Christopher Chace Crawford was born on July 18, 1985 in Lubbock, TX to father Chris, a dermatologist, and mother Dana, a teacher. He had a younger sister named Candice, who studied broadcast journalism at University of Missouri-Columbia and competed in the 2008 Miss USA pageant as Miss Missouri. Not to be outdone in sibling rivalry, Crawford, himself, became a talented artist and top athlete, playing football and golf at Trinity Christian Academy, where he graduated in 2003.
To make ends meet, Crawford modeled on the side in Dallas, but while attending Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, he bounced between advertising, business, and communications majors. His mother encouraged him to try acting during his sophomore year of college, and it was then that he finally found his true calling in performing arts. Crawford was signed by the first talent agent who interviewed him, turning what just became a new venture into a new chapter in his life. “A friend of a friend put me through to a commercial agent and they agreed to work with me,” he said. “That got the ball rolling for me, and it all started to click for me in acting class.”
In 2006, the blue-eyed actor made his television debut in the movie “Long Lost Son” (Lifetime), where he played a young man who was thought to be dead by his mother, but was actually kidnapped by his father. That same year, he appeared in “The Covenant,” a supernatural thriller directed by Renny Harlin about four teens who battle dark magical forces. The cast included a group of up-and-coming young actors, including “Stop Loss” (2008) star Steven Strait, “Friday Night Lights” (NBC, 2006- ) hunk Taylor Kitsch and Crawford. The film made a surprising debut at the top of the box office list, turning its lead actors into overnight stars.
Crawford’s star shone even brighter in 2007 when he got cast as Nate Archibald in “Gossip Girl,” based on a bestselling book series by Cecily von Ziegesar about New York’s Upper East Side teens and their exploits. The show, shot entirely on location in the Big Apple, enjoyed huge ratings success due to its seductive plotlines, high fashion costumes, and good looking cast. Some described “Gossip Girl” as a hybrid of the teen drama “The O.C.” (FOX, 2003-07) mixed with the style and bravado of “Sex and the City” (HBO, 1998-2004). Playing Nate put Crawford in the center of the show’s love triangle, torn between his longtime girlfriend Blair (Leighton Meester), and her best friend Serena (Blake Lively). “I saw that ‘Gossip Girl’ was created by Josh Schwartz, but little did I know how insanely popular this series of books were with younger gals,” Crawford said. “The first read, I thought Nate was totally attainable for me and something I was interested in.”
The success of “Gossip Girl” put Crawford on the map, and also in the hearts of millions of teenage girls. He rivaled actors Zac Efron and Shia LaBeouf – both of whom were 2007’s top heartthrobs – with his million dollar smile, chiseled body and perfectly coiffed hair. Being in the spotlight, however, also made Crawford a favorite subject amongst tabloids and gossip bloggers, most notably when he dated 2005’s “American Idol” (FOX, 2002- ) winner and country music darling Carrie Underwood in 2008. Fueled by rumors that he was in a gay relationship with NSYNC singer J.C. Chasez because they spent so much time together, Crawford and Underwood reportedly broke up in April 2008 via text message, though they remained friends. The extremely busy actor split his time between Los Angeles and New York, where he shared an apartment with his “Gossip Girl” costar Ed Westwick. He also hoped to prove he was more than just a pretty boy by starring in the teen drama, “Loaded,” a 2008 film where he played the younger brother of actor Jesse Metcalfe.
“Loaded” never hit theaters, and Crawford’s teen horror follow-up “The Haunting of Molly Hartley” (2009), was likewise released only on home DVD. However, Crawford seemed destined for box office success with his casting in a musical remake of the 1980s classic “Footloose” (2010), in which he would play a rock ‘n’ roll loving outcast in a small conservative town – a character made famous by Kevin Bacon in the 1984 original.