American actor Chris Colfer was BOTD in 1990. Born in Clovis, California, he developed an early interest in writing and drama, and began auditioning for television shows while in high school. In 2009, he unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in TV series Glee. Impressed with Colfer’s talent, showrunner Ryan Murphy created the role of openly gay teen Kurt Hummel for him. Glee premiered in 2009, becoming an international success, praised for its sensitive (if G-rated) depiction of teen sexuality. Colfer stayed with the series for all six seasons, winning a Golden Globe in 2011 for his performance, becoming one of the first openly gay TV actors to play a gay role. He also appeared in live concert tours with the original cast and Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, and wrote the episode Old Dog, New Tricks for the 2014 fifth season. He wrote, produced and starred in the 2012 comedy film Struck by Lightning, and cemented his gay icon status with a cameo in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. In 2011, he published his first children’s book The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, which reached No 1 on the New York Times’ bestseller list for children’s writing. To date, he has written 20 books for children, selling over 10 million copies. He has been heavily involved in LGBTQ activism, supporting the It Gets Better campaign and The Trevor Project. He has been in a relationship with Will Sherrod since 2013.