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Kenton Duty
Kenton-Duty-shake-it-up-18375842-311-466

Born

May 12, 1995 (age 16)
Plano, Texas

Occupation

Actor

Years active

2006-present

Role

Gunther Hessenheffer

Kenton Duty (born May 12, 1995) is an American actor and musician. He stars as the flamboyant European exchange student Gunther 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 theater 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 theater, 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[]

File:Kenton-teen-vogue.jpg

Kenton Duty at Teen Vogue event.

Kenton Duty began his acting career in Dallas, Texas when he was 9 years old in the Dallas Theater Center's 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 workshop 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. Duty first 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 Gunther 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 is a pescetarian. 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.

Trivia[]

  • He first acted on-stage in local productions of A Christmas Carol and Ragtime.
  • He is allergic to chocolate (cocoa).
  • He has two younger twin sisters, Jessica and Rebecca.
  • Before his role on Shake It Up, Kenton was most recognized as the mysterious teenage boy in the final season of Lost. It was revealed that his character was a young Jacob, the fraternal twin brother of the infamous character, the Man in Black.
    • This would make it the second time Kenton has played the role of a twin on television.
  • He sings and plays the guitar.
  • He was in a band called KGMC.
  • Before Shake It Up, he had already worked with fellow co-star, Bella Thorne, in 2009 on a film called Forget Me Not.
  • He made his one-night only Broadway debut in Mary Poppins as a chimney sweep during the "Step in Time (Reprise)". He appeared on stage on August 4, 2011.

Photo Gallery[]

Click here to view the Kenton Duty gallery.

Filmography[]

Films[]

Year Title Role Notes
2009 2:13 Young Russell -
2009 Forget Me Not Young Chad -
2010 Crazy on the Outside Ethan Papadopolous -
2010 My Name Is Khan Older Reese Garrick

Bollywood Film

2012 Amazing Love Steve -

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2006 - 2007 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Spelling Bee Contestant / Boy #1 / Halloween skit 4 episodes
2007 Christmas in Paradise Michael Marino Lifetime TV Movie
2008 3-Minute Game Show Himself -
2008 Cold Case Young Chuck Collier '69

Episode: "One Small Step"

2009 Ctrl Young Ben 10 episodes
2009 The Jay Leno Show Teenager / High School Boy 2 episodes
2010 LOST Teenage Boy (Young Jacob) 4 episodes
2010 Jimmy Kimmel Live! Young Jacob -
2010 - present Shake It Up Gunther Hessenheffer Main role
2011 Last Man Standing Victor Blake Episode: "Last Halloween Standing"

Discography[]

Song title Year Artist Album Time Notes
Monster Mash 2011 Kenton Duty, Adam Irigoyen, & Davis Cleveland - 3:04

Spooky Buddies soundtrack

Music video: here

Roam 2011 Caroline Sunshine (feat. Kenton Duty, Adam Irigoyen, & Davis Cleveland) - 3:04

Treasure Buddies soundtrack

Music video: here

Show Ya How 2012 Kenton Duty & Adam Irigoyen Shake It Up: Live 2 Dance 2:21

External Links[]

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).
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