School of Rock's Eric Petersen on Getting Big Laughs as a Second Grader, His Green Day Obsession & More

Age: 35

Hometown: Carol Stream, Illinois

Current Role: Eric Petersen joins School of Rock as its rollicking frontman Dewey Finn, whose scheme to pose as a substitute teacher to make rent and enter the Battle of the Bands turns into a meaningful relationship with his students turned pint-sized bandmates.

Stage & Screen Cred: Petersen's additional Broadway credits include Shrek: The Musical and Peter & the Starcatcher. He also starred as the title character on the first national tour of Shrek as well as appearing on the first national tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. On screen, Petersen was a series regular on TV Land's Kirstie and has also appeared on The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, NCIS, CSI, Law & Order: SVU, GCB, The Brittany Murphy Story, and the Disney Channel shows Jessie, Kirby Buckets and Pair of Kings.