If any star shined brighter than the rest at this year's Golden Globes it was Donald Glover. The Atlanta actor scored two trophies at the prestigious awards show, making him one of the night's biggest winners. Just who is the handsome entertainers winning Hollywood's top accolades? Read on to find out!
Donald scooped up two awards at the 2017 Golden Globes
While he's probably best recognised for his role in the cult-classic TV series Community, there's a whole lot more the 33-year-old has done since heading to Hollywood from his home state of Georgia.
Here are five things you may not know about Tinseltown's newest Golden Boy - who, despite a common perception, is not the son of actor Danny Glover.
1) Tina Fey gave him his big break.
One of Donald's first gigs was as a staff writer for Tina's beloved series 30 Rock. He was only 21 at the time and the recommendation to hire him came from Tina's best friend Amy Poehler. He worked on the show for three years before leaving to join Community. "Working on two special shows made me want to understand my purpose," he told Time. "Tina always seemed happy. I want[ed] that."
The actor starred in Community opposite Joel McHale and Danny Pudi
2) His stage name is Childish Gambino.
The actor came up with the nickname while hanging out with friends and playing with a name generator online. In 2011, he explained its origins to Jimmy Fallon. "We were all hanging out, chilling and drinking and then we were like, 'oh, Wu-Tang name generator, let’s put our name in.' And we’re putting them all in, and they’re all funny and stuff, and then mine came up and I was like, ‘you guys, it’s not funny anymore. This is something big.’ I just really liked it." Since coming up with the moniker, he's used it for everything from stand-up shows to rap albums.
3) He's a movie star.
Since starting his career he's starred in several movies, but his biggest "get" could be his recent casting as the young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo Star Wars movie. Though few details about the film have been released, we know it will likely hit theatres in 2018. He's also set to appear in Spider-Man Homecoming, and recently starred in The Martian and Magic Mike XXL.
Donald played a science wiz in 2016's The Martian
4) People always knew he'd be famous.
Born at an Air Force Base in California, he was raised in Georgia by his parents who spent most of his youth actively fostering other kids. Though he was accomplished in his studies (he attended an arts school), his talent and knack for commanding a crowd shone through early. He was voted "Most Likely to Write for The Simpsons" in his high school yearbook, according to the site Creative Loafing.
5) He loves Atlanta.
Atlanta is a passion project for Donald and above and beyond everything else he's done, it's the work he wants people to know him for. In an interview with Time, he spoke of his hope for the show and how it could break down racial barriers -- especially in the U.S.
Atlanta won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
"The thesis was: How do we make people feel black?” said Glover. "It turned into something more attainable than that, but that was the idea. I was like, ‘Let’s make something that shouldn’t be on the air, something controversial.’ If it’s cancelled in 10 episodes, I’ll be happy with those episodes."
He went on to add: "That tone, I think, is specific to being black. You’re laughing at the heartache of the situation—how economics and status and identity plays into when people think the word is appropriate... Most shows would have a character say, ‘Here’s when you can use that word.’ That’s whack. The situation is more complex and weird than that."
Sarah Walker is a gal in the know who regularly appears on television and writes for a variety of outlets. Check out her work at sarahkelsey.ca, on Twitter @sarahkelsey, Instagram @sakelsey and Pinterest@sakelsey.
