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
