Derek Hough
Emmy® Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Derek Hough started dancing in his hometown of Salt Lake City at age 11. Just one year later, he moved to London to live and train with the top dance coaches in the world and attend the prestigious Italia Conti performing arts school where he studied theater, music and dance.
As a four-time Emmy Award winner and 13-time nominee, Hough holds the record for most choreography nominations in Television Academy history. Hough has also appeared in film, television and stage projects as an actor. He made his feature film debut for director Duane Adler and producer Robert Cort in the feature film “Make Your Move” and had a recurring role on the ABC series “Nashville” and in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” for Disney+. His stage performances include Radio City Music Hall’s “Spring Spectacular” costarring alongside the Tony® Award-winning Laura Benanti and the critically acclaimed production of “Footloose” in which he starred as the male lead in London’s West End. In December 2016, Hough starred with Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Martin Short and Harvey Fierstein in NBC’s “Hairspray Live!”
Heading into Season 34 of the hit ABC series “Dancing with the Stars,” Hough is part of the judging panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Toniolo for his sixth consecutive year as a head judge. A multitalented entertainer and the only six-time champion in franchise history, Hough had previously performed on the show as a pro-dancer. His Mirror Ball wins came with celebrity partners that included Brooke Burke, Jennie Garth, Ricki Lake, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley, Amy Purdy and Bindi Irwin.
Hough can also add bestselling author to his list of credits. His memoir, “Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion,” hit stands in August 2014 and rapidly was named to the prestigious New York Times Best-Seller list during two nonconsecutive time periods, a rare feat.
In November 2024, Hough launched his first-ever holiday tour, “Derek Hough Dance for the Holidays,” which visited 40 cities. The holiday tour followed Hough’s second solo tour, “Derek Hough Symphony of Dance,” which featured stops in 60 cities across the United States and Canada. His first tour, “Derek Hough Live: The Tour,” was in 2019 and prior to that, Hough and his sister Julianne teamed for a live stage dance concert “MOVE Live on Tour” performing in 50 cities around the country. In 2015, they toured again selling out scores of venues on their 47-city outing; and in 2017, they again performed a sold-out tour of 48 cities around the United States with their show “Move – Beyond – Live on Tour.”
In 2021 and 2022, Hough headlined his residency “Derek Hough: No Limit” in the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas. The critically acclaimed dance-centric show at the Venetian Resort takes fans on a journey through a true fusion of dance and music as Hough explores styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa, hip-hop and everything in between.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOMETOWN: Salt Lake City, Utah
BIRTHDATE: May 17
