Garrett was born in Jupiter, Florida, to Randy Nelson and Karole Cooney, a former Kravis Center front-of-house manager, and daughter of Niles Cooney, the owner of an orange grove in Fort Pierce, Florida. He later moved to Los Angeles with his mother in 2005, graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts with the Theater Class of 2007.
He attended Dreyfoos School of the Arts and played varsity soccer. Garrett studied theater at the A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida, and at the Los Angeles High School for the Performing Arts in California.
He was best known for his role as Michael Corinthos III in the television series General Hospital. He also has an older brother named Brett who is a professional Speed-boarder. In 2002, Garrett made his first acting appearance as Andy, a middle school student, in a Kravis Center for the Performing Arts theater etiquette video, used to teach Florida school children how to behave at a live performance.
While progressing through art schools, Garrett realized he wanted to pursue acting as his career.
Soon after Garrett relocating to Los Angeles, Garrett landed guest appearances on Nickelodeon"s True Jackson VP and the Columbia Broadcasting System drama Criminal Minds. In 2009, Garrett was cast as Michael Corinthos III (the son of mobster and well-known character Sonny Corinthos) on General Hospital.
Garrett received positive reviews after succeeding Dylan Cash, who portrayed the role for six years (2002–2008). His character immediately became an integral part of the show and appeared in 170 episodes.
In July 2010, rumors began circulating that Garrett would appear on The Young & The Restless as a recast Noah Newman.
These rumors began after the character"s most recent portrayer Kevin Schmidt left the role. These rumors were later revealed to be false. In 2011, Garrett took a guest-star role on the prime-time Columbia Broadcasting System series The Mentalist with Simon Baker.
He also landed a role in his first feature film, Divorce Invitation, starring Elliott Gould and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
Then in 2012, Garrett starred in the premiere episode of Anthony Zuiker"s new series Black Box television Garrett was offered the role of Jesse Simms in the web series Never Fade Away. The pilot episode was released April 2, 2012.
The series will continue to air at
In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, skateboarding, long-boarding, soccer, swimming and tennis. 2010: Daytime Emmy Awards – Outstanding Younger Actor (Michael Corinthos III, General Hospital) – Nominated.
