Gaten Matarazzo is definitely one Hollywood star to watch out for. He is an actor and singer and has taken part in several Broadway plays including Les Miserables . He hit the spotlight for his role as Dustin in the popular Netflix series, Stranger things . That role won him the 2017 Shorty Award for Best Actor. Matarazzo has equally featured in other TV series such as Blacklist and Ridiculousness . In addition, he is also a singer and philanthropist. Find out more about him here including his net worth, height, parents, sister, and ethnicity.
Gaten Matarazzo Bio (Age and Ethnicity)
Gaten John Matarazzo III was born on the 8th of September 2002 in Connecticut. A mere glance at his surname will immediately reveal that he has some Italian heritage. In addition to his Italian ethnicity, he also has English, Finnish and Scottish ancestry. Matarazzo grew up in Little Egg Harbour Township, New Jersey. He was encouraged to go into acting by his elder sister, Sabrina, who is equally an actress. Gaten Matarazzo made his acting debut at the age of 9 in a Broadway production, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert . Following his strong performance in the show, he got a role on another Broadway musical, Les Miserables , in 2014.
Gaten Matarazzo became a Hollywood star in 2016, thanks to his role as the funny, quirky Dustin Henderson in the popular Netflix series, Stranger Things. The supernatural thriller follows a bunch of children trying to discover what happened to one of their friends. The series has become a cult hit and has attracted a legion of loyal fans including the likes of Shonda Rhimes, Zac Effron and Stephen King. The series has also won several awards and helped propel its adorable young cast (including Matarazzo) to fame. Aside from Stranger Things, Matarazzo has also appeared in other TV shows such as the NBC crime thriller, Blacklist (2015) and MTV’s comedy show Ridiculousness (2017).
Parents, Sister
Gaten Matarazzo comes from a family of five – dad, Gaten Matarazzo II and mom, Heather Matarazzo. Others are his elder sister, Sabrina and his younger brother, Carmen. People often ask if the actress, Heather Matarazzo (who is most popular for her role in the 1995 movie Welcome to the Dollhouse), is Gaten’s mom. This is not surprising given the similar names. The answer is however no. She is not Gaten’s mom. She has however tweeted that he is adorable and such a good actor.
Gaten Matarazzo is not the only talented person in his family. His elder sister, Sabrina is also an actress. She has featured in some commercials as well as theatre productions. In fact, she was the one who encouraged Gaten to become an actor. It was actually her manager who signed Gaten on and started getting him auditions. Aside from acting, all three Matarazzo siblings are talented singers as well. They have a band known as Work in Progress and they usually post covers of songs online. In June 2018, they performed onstage with Paramour, an alternative rock band. The performance took place at a Paramour concert in Brooklyn. Additionally, Gaten and his sister, Sabrina once performed the national anthem before a Mets Game at Citifield in 2015.
Height
Gaten Matarazzo is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 130lbs or 59kg. His hair colour is light brown while his eyes are blue in colour.
Matarazzo has a rare genetic condition known as Cleidocranial Dysplasia. The condition affects the growth of bones and teeth and manifests differently in each individual. In the actor’s case, it affected the growth of his teeth and he was born without a collarbone. In order to manage the condition which has no cure, Matarazzo has undergone two surgeries, four tooth extractions and wears a dental appliance. The condition, which can also affect one’s height, makes him speak with a lisp.
Matarazzo’s condition has been both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, the condition (his lisp and short height) has hindered his ability to get certain roles. On the other hand, some of the roles he has gotten has been due to the condition and his disability has formed part of the plotline. For instance, in the very first episode of Stranger Things, he is bullied by a bunch of mean kids because of his lisp. Matarazzo has used his fame to raise awareness about the rare condition. He has also collaborated with a charity known as CCD Smiles to raise money to enable people born with the condition to get corrective surgeries.
Net Worth
Even though Matarazzo is still a high school kid, he has been able to accumulate a small fortune. A conservative estimate of his net worth puts it between $500,000 and $1,000,000. He made the bulk of his money from Stranger Things. He reportedly earned $10,000 per episode in the first season and $30,000 per episode in the second season. His earnings are expected to rocket to $250,000 for each episode of the third season. Matarazzo also has an endorsement deal with Verizon Fios (a TV, internet and phone service offered by Verizon).