Ariana DeBose

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Ariana DeBose
Ariana DeBose for Bibhu Mohapatra, September 2020.png
DeBose in 2020
Born (1991-01-25) January 25, 1991 (age 30)
North Carolina, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationWestern Carolina University
Occupation
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2009–present
Websitewww.arianadebose.com

Ariana DeBose (born January 25, 1991) is an American actress, singer, and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre, film and television.

DeBose made her television debut competing on So You Think You Can Dance. She then made her Broadway debut in the musical Bring It On: The Musical in 2011 and appear in further Broadway roles in Motown: The Musical in 2013 and Pippin in 2014. She also appeared in the original cast of Hamilton as The Bullet in 2015 to 2016 and as Jane in A Bronx Tale in 2016 to 2017. In 2018 she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

She also appeared in the taped version of Hamilton which was released in 2020 on Disney+, and played Alyssa Greene in Netflix's The Prom (2020) and Emma in the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (2021). She is set to play Anita in Steven Spielberg's upcoming film adaptation of West Side Story.

Early life[]

DeBose was born on January 25, 1991, in North Carolina. Her mother, Gina DeBose, is an 8th grade teacher.[1] DeBose trained in dance at CC & Co. Dance Complex in Raleigh, North Carolina.[2] Her father is of Puerto Rican and African-American descent, while her mother is white.[3]

Career[]

2009–2011: Early work[]

DeBose made her television debut in 2009, when she competed on the TV series So You Think You Can Dance, making it into the Top 20.[4] She later appeared on the soap opera One Life to Live and played Inez in the North Carolina Theatre's production of Hairspray before appearing in the role of Nautica in the 2011 Alliance Theatre production of Bring It On. She also appeared in the ensemble of the New York Philharmonic production of Company, which was filmed for television.[5] At the end of 2011, Bring It On embarked on a national tour across the United States. DeBose continued her role into the 2012 Broadway production and understudied the character Danielle.

2013–2018: Broadway breakthrough[]

DeBose later played Mary Wilson in Motown on Broadway in 2013, understudying the role of Diana Ross. DeBose left the show soon later to play Eponine in a regional production of Les Misérables[5] before returning to Broadway as a noble and a player in the musical Pippin, understudying the role of the Leading Player, which she ended up taking over for a short period in 2014.[5] She can be heard playing director/choreographer Zoey Taylor in As the Curtain Rises, an original Broadway soap opera podcast from the Broadway Podcast Network.

DeBose left Pippin to appear as the Bullet in the ensemble of the off-Broadway musical Hamilton in early 2015. The show moved to Broadway later that year and became an overnight sensation. DeBose was nominated for an Astaire Award for her dancing in the show, in which, as a member of the ensemble, she portrayed the bullet with which Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton.[6] She left Hamilton in July 2016 and made a guest appearance on the TV series Blue Bloods as Sophia Ortiz. She also starred as Daphne in the thriller film Seaside.

She returned to Broadway in November 2016 as Jane in A Bronx Tale until August 2017.[7] She also hosted the corresponding Broadway.com vlog Bronx Bullet for eight weeks.[8]

DeBose went on to play Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical in San Diego at La Jolla Playhouse in late 2017. She reprised this role in the Broadway production, which opened in April 2018.[9] She was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.[10] She also frequently performs at Feinstein's/54 Below.[citation needed]

2019–present: Film and television roles[]

DeBose played Alyssa Greene in the film adaptation of The Prom, directed by Ryan Murphy.[citation needed] In March 2021, DeBose released a dance-pop recording and video of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Shall We Dance" for the album R&H Goes Pop.[11]

DeBose will play Anita in the upcoming film adaptation of West Side Story, set to release in December 2021.[12] In February 2021, it was announced that she would play Kira Foster in the upcoming film I.S.S.[13][14]

In 2021, DeBose played Emma Tate in the parody musical comedy series Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+.[15]

Personal life[]

DeBose identifies as queer[16] and came out to her grandparents in 2015.[17]

In December 2020, DeBose and Jo Ellen Pellman launched the Unruly Hearts Initiative. The initiative was created to help young people connect with organizations and charities that advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.[18]

Theater credits[]

Broadway[]

Year Title Role Theatre
2011 Bring It On Nautica, u/s Danielle Alliance Theatre
National Tour
2012 St. James Theatre
2013 Motown: The Musical Ensemble, Mary Wilson, u/s Diana Ross Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
2014 Pippin Leading Player (u/s, then replacement) Music Box Theatre
2015 Hamilton: An American Musical Ensemble (The Bullet) The Public Theater
Richard Rodgers Theatre
2016 A Bronx Tale Jane Longacre Theatre
2017 Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Disco Donna La Jolla Playhouse
2018 Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Seaside Daphne
2020 Hamilton Ensemble/The Bullet
The Prom Alyssa Greene
2021 West Side Story Anita Post-production
TBA I.S.S. Kira Foster Post-production

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Blue Bloods Sophia Ortiz Episode: "The Road to Hell"
Hamilton's America Herself TV documentary
2021 Schmigadoon! Emma Tate

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Work Result
2016 Astaire Award Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show Hamilton Nominated
2018 Tony Award[10][19] Best Featured Actress in a Musical Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Chita Rivera Award Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show Won

References[]

  1. ^ Menconi, David (June 8, 2018). "After 'Hamilton,' NC native is up for a Tony for portraying disco queen Donna Summer". News & Observer.
  2. ^ "Bio". ArianaDeBose.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  3. ^ Button, Simon (October 22, 2018). "The star of Donna Summer's musical on speaking up for queer women of colour". GAY TIMES.
  4. ^ "Ariana DeBose". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Ariana DeBose". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  6. ^ Sandwell, Ian (2020-07-03). "Hamilton's 'secret' character The Bullet is the musical's most significant". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  7. ^ "Ariana DeBose". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  8. ^ "Bronx Bullet: Backstage at A Bronx Tale with Ariana DeBose, Episode 1: Meet the Family!". Broadway.com. September 29, 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  9. ^ Lefkowitz, Andy (February 2, 2018). "LaChanze, Ariana DeBose & Storm Lever Will Lead Summer: The Donna Summer Musical to Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Cox, Gordon (May 1, 2018). "Tony Nominations 2018: 'Mean Girls,' 'SpongeBob' Score Big (Complete List)". Variety.com. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  11. ^ "VIDEO: Ariana DeBose Sings Reimagined 'Shall We Dance?' For R&H Goes Pop!". BroadwayWorld. March 24, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  12. ^ McPhee, Ryan (January 14, 2019). "West Side Story Film Casts Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, and More". Playbill. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  13. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (2021-02-01). "'The Prom' & 'West Side Story' Star Ariana DeBose Joins Space Thriller 'ISS'". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew (2021-02-01). "Ariana DeBose Lands Role in Space Thriller ISS". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  15. ^ Apple TV+. "Schmigadoon!". Apple TV+. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Pierre, Mekishana (2020-12-11). "Ariana DeBose Explains Why Having Queer Leads Makes The Prom So Special". PopSugar. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  17. ^ Voss, Brandon (2018-05-31). "Ariana DeBose on Playing and Forgiving Donna Summer: 'Legends Make Mistakes, Too'". NewNowNext. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  18. ^ Meyer, Dan (December 14, 2020). "The Prom Stars Ariana DeBose and Jo Ellen Pellman Launch Unruly Hearts Initiative". Playbill. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  19. ^ "2018 Tony Award Nominations: SpongeBob SquarePants and Mean Girls Lead the Pack". Playbill. 2018-05-01.

External links[]

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