Biography
Date of Birth
8 December 2002, New Jersey, USA
Birth Name
Gatano John Matarazzo III
Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)
Mini Biography
Gaten John Matarazzo III (born September 8, 2002) is an American actor. He began his career on the Broadway stage as Benjamin in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and as Gavroche in Les Misérables. He stars as Dustin Henderson in the Netflix science-fiction drama series Stranger Things.
Matarazzo was born in Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. He has an older sister and a younger brother. Matarazzo has cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), a trait he shares with his Stranger Things character. He uses dentures as a result of his condition, and uses his fame to raise awareness about it.
Matarazzo uses his platform to raise awareness of CCD and fundraise for CCD Smiles, an organization that helps cover costs of oral surgeries for those with cleidocranial dysostosis. Matarazzo has also started a line of T-shirts whose proceeds will go to CCD Smiles. On his social media sites, Matarazzo actively notifies his followers of how to donate to CCD Smiles and different events he will participate in. Recently, his sister also started a Facebook campaign to raise money for the organization.
Since 2017, Matarazzo has served as spokesman for Verizon FiOS.
Trivia
His mother is named Heather, but she is not actress Heather Matarazzo.
Was born with cleidocranial dysplasia, a rare genetic condition which caused him to be born without collar bones, and which affected the development of his facial bones, skull and teeth. According to Gaten, his case is mild. After Gaten was cast, the condition was written into the script. In the pilot episode of Stranger Things (2016), Dustin (Gaten) actually explains his condition to a school bully who mocks him about his teeth and then asks him to "do the shoulder thing." Dustin obliges, bringing his shoulders together on front of his chest (which he is able to do because of the lack of collarbones).
Counts The Goonies (1985) as one of his all-time favorite movies.
Has an older sister, Sabrina and a younger brother Carmen.
Spokesman for Verizon FiOS since 2017.
His ancestry includes Italian, Hungarian, English, Finnish, and Scottish.
Trademarks:
Greets his fans with "Yo Dudes"
Curly hair
Quotes
My friends are pretty used to me being an actor, and the ones who have known me for a long time don't make too big of a deal out of it.
I started doing theater, musical theater, because of my sister. She's a singer; she's an actress, too.
I'm a kid who grew up in a small town and started acting when he was seven for no reason and got lucky. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. I feel like some people, especially child stars, act out because they don't know how to handle the pressure.
For me, cleidocranial dysplasia was something that just spontaneously happened. Nobody in my family has it. It doesn't really hinder me at all. Obviously, I'm still able to do the things I love.
I started acting when I was seven, and I didn't get my first role till I was nine. So for two years, I was just auditioning.
In the Broadway world, I've always wanted to play Valjean in 'Les Mis', since I've already played Gavroche. I'd also like to play the Phantom of the Opera, but I haven't really thought about any film characters. You've got to have a whole lot of training for the Phantom role, vocally.
Unless people are in the shoes of a child actor, they don't realize how difficult it can be at times. I definitely enjoy what I'm doing, though.
I was like, 'I'm only going to do musical theater for the rest of my life. I'm never going to do TV.' And whenever I'd get auditions for TV, I'd be like, 'Okay, whatever. I've got a lisp, so they're not going to take me.' And then I started doing this, and I guess it was my sister that got me into the acting thing.
I have never fanned out at all, actually. I mean, there's only a few people that I have fanned out about before: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, pretty much anyone from 'Star Wars.' But I don't usually fan out at all, just because they're all people just doing their jobs. It's exciting because they do very good work!
I love when people stop and talk to me, because the people are always so nice.
College is something I've always said I wanted to do, but you're going there to get a piece of paper that says you can get a job, but if I'm already working steadily and doing good work, it makes you question your priorities. Right now, I'm in my own film college: filming a TV show.
Kids are so accustomed to technology that it's upsetting to watch them without their phones. They don't know what to do. Sometimes I feel like I'm like that, too - if I get my phone taken away because I'm grounded, I don't know what to do. So I just have to sit in my room and stare blankly at the ceiling.
The most surreal moment might have been meeting President Obama. It was really cool, actually; they, like, announced us into the room. There was a man in a uniform who announced all our names in a booming voice, and we walk in, and there's the president.
I miss Broadway! I'm still a theatre kid, don't worry!
When I was younger, I definitely thought musical theater was sort of more pure than film. I used to say I'd never go to film because we had to get it right the first time in musical theater. But then, of course, I started doing film and realized I loved it. Keep in mind that I was 8 years old when I said that.
I love working in theater because it's such a challenge to have the audience right there in front of you. If you mess up, you have to figure it out and keep going. There's no take two! I do hope to return to the stage someday. I really love to sing.
It's great to have a good relationship with the directors and learn about things you do with cameras, and how you direct.
