Ariana DeBose

Biography:

DeBose was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, on January 25, 1991. Gina DeBose, her mother, teaches middle school. DeBose was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, and received her dancing training at the CC & Co. dancing Complex. According to DeBose, her mother is White and her father is Puerto Rican. She is also of Italian and African-American descent.

She has won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, among other honors. She was listed as one of the 100 most important persons in the world by Time magazine in 2022.

In 2009, DeBose competed in the sixth season of So You Think You Can Dance, placing in the top 20. Bring It On: The Musical had her Broadway debut in 2011, and she went on to play in Motown: The Musical (2013) and Pippin (2014).

She played Jane in A Bronx Tale (2016–2017) and was a member of the original ensemble of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton from 2015–2016. For her role as Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, she received a Tony Award nomination in 2018 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, she presented the Tony Awards as well.

Additionally, DeBose starred in the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (2021–2023) and the Netflix musical comedy film The Prom (2020). She became more well-known after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Anita in Steven Spielberg’s musical West Side Story (2021). In the animated feature Wish (2023), she voiced Asha.