Kenton Duty Biography
Summary
"Kenton Duty" (born May 12, 1995) is an American actor. He stars as the flamboyant European exchange student Günther Hessenheffer on the Disney Channel original series "Shake It Up!".
Early life
Kenton Duty was born "Jeffrey Kenton Duty", on May 12, 1995. He was born and raised in Plano, Texas and has two younger siblings, twin sisters born in 1999. Duty first began studying acting at the age of 9, when his parents suggested he attend a summer musical theatre workshop to help him feel comfortable in front of an audience for school presentations.
It was at the summer workshop that he discovered he had a love for musical theatre, and it was there that he would also meet the casting director who would ask him to audition for his first play, "A Christmas Carol".
Career
In 2004, Duty began his acting career in Dallas, Texas when he was 9 years old in the Dallas Theater Center's musical stage production of "A Christmas Carol", and appeared on-stage again the following year with a principal role in "Ragtime". Duty began auditioning for roles in Los Angeles after he was discovered at a showcase performance at the Young Actors Studio in Dallas, Texas by Hollywood talent agent Cindy Osbrink and she invited him to come to California to audition for pilot season. He has appeared in numerous national commercials for McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Pizza Hut, and Mattel.
In 2007, After several appearances in comedy sketches on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", Duty landed his first featured role as Michael in the Lifetime television movie "Christmas in Paradise". Over the next two years, he appeared in guest-starring roles on the television crime drama "Cold Case" and "The Jay Leno Show", as well as a co-starring role in the popular web series "Ctrl". In 2009, Duty landed his first feature film role in the suspense thriller "2:13", as well as feature film roles in the horror film "Forget Me Not", the comedy film "Crazy on the Outside", and the Bollywood film "My Name Is Khan".
In 2010, Duty gained popular notoriety in the role of 'Young Jacob' on the hit TV series "Lost", although no one, including Duty himself, knew who his character was until nearly the final episode of the series. He was billed simply as 'Teenage Boy.? Duty currently co-stars on the Disney Channel original series "Shake It Up!" as the flamboyant dancer/fashion designer Günther Hessenheffer alongside Caroline Sunshine as his fraternal twin sister Tinka. The glitzy brother/sister duo of Günther and Tinka is said to be inspired by Ryan and Sharpay Evans of Disney's "High School Musical" franchise.
Personal life
Duty currently lives in Los Angeles with his parents and two younger twin sisters. Duty loves animals and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian before beginning his acting career. He has a pet guinea pig named 'Peanut', and his own horse that he keeps on his grandmother's property. Duty's hobbies include baking, cooking, and horseback riding. He also enjoys singing, playing guitar and songwriting. Before beginning work on the TV series "Shake It Up!", Duty played guitar and sang in the band KGMC Gigmasters with Braeden Lemasters and fellow "Lost" co-star Dylan Minnette.
When he isn't working, Duty involves himself with charitable causes including the Disney's Friends for Change initiative which benefits environmental charities through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the Starlight Children's Foundation which is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening medical conditions, and Land O'Frost's 'Lunch Box for Good Program' which helps Hands On Nashville provide assistance for the victims of the 2010 Tennessee floods. In addition to his charity work, Duty has been an outspoken voice against school bullying.
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Kenton Duty.
