Ariana DeBose facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ariana DeBose
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
DeBose at the 2025 Tribeca Festival
|
|
| Born | January 25, 1991 |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Partner(s) | Sue Makkoo (2017–2023) |
| 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.
DeBose first appeared on TV in 2009. She was a contestant on the show So You Think You Can Dance. She made her first appearance on Broadway in 2011 in Bring It On: The Musical. She also performed in other Broadway shows like Motown: The Musical (2013) and Pippin (2014). From 2015 to 2016, she was part of the original cast of Hamilton. She also played Jane in A Bronx Tale (2016–2017). In 2018, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. She has also hosted the Tony Awards multiple times, including in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
DeBose has also been in movies and TV shows. She appeared in the Netflix musical film The Prom (2020). She was also in the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (2021–2023). She became very well known 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 for Asha in the animated film Wish (2023).
Contents
Early Life and Dance Training
Ariana DeBose was born on January 25, 1991. Her birthplace was Wilmington, North Carolina. Her mother, Gina DeBose, works as 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, and she also has African-American and Italian family roots.
Career Highlights
Starting on TV and Broadway (2009–2016)
DeBose first appeared on television in 2009. She was a contestant on the show So You Think You Can Dance. She made it into the Top 20 dancers. Later, she was on the soap opera One Life to Live. She also played Little Inez Stubbs in a production of Hairspray.
In 2011, she played Nautica in Bring It On. This show later went on a national tour across the United States. DeBose continued her role when Bring It On moved to Broadway in 2012. She also filled in for the character Danielle.
In 2013, DeBose joined Motown on Broadway. She played Mary Wilson and also filled in for Diana Ross. She then joined the cast of Pippin on Broadway. She played a noble and a player. She also filled in for the Leading Player, a role she took over for a short time in 2014.
In 2015, DeBose joined the musical Hamilton when it was still Off-Broadway. The show moved to Broadway later that year and became very popular. She left Hamilton in July 2016. She then appeared on the TV show Blue Bloods. From November 2016 to August 2017, DeBose played Jane in the Broadway show A Bronx Tale.
Becoming a Star (2017–2022)
In late 2017, DeBose got a very important role. She played Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. This show started in San Diego. She played this role again when the show opened on Broadway in April 2018. She was nominated for a Tony Award in 2018 for her performance.
DeBose played Alyssa Greene in the film version of The Prom. This movie was directed by Ryan Murphy. In March 2021, DeBose released a dance-pop song and video. It was her version of "Shall We Dance" from the album R&H Goes Pop. In 2021, DeBose played Emma Tate in the TV series Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+. She returned for season 2 in 2023, playing the Emcee.
DeBose played Anita in the 2021 film West Side Story. This movie was directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was released in December 2021 and received great reviews. DeBose's performance as Anita was highly praised. Critics said her energy was amazing in her singing, dancing, and acting. She won many awards for this role. These included a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This made her the first Afro-Latina and openly LGBTQ+ woman of color to win that award.
After her success with West Side Story, DeBose hosted the 75th Tony Awards. She said hosting was a "bucket list moment" she didn't even know she had. She received good reviews for her hosting. She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She also appeared in the fourth season of the HBO science fiction series Westworld.
Recent Projects (2023–Present)
In 2023, DeBose performed at the 76th British Academy Film Awards. She did an original freestyle rap celebrating the female nominees. This performance became very popular online. Lines from her rap, like "Angela Bassett did the thing," became famous internet memes. DeBose has since performed this rap in concerts. DeBose also voiced the main character, Asha, in the 2023 Disney animated film Wish.
In 2024, DeBose had a main role in the science-fiction thriller I.S.S.. She also had a supporting role in the spy film Argylle. She appeared as Calypso Ezili in the superhero film Kraven the Hunter. In 2025, DeBose will star in the action comedy Love Hurts with Ke Huy Quan. DeBose was the one who presented Quan with his Oscar in 2022.
She is also set to play Cordelia alongside Al Pacino in Lear Rex. This film is based on William Shakespeare’s play King Lear.
Personal Life and Advocacy
Ariana DeBose identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community. 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.
In April 2025, DeBose shared a quote on Instagram. She later deleted the post. She explained that she often shares quotes she likes without knowing their full background. She clarified that she was not aware of the quote's original meaning or its connection to her former co-star, Rachel Zegler.
Acting Roles
 |
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Film Roles
| 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 | |
| Tow | Denise | ||
| TBA | Lear Rex |
Cordelia | Post-production |
Television Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | So You Think You Can Dance | Contestant | Season 6 |
| 2016 | Blue Bloods | Sophia Ortiz | Episode: "The Road to Hell" |
| Hamilton's America | Herself | Television documentary | |
| 2021–2023 | Schmigadoon! | Emma Tate / Emcee | Main role; 9 episodes |
| 2022 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Episode: "Ariana DeBose/Bleachers" |
| Human Resources | Danielle | Voice; episode: "Rutgers is for Lovers" | |
| 75th Tony Awards | Host | Television special | |
| Westworld | Maya | Recurring role; 5 episodes | |
| Bubble Guppies | Lulu | Voice; episode: "A Big Splash!" | |
| 2023 | 76th Tony Awards | Host | Television special |
| 2024 | Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock | Mezzo | Voice; episode: "The Great Wind" |
| 77th Tony Awards | Host | Television special | |
| TBA | Scarpetta |
Lucy Farinelli-Watson | Main role; upcoming series |
Theater Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Hairspray | Little Inez Stubbs | North Carolina Theatre |
| Bring It On | Nautica, u/s Danielle | Alliance Theatre, Atlanta | |
| Company | Ensemble | Avery Fisher Hall, New York City | |
| Bring It On | Nautica, u/s Danielle | National Tour | |
| 2012 | St. James Theatre, Broadway | ||
| 2013 | Motown: The Musical | Ensemble, Mary Wilson, u/s Diana Ross | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway |
| 2014 | Pippin | Noble, u/s Leading Player | Music Box Theatre, Broadway |
| The Leading Player | |||
| 2015 | Hamilton | Ensemble / Martha / The Bullet | The Public Theater, Off-Broadway |
| Les Misérables | Éponine Thénardier | Connecticut Repertory Theatre | |
| Hamilton | Ensemble / Martha / The Bullet | Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2016 | A Bronx Tale | Jane | Longacre Theatre, Broadway |
| 2017 | Summer: The Donna Summer Musical | Disco Donna | La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego |
| 2018 | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway | ||
| 2023 | Ariana DeBose In Concert | Herself | London Palladium, UK Lincoln Center, New York City |
| Gutenberg! The Musical! | The Guest Producer | James Earl Jones Theatre, Broadway |
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 many top awards. These include the Academy Award, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, and SAG Award.
Her Oscar win was very special. It made her the first Afro-Latina and first openly LGBTQ+ woman of color to win an Academy Award for acting. Also, she and Rita Moreno both won an Oscar for playing the same character, Anita, in different West Side Story films. Rita Moreno won in 1962 for the 1961 film. This made them only the third pair of actors to achieve this.
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 LGBTQ Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of actors nominated for Academy Awards for playing the same character
- List of Golden Globe winners
