Drew Seeley

Last updated

Drew Seeley
Drew Seeley.jpg
Seeley during the High School Musical: The Concert tour
Born
Andrew Michael Edgar Seeley

(1982-04-30) April 30, 1982 (age 42)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1999–present
Spouse
(m. 2013)
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Labels
  • TweenPower Entertainment
  • Drewzilla

Andrew Michael Edgar Seeley [1] (born April 30, 1982) is a Canadian actor, singer and dancer. He has recorded many songs for the Walt Disney Company. He danced as a child in Ontario until he was about preteen age and then moved to Florida.

Contents

Early and personal life

Seeley grew up in Toronto and fell in love with performing. He was once part of a boy band called Nu Ground. He was cast in Hal Prince's revival of Show Boat and stayed with the production for a year. In 2005, Seeley started working with Ray Cham, an established producer, and together they wrote "Get'cha Head in the Game", a song that was a nominee in the Creative Arts Primetime Emmy for Best Original Music and Lyrics.

Seeley is married to actress/comedian Amy Paffrath. The couple has one child, a daughter, who was born in 2019. [2] That same year, Seeley received U.S. citizenship.[ citation needed ]

Career

2005–2010: Breakthrough films and debut album

Drew Seeley performing with Vanessa Hudgens. Vanessa Hudgens and Drew Seeley 6.jpg
Drew Seeley performing with Vanessa Hudgens.

In 2005, Seeley began working with founded producer Ray Cham and together they wrote "Get'cha Head in the Game" for Disney's quadruple platinum High School Musical soundtrack. This garnered them an Emmy nomination in the Best Original Music and Lyrics category. He also auditioned alongside Zac Efron for the role of Troy Bolton in the first High School Musical film, [3] to which Efron won the part while Seeley acted as the character's singing voice, which was blended with Efron's voice in post-production. In addition, Seeley filled in for Efron (who could not join the tour due to a scheduling conflict with the shooting of the 2007 film adaptation of the Broadway musical Hairspray ) on the North America and Latin America tours of High School Musical: The Concert , playing in 60,000 seat arenas and he can be heard on both soundtracks and High School Musical on Stage! .

Seeley's association with Disney continued and he can be heard as a featured artist on several Disney soundtracks/compilation albums including Disneymania 5 , Disneymania 6 , Disney Channel Holiday , Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 9 , and Byou. Drew's duet with Spanish-born Mexican singer Belinda "Dance with Me", from the platinum Cheetah Girls 2 soundtrack, was played on the Disney Channel and on Radio Disney. Drew appeared in Belinda's video of "Ni Freud ni tu mamá". Drew also made a guest appearance on the 2008 Chipmunks CD Undeniable , singing an updated take on "Shake Your Groove Thing" with Alvin and the gang. Seeley appeared in the Hallmark Channel Movie Claire opposite Valerie Bertinelli, and in the film Fly Kidz, for which he co-wrote and produced the soundtrack. He also wrote and performed music for the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In! starring Corbin Bleu and Keke Palmer.

Seeley starred opposite Selena Gomez and Jane Lynch in Another Cinderella Story , playing the pop star Joey Parker. [4] Drew wrote and performed four songs in the film, and shot music videos for both versions of his hit song, "New Classic". Seeley also appeared in the Disney Channel Original Movie Stuck in the Suburbs as a hotel employee.

In the summer of 2009 he starred as Prince Eric in the Disney Broadway Musical The Little Mermaid , [5] and had a leading role in the horror movie The Shortcut . In June 2010, Seeley starred in the Hallmark Channel television movie Freshman Father. [6]

2011–present: The Resolution, films and television

Seeley's album The Resolution was released on April 5, 2011. In support of the album, Drew went on a national tour where he performed his own original music. He also sang a song for the Disney Channel original series Shake It Up . A duet with Adam Hicks, "Dance for Life," premiered in the episode "Vatalihoosit It Up", backed by a routine performed by dance crew the Jabbawockeez. "Dance for Life" was featured on the soundtrack for the show, Shake It Up: Break It Down . Seeley's song "It's Always Been You" was used as the theme of Crown for Christmas, a 2011 Hallmark Channel movie. [7]

On June 12, 2011, Seeley was reported to have joined the CW's hit teen drama series 90210 , but Entertainment Weekly later reported that he dropped the role due to a conflict with his schedule. In March 2012, I Kissed a Vampire was released, in which Seeley stars alongside Lucas Grabeel and Adrian Slade. [8] In June 2012, he co-starred in the Lifetime movie, "Talhotblond", playing young "Tommy". Seeley has also released music videos for his song "Beautiful", and most recently "Into The Fire". Drew recorded a song for the third Shake It Up soundtrack Shake It Up: I Love Dance , called "I Do". It featured on Walmart-exclusive editions as a bonus track. The song was also featured in the Shake It Up season 3 episode, "I Do It Up".

In 2013, Seeley began filming his role in a new film, Elixir, which was renamed Lovestruck: The Musical on ABC Family. Seeley played the role of "Young Ryan". He played opposite Chelsea Kane (Young Harper), Jane Seymour (Harper), Sara Paxton (Mirabella), Tom Wopat (Ryan), and Alexander DiPersia (Marco). He is featured singing his rendition of Usher's "DJ's Got Us Fallin’ in Love". In conjunction with the new movie, Seeley co-wrote and performed "Here & Now," the theme song to ABC Family's spring promotional campaign. The song was featured on Seeley's dance-pop EP released in April 2013. [9] In 2014, Seeley performed as "Bob Gaudio" in Jersey Boys for the US tour. [10]

In 2022, he recorded “Fire” for the doll-based webseries Rainbow High.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999Camp Tanglefoot: It All Adds UpTommy
2005Complete Guide to GuysStearns
2006Christopher Brennan Saves the WorldTom HartwellShort film
The Modern Unicorn's Guide to Love and MagicMattShort film
2008 Another Cinderella Story Joey ParkerDirect-to-video
2009 The Shortcut Derek
2012The MadamePartierShort film
I Kissed a Vampire Trey Sylvania
Pitch Perfect Male Voice No. 5
2013Get the Girl BackSonnyShort film
2014LA Bound: 7 Things Nobody Tells You About Moving to LAParking Guy 1Short film
Second Time AroundSeanShort film
2015Yellow DayThe Good Man
2016Union BoundConfederate Sharpshooter
Chalk It Up Todd
Do OverSean King
2019Write Before ChristmasJax
2021Christmas Movie MagicBrad Westdale

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2000 Guiding Light Andrew3 episodes; as Andrew Seeley
2002 Dawson's Creek MaleEpisode: "The Importance of Not Being Too Earnest"; as Andrew Seeley
2003–2004 One Tree Hill Johnny "Vegas" NorrisEpisodes: "Crash Into You", "You Gotta Go There to Come Back"; as Andrew Seeley
2004 Stuck in the Suburbs Front Desk ClerkTelevision film; as Andrew Seeley
2005 Locusts WillyTelevision film; as Andrew Seeley
Campus ConfidentialLoganTelevision film; as Andrew Seeley
2006 High School Musical singing voice of Troy Bolton Television film
2007ClaireBobby MillsTelevision film
2008 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody David/JefferyEpisode: "Romancing the Phone"
2010 Freshman Father John PattonTelevision film
The Closer Boyd MartinEpisode: "Jump the Gun"
2010–2011 Glory Daze Jason WilsonMain role
2012TallhotblondTommyTelevision film
2013 Lovestruck: The Musical Ryan Hutton/AngusTelevision film
Non-StopRonnieTelevision film
2018Lethal AdmirerLloydTelevision film; also known as A Friend's Obsession
He Knows Your Every MoveJack NewsomTelevision film
A Christmas for the BooksTed DinriseTelevision film
2019 Robot Chicken Various voicesEpisode: "Garfield Stockman in: A Voice Like Wet Ham"
2022 The Rookie Francis BloomfieldEpisode : "Backstabbers"

Web

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009 I Kissed a Vampire Trey SylvaniaMain role
2012Trend This!HimselfEpisode: "The Dance"
2013The Flip SideAndy2 episodes
Minute MotivationsAndyEpisode: "Holiday Special"
2014The InterrogationistsJason VanceEpisode: "The Husband"
His & HersJasonEpisode: "All Your Friends Are Men"
CoffeeHouseBrandon SherwoodEpisode: "Pilot"

Stage

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009 The Little Mermaid Prince EricBroadway [11]
2011 Celebrity Improv Mashup VariousStand-up comedy
2014-2017 Jersey Boys Bob GaudioBroadway [12] & US Tour [13]
2022 Kinky Boots Ensemble Hollywood Bowl [14]

Discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

YearAward ceremonyCategory/WorkNominee(s)Result
2006 Creative Arts Primetime Emmys Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
for "Get'cha Head in the Game" from High School Musical
Ray Cham, Greg Cham and Drew SeeleyNominated

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References

  1. Hernandez, Ernio (June 16, 2009). "PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Drew Seeley". Playbill.
  2. "during a performance of the sketch comedy show Top Story! Weekly". TV.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  3. "Who Are the Real Student Bodies". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  4. "Drew Seeley Interview". Feeling the Vibe. April 26, 2009. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  5. Andrew Gans (June 9, 2009). "Little Mermaid Welcomes Drew Seeley June 9". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  6. "One Freshman is Earning his Degree in Daddy. Emmy Nominee and 'High School Musical' Singer Drew Seeley, Golden Globe Nominee Annie Potts and Four-Time Emmy Winner KimZimmer Co-Star in Freshman Father. A Hallmark Channel Original Movie Premiering June 5" (Press release). Hallmark Channel. April 6, 2010. Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  7. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "It's Always Been You (feat. Drew Seeley)". YouTube .
  8. "TWIST Chats with Drew Seeley!". Twist Magazine. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  9. "Sound Booth - Meet Drew Seeley: Star of ABC Family's Lovestruck: The Musical - ABCFamily.com". Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  10. BWW News Desk. "Drew Seeley & Keith Hines to Join Cast of JERSEY BOYS National Tour". BroadwayWorld.com.
  11. "Drew Seeley Is The Little Mermaid's Handsome New Prince". Broadway.com. May 30, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  12. Broadway’s Jersey Boys Welcomes New Leading Players
  13. "Drew Seeley Joins The Cast Of 'Jersey Boys' National Tour". Disney Dreaming. May 30, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  14. See Who's Joining Wayne Brady and Jake Shears in Hollywood Bowl Kinky Boots