Minnesota actor joins cast of 'Dancing with the Stars'
A critically-acclaimed stage, television and film actor from Minnesota will appear on the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars."
The hit show will premiere on Disney + on Sept. 19 after 30 seasons on ABC. The Season 31 celebrity cast was announced Thursday on "Good Morning America" and includes Minnesota actor Daniel Durant.
Durant, who grew up in Duluth, is a Deaf actor best known for his starring role as Leo Rossi in the film "CODA", which won Best Picture at this year's Oscars.
In the wake of the film's success, the city of Duluth declared April 4 "Daniel Durant Day" to celebrate the hometown hero.
"Before you were the world’s, you were ours," the city's proclamation reads. "Duluth is so proud of you and thrilled that millions of people around the world now know your work.”
Born in Detroit, Durant grew up in Duluth and lived in Faribault while attending the Minnesota Academy for the Deaf.
After college, Durant moved to Los Angeles and began acting in stage and television roles, including playing as "Matthew" on the long-running ABC Family Channel show, "Switched at Birth".
Durant made his Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of "Spring Awakening". The Deaf West Theatre production delivered the rock musical's dialogue and songbook in both American Sign Language and spoken English.
Durant's performance as the introverted, ill-fated "Moritz" was a breakthrough role for the actor, earning him much critical acclaim.
He went on to be cast in the other theater and film projects and the Netflix series, "You."
Durant will appear on DWTS alongside professional dancer Britt Stewart.
