Grant Gustin

Thomas Grant Gustin was born on January 14, 1990, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Tina Haney, a pediatric nurse, and Thomas Gustin, a college professor. During high school, he participated in the Governor's School for the Arts program in Norfolk, where he studied musical theater, and was also involved with Hurrah Players Incorporated, a Virginia-based theater organization. He graduated from Granby High School in 2008 and subsequently enrolled in the BFA Music Theater Program at Elon University in North Carolina, attending for two years before leaving to pursue professional work.

Gustin's earliest known screen appearance came in Rain (2004), a student film directed and produced by Neil Grochmal during Grochmal's studies at Regent University. In the film, Gustin played a young mute whose visions help a man uncover the identity of his wife's murderer. In 2010, he departed Elon University to join the Broadway Revival Tour of West Side Story, taking on the role of Baby John. The tour opened on September 30, 2010, and Gustin performed with the company through September 23, 2011.

Following the conclusion of the West Side Story tour, Gustin transitioned to television. On November 8, 2011, he debuted on the Fox series Glee as Sebastian Smythe, an openly gay member of the Dalton Academy Warblers. He had originally auditioned for a background role as a tap dancer but was kept in mind by creator Ryan Murphy following an extensive casting search for the recurring role. In January 2012, Gustin and cast member Naya Rivera performed a duet cover of "Smooth Criminal" in the season three episode "Michael," backed by musical duo 2Cellos. The cover debuted and peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 10 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart, and number 28 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 during the week of February 18, 2012.

In 2012, Gustin filmed A Mother's Nightmare, an original Lifetime network film also starring Annabeth Gish and Jessica Lowndes, shot in West Kelowna, British Columbia. That same year, he was announced as a cast member in the independent film Affluenza. In 2013, he was offered the role of Barry Allen in the second season of Arrow, initially contracted for three episodes, with the final episode intended as a backdoor pilot for a potential spin-off. That plan was set aside in favor of a standalone pilot titled The Flash, which premiered on October 7, 2014, drawing 4.8 million viewers — the largest premiere audience for The CW in five years. The series ran for nine seasons and 184 episodes, concluding on May 24, 2023. As part of the broader Arrowverse, Gustin reprised the role of Barry Allen across Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and the web series Vixen. He also appeared in William H. Macy's film Krystal, which premiered at the 2017 Virginia Film Festival and was released on April 13, 2018, by Great Point Media and Paladin. In March 2020, he was cast in Operation Blue Eyes as Barry Keenan.

Gustin made his Broadway debut in February 2024 in the original production of Water for Elephants, originating the starring role of Jacob Jankowski. He remained with the production through September 2024. On a personal note, Gustin announced his engagement to Andrea "LA" Thoma on April 29, 2017, and the two married on December 15, 2018. They have two children: a daughter born in 2021 and a son born in 2024.