Ariana DeBose

Ariana DeBose (/ˌɑːriˈɑːnə dəˈboʊz/; born January 25, 1991) is an American actress, singer, and dancer, known for her work in musical theater, 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 appeared in further Broadway roles in Motown: The Musical in 2013 and Pippin in 2014. She also appeared in the original cast of Hamilton from 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), Emma in the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (2021), and Anita in Steven Spielberg's musical film West Side Story (2021). For the latter, she received a Golden Globe nomination.

DeBose was born on January 25, 1991, in North Carolina. Her mother, Gina DeBose, is an 8th grade teacher. DeBose trained in dance at CC & Co. Dance Complex in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her father is Puerto Rican and her mother is white; she also has African-American and Italian ancestry.

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. 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. 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.

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 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. 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 join the ensemble of the off-Broadway musical Hamilton in early 2015. Within her role in the ensemble, she originated "the bullet", a "secret character" that foreshadows Alexander Hamilton and Philip Hamilton's fates during the show. The show moved to Broadway later that year and became an overnight sensation. 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. She also hosted the corresponding Broadway.com vlog Bronx Bullet for eight weeks.

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. She was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also frequently performs at Feinstein's/54 Below.

DeBose played Alyssa Greene in the film adaptation of The Prom, directed by Ryan Murphy. 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, produced by Justin Goldner and arranged by Benjamin Rauhala.

In 2021, DeBose played Emma Tate in the parody musical comedy series Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+. She will also star in the spy film Argylle for the service.

DeBose plays Anita in the new film adaptation of the musical West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was released in December 2021 to critical acclaim. DeBose herself received critical attention for her performance of Anita with Caryn James of BBC praised her performance declaring, "Anita, in a layered, dynamic performance by Ariana DeBose, is the centre of attention, swirling her skirt and dancing to the Latin rhythms that infuse the film." David Fear, film critic of Rolling Stone wrote, "DeBose...strong contender for Most Valuable Player here, whose energy — in her singing, her dancing, her line-reading, her side-eyeing — could power a metropolitan block." She has also received various critics award nominations as well as nominations from the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics Choice Awards.

In February 2021, it was announced that she would play Kira Foster in the upcoming film I.S.S.

On January 6, 2022, it was announced that DeBose will be hosting "Saturday Night Live" on January 15, 2022, with musical guest rapper Roddy Rich.

DeBose identifies as queer and came out to her grandparents in 2015.

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.

Theatre

Film

Television