On The Young and the Restless, Michael Graziadei plays Daniel Romalotti. He celebrated his 20th anniversary of being part of the Y&R family earlier this year, and next week, he celebrates his 45th birthday.
Born on September 22, 1979, in Germany, Graziadei had American parents. He began his acting career in Germany at five years old, appearing in a production of The King and I.
Graziadei graduated from high school in Nashua, New Hampshire, and attended the University of New Hampshire. He told UNH Magazine, "I took Acting One as a goof. It wasn't easy, but I absolutely fell in love with it." He added that he majored in communications but took every acting class he could.
After graduating from the university, Graziadei moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. The actor was 24 when he landed the role of 16-year-old Daniel Romalotti.
Acting outside of The Young and the Restless
Since landing the role of Daniel Romalotti on The Young and the Restless, Graziadei has taken time off from the show to do other TV and film roles. He may be best known for his work in 2013 on The Lottery, where he played Kyle Walker. Graziadei told TV Insider that leaving Y&R and immediately being picked up by The Lottery assured him that he was making the right decision to take a break from playing Daniel Romalotti.
Graziadei also had recurring roles on True Detective, Good Girls Revolt, and Kingdom. On American Horror Story, he played the boyfriend of Jessica Lange's character.
"Y&R has always been good about letting me go especially if I wasn't on the front-burner. I did American Horror Story [Murder House] and was on set all night with them and then, I'd go to Y&R at 6 a.m. They worked out the schedule. It's a lot easier when shows film in Los Angeles." Michael Graziadei to TV Insider
Daniel Romalotti on The Young and the Restless
In 2005, Daniel Romalotti was in a leading storyline on The Young and the Restless. Shining a spotlight on teenage drinking and driving, Romalotti was drinking at a party and passed out in the backseat of a car. Sharon and Nick Newman's 14-year-old daughter Cassie had a crush on Daniel and decided to drive him home. The vehicle crashed, and Cassie died. Twenty years later, Daniel is still reeling from the effects of her death.
Back in the spotlight, Cassie's mom, Sharon, is struggling with her grief. Daniel has tried to be compassionate while still feeling his own guilt about that fateful night.
Now, a new generation in Genoa City is still learning the lesson that Daniel did in his teens. Reminiscent of Cassie, Daniel's daughter Lucy is a young teen trying to befriend the older Faith Newman, Cassie's half-sister. The two girls were in a car accident, which seems to have triggered Sharon's suppressed trauma.
As Sharon has been spiraling, she has had thoughts of revenge and blames Daniel for surviving the crash that took her daughter's life. Meanwhile, Daniel has been struggling with guilt while trying to get his daughter to understand that her mistakes could affect her for the rest of her life, the way that his have haunted him.
Where is Michael Graziadei now?
During an appearance on The Talk on CBS, Graziadei and his Y&R castmates discussed the 50th anniversary of the show. Graziadei surprised his long-term girlfriend and the mother of their twins. He introduced her to the audience and brought her up on stage, explaining that it had been her birthday the day before. His castmates looked thrilled to have a front-row seat to his marriage proposal.
Graziadei was nominated for Emmy awards for his work on The Young and the Restless. His work during the Cassie storyline garnered nominations in the Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series category.
Michael Graziadei currently lives in Los Angeles with his fiancée, Lauren, and their twin sons, Oliver and Arlo.
Watch Michael Graziadei on The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS.
