Glee: The Skinny on Jonathan Groff

Where to begin.... Jonathan Groff is one of the newest additions to the cast of Glee. He plays the character of Jesse St. James who was the lead performer on their arch nemesis glee club "Vocal Adrenalin". Now he's McKinley High's newest student, dating "New Directions" ingenue, Rachel, and presumed to be of nefarious intents -- but can Glee work its magic on him? Time will obviously tell.

Now, the facts:

1) The character's name is the same as an famous female porn star: Jessie St. James. Some low down ~

Jessie St. James is an American pornographic actress who was one of the biggest stars of the "Golden Age of Porn".

She made her debut in hardcore pornographic films in 1975 with a small part in Blue Heat. She acted on and off for several years, then began working full time in 1979. Among her earlier films were Blonde Fire, "EASY", and Insatiable. St. James was older than most of her contemporaries, and played characters like housewives or schoolteachers in most of her notable roles

2) The Actor. Some low down ~

Jonathan Groff was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to parents Jim and Julie Groff. He is a native of Ronks, Pennsylvania. Groff graduated from Conestoga Valley High School in 2003. His family raised him in the Mennonite Church. Openly gay, Groff told Broadway.com during the National Equality March on Washington, D.C., that he is "gay and proud".

3) His Career up to Glee. Some low down ~

Groff is best known for originating the role of Melchior Gabor in the Broadway production of Spring Awakening. He played the role from the musical's Broadway debut on December 10, 2006 through May 18, 2008. He also played the same role in the original Off Broadway production earlier during the summer of 2006. Other Broadway credits include the 2005 musical, In My Life. Jonathan also was in the National Tour of The Sound of Music as Rolf, and appeared in Fame at the North Shore Music Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts.

In April 2007, he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his role in Spring Awakening. In May 2007, he was nominated for the Tony Award as Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance, with the award eventually going to David Hyde Pierce for his performance in Curtains. Jonathan left Spring Awakening on May 18, 2008. Part of his decision to leave was due to his starring role as Claude in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Hair, which ran July 22 through August 31.

Some earlier jobs of his included being a waiter at The Chelsea Grill in Hell's Kitchen, a ride operator at Dutch Wonderland, and a counselor at a theater camp in York, Pennsylvania where he taught acting to 11 and 12 year olds.