theatre The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia, based at the Alliance Theatre, part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, and is the winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal T ...

in Atlanta, Georgia. In ''It's a Wonderful Life, A Live Radio Play'' Guarini voiced George Bailey in a 2015 on-stage comedic production. In 2015, he starred in the

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

Encores presentation '' Paint Your Wagon.'' Praised by critics, Guarini played the outcast Mexican miner. Guarini starred in the 2015 original musical "Moonshine: The Hee Haw Musical" premiering at the Dallas Theater Center on September 2 through October 11, and '' Mamma Mia!'' in 2016. Also in 2016, Guarini was cast in Broadway's new '' In Transit'', the first a cappella musical with book, music and lyrics by

Kristen Anderson-Lopez Kristen Anderson-Lopez (born March 21, 1972) is an American songwriter and lyricist known for co-writing the songs for the 2013 computer-animated musical film '' Frozen'' and its 2019 sequel '' Frozen II'' with her husband Robert Lopez. The coup ...

, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, and Sara Wordsworth. Guarini participates in Equity staged readings of ''The Awakening of Angel DeLuna,'' hosts and/or performs for various Broadway and stage-related benefits, and other industry-related events including ''Broadway on the Hudson,'' the ''

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

Simulcast'' in 2014 and 2015, adding executive producer duties in 2015. He was an executive producer for the 2015 revival of the musical ''

Side Show In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. Types There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions: *The Ten-in-One offers ...

.'' In 2016, Guarini attended the

, and co-hosted backstage coverage of the live broadcast in conjunction with BroadwayHD.com. He's also acted in independent film projects such as the drama and action film ''Fast Girl,'' ''The Unknown: Frankie The Squirrel,'' ''Mafioso II: The Son'' and short film ''Tilt-a-Whirl'' for the

Dances With Films Dances With Films is an annual independent film festival located in Los Angeles, California and was founded by Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent. Lineup Taking place every year since 1998, the festival is dedicated to representing true independent ...

festival. Since 2015, Guarini has been starring as Lil' Sweet in Diet

Dr Pepper Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904. It is now also sold in Euro ...

television commercials, and web marketing. In 2016, Dr Pepper "promoted" tunes for a Lil' Sweet "album" with video clips, promotional pictures of the character, and the character's own Twitter page. In 2016 Guarini released his exclusive 17 track EP "JG" via

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

Discography

Studio albums

Other contributions

* ''Foreign Shores'' by David Hughes (featured vocalist) 2009 * ''The Awakening of Angel DeLuna'' (cast album) 2009 * ''I Could Use a Drink'' by Drew Gasparini (featured vocalist) 2012 * ''Where the Sky Ends: Music by Michael Mott'' by Michael Mott (featured vocalist) 2014 * ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' (Original Broadway Cast) 2011 * ''Paint Your Wagon'' (cast album) 2014 * ''In Transit'' (cast album) 2016

EPs

* ''Revolve'' (Acoustic) (May 2008) * "JG" (2016)

Songs

* ''Did You Know That I Know Your Journey?'' (2006) (vocals, music, co-produced) * ''Everlasting'' for documentary ''Project Everlasting'' (2006) (vocals, music, lyrics, piano) * ''What You Won't Do for Love'' for Drivetime ''Reflections'' (2010) (vocals)

Filmography and theater

Films

Television

Theater roles

'Ghost Brothers of Darkland County' with Justin Guarini

*''

'' (2004) as Jan *''The Awakening of Angel DeLuna'' (2009) as Fred *''

'' (2010–2011

) as Carlos *'' American Idiot'' (2011 Broadway) as Will *''

'' (2011 Regional) as Roger Davis *''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' (2011 Regional) as Billy Flynn *''

'' (2012 Regional) as Drake McCandless *'' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (2012 Regional) as Joseph *''It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play'' (2012 Regional) as Jake * '' Romeo and Juliet'' (2013 Broadway) as Paris * ''

'' (2014 Broadway) as Fiyero * '' Paint Your Wagon'' (2015 New York City Center) as Julio * '' Company'' (2015 Regional) as Bobby * ''Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical'' (2015 Regional) * ''First Gentleman'' (2016 NYC) * '' Mamma Mia!'' (2016 Regional) as Sam Carmichael * ''Cake Off'' (2016 Regional) multiple roles * '' In Transit'' (2016 Broadway) as Trent * ''Once Upon a One More Time'' (2021 Regional) as Prince Charming

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guarini, Justin 1978 births Male actors from Pennsylvania 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American Idol participants American jazz singers American people of Italian descent People from Doylestown, Pennsylvania Living people Musicians from Columbus, Georgia University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni American male stage actors 19 Recordings artists Actors from Columbus, Georgia Singers from Pennsylvania 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) Guitarists from Philadelphia Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania American male pianists American male guitarists 21st-century American pianists American male jazz musicians African-American pianists African-American guitarists 21st-century African-American male singers