Darren Criss

The actor, best known as a song-and-dance man, transformed himself in the eyes of viewers and Emmy voters with his haunting work on THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY

- Tim Stack

This was the year Darren Criss went from a teenage dream to an American psycho. The 31-year-old actor first bounced and snapped his way into our hearts in Glee’s second season as out gay high schooler (and hair-pomade enthusiast) Blaine Anderson, who memorably covered Katy Perry’s ode to young love. Blaine and boyfriend Kurt (Chris Colfer) quickly became pop culture icons to the LGBTQ community. “The greatest thing about playing Blaine is the fact that this character is so much bigger than myself,” Criss told EW back in 2010 shortly after his debut on the Fox phenom. “What he can stand for and bring to so many people is so much more significant and powerful than me just finally having a steady job.”