Ariana DeBose facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ariana DeBose
DeBose in 2022
Born	(1991-01-25) January 25, 1991 (age 34) Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	2009–present
Partner(s)	Sue Makkoo (2017–present)
Awards	Full list

Ariana DeBose (born January 25, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She has won many important awards. These include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She was also nominated for a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2022, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. This means she was one of the most important people that year.

DeBose first appeared on TV in 2009. She was a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance. She made her first appearance on Broadway in 2011. This was in the musical Bring It On: The Musical. She also performed in Motown: The Musical (2013) and Pippin (2014). From 2015 to 2016, she was part of the original cast of Hamilton. This is a very popular musical. She also played Jane in A Bronx Tale (2016–2017).

In 2018, she was nominated for a Tony Award. This was for her role as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. DeBose has also hosted the Tony Awards. She hosted in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

DeBose has also been in movies and TV shows. She was in the Netflix musical film The Prom (2020). She also starred in the Apple TV+ musical series Schmigadoon! (2021–2023). She became very famous for playing Anita in Steven Spielberg's film West Side Story (2021). For this role, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also provided the voice of Asha in the animated film Wish (2023).

Early Life and Dance Training

Ariana DeBose was born on January 25, 1991. Her birthplace was Wilmington, North Carolina. Her mother, Gina DeBose, is a middle school teacher. Ariana grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She trained in dance at CC & Co. Dance Complex there. DeBose has shared that her father is Puerto Rican. Her mother is White. She also has African-American and Italian family roots.

Career Highlights and Major Roles

Starting Out on TV and Broadway (2009–2016)

DeBose first appeared on television in 2009. She competed on So You Think You Can Dance. She made it into the Top 20 contestants. After that, she was in the soap opera One Life to Live. She also played Inez in a theater production of Hairspray.

In 2011, she played Nautica in Bring It On. This show went on a national tour. DeBose continued her role in the 2012 Broadway show. In 2013, DeBose played Mary Wilson in Motown on Broadway. She also joined the cast of Pippin on Broadway. She even took over the main role of the Leading Player for a short time in 2014.

In 2015, DeBose joined the musical Hamilton. This show became a huge hit on Broadway. She left Hamilton in July 2016. She then appeared on the TV show Blue Bloods. From 2016 to 2017, DeBose played Jane in A Bronx Tale on Broadway.

Becoming a Star (2017–2022)

In 2017, DeBose got a big role. She played Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. She played this role again on Broadway in 2018. She was nominated for a Tony Award for this performance.

DeBose played Alyssa Greene in the film The Prom (2020). This movie was directed by Ryan Murphy. In 2021, DeBose starred in the musical comedy series Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+. She played Emma Tate in the first season. In the second season in 2023, she played the Emcee.

DeBose in 2022

DeBose played Anita in the 2021 film West Side Story. This movie was directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was released in December 2021. Critics praised DeBose's performance. She won many awards for this role. These included a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was the first Afro-Latina and openly queer woman of color to win the Screen Actors Guild Award.

After her success with West Side Story, DeBose hosted the 75th Tony Awards. She said hosting was a "bucket list moment." She received good reviews for her hosting. She was even nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). She also appeared in the TV series Westworld.

Recent Projects (2023–Present)

In 2023, DeBose performed at the 76th British Academy Film Awards. She did an original freestyle rap. It celebrated the female nominees. This rap became very popular online. Lines like "Angela Bassett did the thing" became famous memes. DeBose has since performed the rap in concerts.

DeBose voiced the main character, Asha, in the 2023 Disney animated film Wish. In 2024, DeBose had a starring role in the science-fiction film I.S.S.. She also had a supporting role in the spy film Argylle. She appeared as Calypso in the superhero film Kraven the Hunter. DeBose will also star in the action comedy Love Hurts. She will play Cordelia in Lear Rex. This film is based on William Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Personal Life and Advocacy

Ariana DeBose identifies as queer. In December 2020, DeBose and Jo Ellen Pellman started the Unruly Hearts Initiative. This project helps young people connect with groups that support the LGBTQ+ community. DeBose is in a relationship with costume designer and professor Sue Makkoo. They met while working on Summer: The Donna Summer Musical in 2017.

Acting Credits

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Ariana DeBose' film credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	Company	Ensemble
2018	Seaside	Daphne
2019	Fragile	Her	Short film
2020	Hamilton	Ensemble / The Bullet / Martha
	Bibhu Mohapatra: Spring/Summer 2021 NYFW	The Muse	Short film
	The Prom	Alyssa Greene
2021	West Side Story	Anita
2023	Once Upon a Studio	Asha	Voice; short film
	I.S.S.	Kira Foster
	Wish	Asha	Voice
2024	Argylle	Keira
	House of Spoils	Chef
	Kraven the Hunter	Calypso Ezili
2025	Love Hurts	Rose	Post-production
TBA	Tow	TBA	Post-production
	Lear Rex	Cordelia	Post-production

Television

Theater

Awards and Achievements

In 2018, her role in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical earned her a nomination for a Tony Award. For playing Anita in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story (2021), she won several major awards. These include the Academy Award, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, and SAG Award.

Her Oscar win was very special. She became the first Afro-Latina woman to win an Academy Award for acting. She was also the first openly queer woman of color to win this award. Also, Rita Moreno won an Oscar for playing Anita in the 1961 West Side Story. This made DeBose and Moreno the third pair of actors to win an Academy Award for playing the same character in different movies.

See also

In Spanish: Ariana DeBose para niños

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations
• List of Hispanic Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of LGBT Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of actors nominated for Academy Awards for playing the same character