Gaten Matarazzo

Gaten Matarazzo is an American actor and singer born on September 8, 2002, in New London, Connecticut. Raised in Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, he discovered his passion for performance early, training at the Starlight Performing Arts Center and winning third place at the Starpower Talent Competition Nationals with a solo titled “Ben.” He made his Broadway debut in 2011 as Benjamin in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and later captured audiences as the iconic street urchin Gavroche in Les Misérables (2014‑15), showcasing his strong vocal abilities and stage presence. Matarazzo’s breakout screen role arrived in 2016 when he was cast as Dustin Henderson in the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things, a character whose background was thoughtfully adapted to reflect the actor’s own experience with cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD). Over the course of the series, he earned critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase, while also expanding his repertoire by providing voices for animated projects such as The Angry Birds Movie 2 and My Father’s Dragon. In addition to acting, he ventured into hosting with the hidden‑camera series Prank Encounters (2019‑2021), serving as both host and executive producer, and returned to Broadway in 2022 as Jared Kleinman in the final cast of Dear Evan Hansen and later as Toby Ragg in the revival of Sweeney Todd. Beyond his professional achievements, Gaten is a passionate advocate for CCD awareness, partnering with organizations like CCD Smiles and participating in numerous charitable livestreams and fundraisers, using his platform to support medical, educational, and humanitarian causes. He has maintained a long‑term relationship with actress Elizabeth Yu since 2018, and continues to balance his artistic endeavors with philanthropy, making him a versatile and influential figure in contemporary entertainment.