Ariana DeBose

Ariana DeBose (born January 25, 1991) is an American actress, singer, and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre, film, and on So You Think You Can Dance.

Ariana DeBose
Born (1991-01-25) January 25, 1991
North Carolina, U.S.
EducationWestern Carolina University
OccupationActress, singer
Years active2009–present
Websitewww.arianadebose.com

Early life

DeBose was born on January 25, 1991 in North Carolina. Her mother, Gina DeBose, is a middle school teacher.[1] DeBose trained in dance at CC & Co. Dance Complex in Raleigh, North Carolina.[2] Her father is Afro-Puerto Rican and her mother is white. She has also said, "I present as black and I do have African-American lineage, but I’m also part-Italian."[3]

Career

Breakthrough

She made her breakthrough 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 booking 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.

Her career launched, DeBose 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]

Hamilton

DeBose left Pippin to appear as the Bullet in the ensemble of the off-Broadway show Hamilton in early 2015. The show moved to Broadway later that year, and became an overnight sensation. She was nominated for an Astaire Award for her dancing in the show.

A Bronx Tale and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical

DeBose left Hamilton in July 2016, and made a guest appearance on the TV series, Blue Bloods as Sophia Ortiz, and starred as Daphne in the thriller film, Seaside.

She returned to Broadway in November 2016 as Jane in A Bronx Tale until August 2017.[6] She also hosted the corresponding Broadway.com vlog Bronx Bullet for eight weeks.[7]

DeBose went on to play the role of Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical in San Diego at La Jolla Playhouse in late 2017. She reprised this role on Broadway, which opened April 2018.[8] She received a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.[9] She also frequently performs at 54 Below.

DeBose will play Anita in the 2020 film adaptation of West Side Story,[10] and play Alyssa Green in the film adaptation of The Prom.

Theatre 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 Out now on Disney+
West Side Story Anita Post-production
The Prom Alyssa Greene Post-production

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Blue Bloods Sophia Ortiz Episode: "The Road to Hell"
Hamilton's America Herself TV Documentary

Awards & nominations
Year Award Category Nominated Work Result
2018 Drama League Awards[11] Distinguished Performance Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Nominated
Tony Awards[9][12] Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Nominated

References
  1. https://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/article212753414.html
  2. "Bio". Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  3. https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/originals/114259/the-star-of-donna-summers-musical-on-speaking-up-for-queer-women-of-colour/
  4. "Ariana DeBose". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  5. "Ariana DeBose | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  6. League, The Broadway. "Ariana DeBose – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  7. "Bronx Bullet: Backstage at A Bronx Tale with Ariana DeBose, Episode 1: Meet the Family!". Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  8. "LaChanze, Ariana DeBose & Storm Lever Will Lead Summer: The Donna Summer Musical to Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  9. "Tony Nominations 2018: 'Mean Girls,' 'SpongeBob' Score Big (Complete List)". Variety.com. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  10. McPhee, Ryan. "West Side Story Film Casts Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, and More". playbill.com. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  11. "Breaking: THE BAND'S VISIT, ANGELS IN AMERICA, MEAN GIRLS, FROZEN, And More Earn Drama League Nominations; See The Full List!". BroadwayWorld.com. 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  12. "2018 Tony Award Nominations: SpongeBob SquarePants and Mean Girls Lead the Pack". Playbill. 2018-05-01.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.