How Donald Glover went from a comedy writer to a triple-threat Hollywood star

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Donald Glover.

With the premiere of his new show “Atlanta” on FX Tuesday, Donald Glover can now add the words “series creator” to his varied and accomplished list of career titles.

Since securing a job as a writer for “30 Rock” in 2006, Glover has used his diverse talents and signature humor to find success in a staggering number of industries, including television, stand-up comedy, music, and film. 

The former “Community” star’s career trajectory is unlike any other. From his Grammy-nominated rap persona, Childish Gambino, to an impressive array of acting roles, Glover has defied expectations at every turn.

Check out Donald Glover’s unique road to becoming an A-list star in the entertainment industry:

Donald Glover grew up in a strict Jehovah’s Witness household in Stone Mountain, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. In high school, he was voted “Most Likely to Write for ‘The Simpsons’” — a show that his mother wouldn’t allow him to watch.

Source: Rolling Stone

Glover attended New York University and graduated in 2006 with a degree in dramatic writing. During his time at NYU, he joined several sketch-comedy groups, including Derrick Comedy, which produced a number of viral YouTube hits.

Source: Vulture

In his senior year of college, Glover caught his big break when his viral videos and performances in New York attracted the attention of the producers from NBC’s “30 Rock.” He was hired as a writer for the new sitcom in 2006 and would go on to make several cameos on the show.

Source: NYU

In 2009, Glover left the “30 Rock” writers’ room after three seasons to move to Los Angeles. He and his Derrick Comedy team premiered their first feature film, “Mystery Team,” at the Sundance Film Festival later that year.

Source: The New York Times

Glover began to release rap mixtapes in 2009 under the stage name Childish Gambino. In the same year, he was cast as Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom “Community” — a career-defining role that he would play through the show’s fifth season in 2014.

Sources: NY Daily News, The Wrap

After years of doing comedy in New York, Glover’s first stand-up special, a half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” episode, premiered in 2010. His first hour-long special, “Weirdo,” aired in 2011.

In his “Weirdo” set, Glover jokes about a 2010 internet campaign that wanted to see him cast as Peter Parker in the then-upcoming “Spider-Man” reboot. Though Marvel’s Stan Lee even voiced his support for “#donald4spiderman,” Glover did not audition for the role, which eventually went to Andrew Garfield. 

In 2011, Glover released his debut studio album, “Camp,” as Childish Gambino. The album received positive reviews and produced a hit single in “Heartbeat.”

 

Glover released his second Childish Gambino album, “Because the Internet,” in 2013. The LP was certified gold and accompanied by several Hiro Murai-directed videos, including a surreal, 25-minute short film, titled “Clapping for the Wrong Reasons.”

Source: RIAA

In the past few years, Glover has had supporting roles in a number of successful movies, including Disney’s 2014 film “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” …

… 2015′s “Magic Mike XXL,” in which he plays an Atlanta stripper …

… and the Oscar-nominated 2015 film “The Martian.”

Glover’s new TV series “Atlanta,” which premieres Tuesday on FX, has already gained universal acclaim as one of the fall’s best new comedy shows.

Source: Metacritic

Glover signed on to create, produce, cowrite, and star in the semi-autobiographical series back in 2013. He recently explained the three-year production process to Business Insider, saying, “It could have happened faster, maybe if I wasn’t doing so many other things.”

Source: Business Insider

Overall, this year and the next are shaping up to be huge for Glover, as he is likely to couple his “Atlanta” series premiere with the release of his third Childish Gambino album — the tentatively titled “Pharos,” which is rumored to drop this fall.

Source: Billboard

In 2017, he is also set to star in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” as a character that is yet to be announced, and he is reportedly the first choice to play Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo standalone “Star Wars” film.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider

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