Happy 26th Birthday to Darren Criss!

He’s just the most adorable man.

Darren Criss, who we love, love, love as Blaine Anderson on Glee, is turning 26 today.

Yes, he’s still playing a high school student but I think he pulls it off just fine.

And even though Darren is straight, he convincingly plays a gay character – especially in the break-up scenes with Kurt (Chris Colfer).

Darren has said he’s proud to be a part of this storyline: “I was a straight kid growing up in a very gay community and it’s something that I’ve had to watch so many friends have to struggle with and have no place to go to identify in kind of a grander media culture. To be a small piece of that machine is incredibly wonderful.”

Darren’s career is growing apart from Glee. He made his Broadway debut last year in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and was an absolute smash.

He also has a role in the feature film Girl Most Likely which comes out later this year.