Gary Michael "Garrett" Clayton is an American actor and singer. He is known for portraying Tanner in the 2013 Disney Channel movie '' Teen Beach Movie'' and its 2015 sequel '' Teen Beach 2'', and other film, television, and stage roles.

Life and career

Clayton was born in Dearborn, Michigan. He has Lebanese heritage. He began acting at Crestwood High School in

Dearborn Heights, Michigan Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 63,292 at the 2020 census., Dearborn Heights is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, and is considered a bedroom community. History Dearborn Heig ...

, performing in many of the drama club's productions. He later attended Oakland University, where he studied musical theater. In 2010, he made appearances on '' Days of Our Lives'' and '' Shake It Up''. In December 2012, he appeared in the Lifetime movie ''Holiday Spin'', co-starring

Ralph Macchio Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three ''Karate Kid'' films and in ''Cobra Kai'', a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in '' The Outsiders' ...

, as Blake, a rebellious teen forced to live with his father after his mother is killed in a car accident. He was cast in 2013 in the role of Tanner in Disney's musical '' Teen Beach Movie'', playing a cool but vacuous surfer who is "a mix between

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...

and Link from ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

''". The film was directed by

Jeffrey Hornaday Jeffrey Hornaday is an American choreographer and film director. He has choreographed films such as ''Flashdance'', ''Dick Tracy'', ''Captain Eo'' and ''A Chorus Line'' . Hornaday was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for his di ...

and was filmed in Puerto Rico and was first broadcast in July 2013. It co-stars

Ross Lynch Ross Shor Lynch (born December 29, 1995) is an American actor, singer, and musician. He was the lead vocalist of the pop rock band R5 and is one half of the band the Driver Era (with his brother Rocky Lynch). As an actor, he rose to recogniti ...

Maia Mitchell Maia Mitchell (born 18 August 1993) is an Australian actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Brittany Flune in the children's television series '' Mortified'' for the Nine Network, and as Natasha Ham in the Seven Network's teen drama ...

, and Grace Phipps. He had a recurring role in the latter half of the first season of ''The Fosters''. In 2016, he portrayed gay porn star Brent Corrigan in the film '' King Cobra'', with

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...

and

Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He made his film debut with a leading role in ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role as Jason "J.D." D ...

, and played the role of Link Larkin in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television broadcast of ''

Hairspray Live! ''Hairspray Live!'' is an American television special that aired live on the American television network NBC on December 7, 2016. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and hosted by Darren Criss, it is a performance of a new adaptation of the ...

'' He starred as Brady Mannion in the horror- thriller film '' Don't Hang Up'', which was released in theaters in February 2017. Also in 2017, Clayton appeared on stage at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

as Luke alongside Al Pacino and

Judith Light Judith Ellen Light (born February 9, 1949) is an American actress. She made her professional stage debut in 1970, before making her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''A Doll's House''. Her breakthrough role was in the ABC daytime soap opera ...

in a six-week run of Dotson Rader's play ''God Looked Away,'' about the later life of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

Personal life

In 2018, Clayton revealed that he is

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and he has been in a long-term relationship with boyfriend Blake Knight since 2011. In January 2019, Clayton announced that he and Knight had become engaged a year prior. In September 2021, the couple married at an outdoor, garden party themed wedding in Los Angeles, which was officiated by Clayton's '' King Cobra'' co-star Alicia Silverstone.

Filmography

Films

Television

Stage

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Garrett Living people 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male child actors American male television actors Male actors from Michigan American male dancers American gay actors LGBT dancers LGBT people from Michigan People from Dearborn Heights, Michigan Year of birth missing (living people)