Kenny Ortega

Kenneth John Ortega was born on April 18, 1950, in Palo Alto, California, to Madeline, a waitress, and Octavio "Tibby" Ortega, a factory worker, whose own parents had immigrated from Spain. Ortega grew up alongside a sister, Debra, and a brother, Mark. He attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, where he participated in cheerleading and drama.

Ortega launched his career as a performer, taking part in a touring production of Oliver! and a touring production of Hair, the latter of which brought him to Broadway in 1970. During the run of that touring production, a chief of police allegedly planted narcotics in Ortega's hotel room, reportedly in response to his performance in the show. Ortega was arrested, with the arrest report listing him under the name George Berger, the character he portrayed in Hair. The charges were ultimately dropped following an investigation. His performing career also brought him an offer to take the leading role in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which he declined in order to pursue choreography after members of the San Francisco-based band The Tubes spotted him dancing at a club and recruited him to work with them. He toured with The Tubes for ten years.

Ortega's transition into choreography expanded quickly. He choreographed The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo in the mid to late 1970s, and was subsequently contracted by Cher to choreograph a television special and tour, and by Kiss for their Dynasty Tour. In 1980, he joined the choreography team for the film Xanadu, where he worked alongside Gene Kelly, who mentored him in choreographing for film. He went on to serve as choreographer for several John Hughes films, including Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, as well as the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. Additional film choreography credits from this period include Xanadu, One from the Heart, and St. Elmo's Fire.

Ortega also built a substantial body of work in music video choreography, with credits including Madonna's "Material Girl," Olivia Newton-John's "Physical," The Tubes' "She's a Beauty," and Styx's "Mr. Roboto." He produced and choreographed the video for Billy Squier's "Rock Me Tonite" as well. His concert work extended to tours for Olivia Newton-John, Cher, Madonna, Kiss, and Miley Cyrus.

He made his feature film directorial debut in 1992 with the Disney musical Newsies, followed by Hocus Pocus in 1993. Both films underperformed at the box office upon release but later developed significant cult followings. In 1995, Ortega choreographed To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. His large-scale event choreography included Super Bowl XXX, the 72nd Academy Awards, the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Ortega's collaboration with Michael Jackson produced some of his most prominent work. He co-created and designed Jackson's Dangerous World Tour from 1992 to 1993, the HIStory World Tour from 1996 to 1997, and the Michael Jackson & Friends concert event in 1999. In May 2009, Ortega began directing and choreographing Jackson's planned 50-date This Is It concert residency at the O2 Arena in London. The engagement was cancelled following Jackson's death on June 25, 2009. Ortega subsequently directed Jackson's public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009, which drew a television audience of 31 million in the United States and more than one billion viewers worldwide. He also directed the concert film Michael Jackson's This Is It, assembled from rehearsal footage recorded at the Los Angeles Forum and the Staples Center, which was released on October 28, 2009.

In 2006, Ortega directed and choreographed the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, returning in the same capacity for High School Musical 2 in 2007 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year in 2008. That same year he also directed and choreographed The Cheetah Girls 2. Beginning in 2015, Ortega directed and choreographed Descendants for the Disney Channel, followed by Descendants 2 in 2017 and Descendants 3 in 2019.

In 2019, Ortega signed a five-year deal with Netflix and directed and executive produced the original series Julie and the Phantoms, which premiered on September 10, 2020, and was cancelled after one season. That same year, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was named a Disney Legend at the D23 Expo.

Ortega is gay and has spoken publicly about his identity, stating in a 2014 interview with the anti-bullying organization Bystander Revolution that he is proud of the entertainment industry's acceptance of people with different sexual orientations. During the trial People v. Murray concerning the death of Michael Jackson, Ortega served as the trial's first witness.