Constantine James Maroulis (; born September 17, 1975) is an American actor and rock singer. He was the sixth-place finalist on the fourth season of the reality television series American Idol, and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in Rock of Ages. He starred in the title role in Jekyll and Hyde on Broadway, for which he received a Drama League Award Nomination for a Distinguished Performance Award. Early years Maroulis was born in Brooklyn, New York to Greek American parents, James Constantine and Constance P. Maroulis (born 1938). Both his maternal and his paternal grandparents emigrated to the United States from Greece in the 1920s. He was brought up in the Greek Orthodoxy and he can speak Greek. His older brother, Athan Maroulis (born 1964), is a record producer and his sister, Anastacia P. Maroulis (born 1968), is a school principal. When Maroulis was five years old his family moved to Wyckoff, New Jersey, a suburb in Bergen County, NJ, where he grew up. At that time he developed an interest in music, following the lead of his older brother. By age eleven he was studying the trumpet at Eisenhower Middle School. He later sang in high school garage bands, including Lady Rain and Milkbone. Maroulis graduated from Ramapo High School in 1993. He and received a B.F.A. in Music Theater from Boston Conservatory. He was in the cast recording of the 2000 musical, Suburban Dreams, which was produced by composer Stephen Thompson, Richard Kenner, and Jesse Merz. Some years before appearing on American Idol, Maroulis competed on the dating show Elimidate and was an extra in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and a voice-over artist on the Astro Boy. He appeared in a number of off-Broadway roles from the Conservatory, along with a series of independent films. After graduating from the Conservatory, Maroulis trained as an acting apprentice at the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and toured in the Broadway international touring company of Rent performing the lead role of Roger Davis. His role as Roger was non-equity. Since he had no agent representing him at that time, he was allowed to appear on American Idol. American Idol In August 2004, acting upon his then-girlfriend's suggestion, Maroulis traveled to Washington DC to audition for fourth season of American