Penn Badgley was born in Baltimore and grew up in Midlothian, Virginia, and Seattle, Washington. It was in Seattle that, through his love of music, he stumbled upon a local playhouse and became involved in musical theatre, where his passion for acting grew. In his early teens, Badgley obtained an agent in Los Angeles and began landing guest appearances on TV shows such as Will & Grace, Daddio and Bull, before playing Phillip Chancellor IV on The Young and Restless. In 2002, he landed his first regular role on TV in the short-lived series Do Over. He relocated to Los Angeles and attended Santa Monica College. At 17 he was accepted to USC, but work intervened. He played regular roles in two more series before landing a starring role in the hit series Gossip Girl.
On the big screen, he’s appeared in major releases such as John Tucker Must Die, The Stepfather and Easy A.
Badgley currently resides in New York. In his spare time he enjoys writing music and playing soccer.
