Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, with over 22.3 million records. As of 2022, he had sold over 25 million records worldwide. Groban originally studied acting, but switched to singing as his voice developed. He attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, a free public school on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles, where students receive a conservatory-style education. David Foster called him to stand in for Andrea Bocelli to rehearse a duet, "The Prayer", with Celine Dion at the rehearsal for the 1999 Grammy Awards. Rosie O'Donnell immediately invited him to appear on her talk show. Foster asked him to sing at California Governor Gray Davis' 1999 inauguration. He was cast on Ally McBeal by the show's creator, David E. Kelley, performing "You're Still You", later released on his debut album, for the 2001 season four finale. After his appearance in two professional productions of Chess, Groban made his Broadway debut in 2016 as Pierre Bezukhov in the musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, to critical acclaim and a Tony Award nomination. In 2018, he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his performance at the 72nd Tony Awards, and starred in the limited series The Good Cop. He also appeared in television series and films, such as Crazy, Stupid, Love and Muppets Most Wanted. In 2022, Groban portrayed the Beast in the television special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. He returned to Broadway in 2023 playing the title character in a revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, for which he earned his second Tony Award nomination.