Corbin Bleu

Corbin Bleu

Active - 1963 - 2023  |   Born - Feb 21, 1989 in Brooklyn, New York, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Comedy, Adventure

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Biography by AllMovie

As the son of ever-present television star David Reivers (Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Corbin Bleu (born Corbin Bleu Reivers on February 21st, 1989) was ushered into the spotlight by his parents at a remarkably early age. Before his third birthday, Bleu's face had adorned television commercials for such consumer brands as Nabisco, Life Cereal, and Bounty paper towels; by the age of four, he had secured representation with the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency in Manhattan, and promoted American chains such as Toys 'R' Us and Macy's, via inclusion in their print ads. As a youngster, Bleu also happened upon a deep-seated love of dancing -- a passion that carried him through his adolescent years.

Bleu moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1996, and thus transposed his acting ambitions to Hollywood. After bit parts in such movies as Mystery Men and Galaxy Quest (both 1999) and such series as Malcolm & Eddie and ER, Bleu landed his first starring role in a feature: that of Austin, the Afroed accomplice of pint-sized bank robber Maddy (Kristen Stewart), in Bart Freundlich's family-oriented action comedy Catch That Kid (2003). Bleu gained his broadest exposure, however (and truly found his niche), via the Disney Channel pay-cable service, with several original telemovie musicals that enabled the rising young star to exhibit his singing and dancing skills onscreen -- and then some. These included High School Musical (2006) and Jump In! (2007). The former attained such popularity among young people that it spawned two successful sequels: the 2007 High School Musical 2 and the 2008 Haunted High School Musical. In each of those successive installments, Bleu reprises his role as basketball player Chad -- a teammate of lead character Troy Bolton (Zac Efron).

In 2008, Bleu starred as a motorcross racer for the sports drama Free Style, and took on a voice role in 2011's The Little Engine that Could. Bleu appeared in 2012's Nurse 3D, and continues to be active in film and television. He booked a recurring gig on One Life to Live in 2013 and appeared on season 17 Dancing with the Stars, coming in second place. Bleu maintained a strong presence on TV with guest gigs on shows like Castle and The Fosters.

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Factsheet

  • Father is Jamaican and mother is Italian.
  • Attended a preparatory medical program at John Hopkins University, and has said that if he wasn't an actor, he probably would have pursued a career in medicine.
  • Began appearing in TV commercials (Life cereal, Bounty, Hasbro, Nabisco) at the age of 2, and was a model with the Ford Modeling Agency by age 4.
  • Made his professional acting debut at age 6, playing an abandoned, homeless mute in an off-Broadway production of Tiny Tim Is Dead.
  • Studied dance at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles.
  • Real-life father, actor David Reivers, played his dad in 2007's Jump In!; Corbin had previously dropped his last name so he and his father could have separate professional identities.
  • Debut solo album, Another Side, was released in May 2007 on Hollywood Records; released sophomore album, Speed of Light, in March 2009.
  • Supports a number of children's charities, including Do Something, the Starlight Children's Foundation, the St. Jude's Children's Hospital and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.