Soap Opera History

Matthew Morrison Facts: Celebrities Who Started on Soaps

Published by

Shado Saeyang

5 years ago

Matthew Morrison is best known for playing Will Schuester on Glee for six seasons, but the actor has appeared in everything from television, to movies, to Broadway. Not only that, he started on a soap.

Along with his successful television career, Morrison has been nominated for Tonys, Emmys, and a Golden Globe Award. From where he was born and raised to his stint as a boy-bander, here are five fast facts about the successful actor.

Who is Matthew Morrison?

Morrison was born on October 30 in Fort Ord, California. He was raised in Chico, California and attended the Orange County High School of the Arts. In fact, he went to high school with Fuller House star Jodie Sweetin. He then attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for two years before dropping out.

Broadway Beginnings
Morrison dropped out of college when he landed a role in the Broadway musical Footloose. He was then cast in the revival of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but his big break came when he got the role of Link Larkin in Broadway’s Hairspray. He was in Hairspray for two years.

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Soap Beginnings
Morrison was cast as troubled Adam Munson, the son of Hal Munson and Margo Hughes on the CBS soap As the World Turns in 2006. However, he left the show almost immediately due to a scheduling conflict and only appeared in 17 episodes.

Former Boy-Bander

Back in 2001, Morrison joined the boy band LMNT. However, by the time the first album was released, he was replaced by Jonas Persch. They’re best known for their song Hey Juliet, which was released in 2002. Morrison has since revealed it was one of the worst years of his life, and he was embarrassed to be a part of the group.

Getting Personal With Matthew Morrison
Morrison actually dated his future Glee star Lea Michele while they were on Broadway in the early 2000s. He then became engaged to Days of Our Lives star Chrishell Hartley (Jordan) in 2006, but they ended up calling it off. He is currently married to Renee Puente, who he met back in 2011. They have a son together who was born in 2017.