Daveed Diggs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daveed Diggs
Diggs at the Worldcon 75 in 2017
Born	Daveed Daniele Diggs (1982-01-24) January 24, 1982 (age 43) Oakland, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Brown University (BA)
Occupation	Actor rapper singer songwriter screenwriter film producer
Years active	2003–present
Partner(s)	Emmy Raver-Lampman (2015-present)
Children	1
Musical career
Genres	Experimental hip hop industrial hip hop noise pop rock R&B funk
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Sub Pop Deathbomb Arc
Signature

Daveed Daniele Diggs (born January 24, 1982) is an American actor, rapper, and singer. He is well-known for his amazing performances on stage, in movies, and on TV.

One of his most famous roles was playing two characters, Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, in the musical Hamilton. For this, he won a Tony Award in 2016. He also won a Grammy Award with the rest of the Hamilton cast for their album.

Since Hamilton, Daveed has appeared in many TV shows and movies. These include Black-ish, Wonder, Velvet Buzzsaw, and The Little Mermaid. He also helped create and star in the movie Blindspotting and its TV show spin-off. From 2020 to 2024, he was the main star of the TV series Snowpiercer.

Early Life and Education

Daveed Diggs was born in Oakland, California. His mother, Barbara, was a social worker, and his father, Dountes, was a bus driver. His parents gave him the name "Daveed," which is the Hebrew way to say "David." The name "David" means "beloved." His parents added two "E"s because they liked how it looked.

Daveed went to Berkeley High School and then to Brown University. He graduated from Brown in 2004 with a degree in theater arts. He was a talented track athlete at Brown and even set a school record in the 110-meter hurdles. After college, he worked as a substitute teacher for a while.

Career Highlights

Theater Performances

Early in his career, Daveed performed in many experimental theater shows. He also acted in plays by William Shakespeare.

Diggs (right) performs with Hamilton castmates at the White House (2016)

Daveed met Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, through a freestyle rap group called Freestyle Love Supreme. In 2012, Miranda invited Daveed to hear early versions of Hamilton. Daveed was very impressed and saw how rap music could be used in a musical.

He played the roles of Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette when Hamilton first opened off-Broadway in 2015. He continued these roles when the show moved to Broadway later that year. His performance earned him a Tony Award and a Grammy Award in 2016. Daveed's last show in Hamilton was on July 15, 2016.

Music Projects

Daveed Diggs is the lead singer and writer for the hip-hop group clipping.. The group started in 2009, and Daveed joined in 2010. They released their first album, midcity, in 2013. They later signed with Sub Pop and released more music, including the album CLPPNG in 2014. In 2016, they released an album called Splendor & Misery. In 2017, they released a song called "The Deep," which was nominated for a Hugo Award.

Daveed is also part of another group called True Neutral Crew. They have released several EPs and an album called soft rules.

In 2010, he made an album with Rafael Casal called The BAY BOY Mixtape. Daveed also started a hip-hop group called The Getback. In 2012, he released his first solo rap album, Small Things to a Giant.

He is still a member of the freestyle rap group Freestyle Love Supreme, which performs across the country. Daveed has also been featured on songs by other artists and wrote a rap for the 2016 animated movie Zootopia.

In December 2020, Daveed and his friends William Hutson and Johnathan Snipes worked with Disney Channel to create a Hanukkah song. The song, called "Puppy for Hanukkah," was praised for being fun and creative.

Television Appearances

Daveed has had recurring roles in TV shows like The Get Down, Black-ish, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He also appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

He was an executive producer for the 2017 TV series The Mayor and wrote music for it. Starting in 2017, Daveed played one of Mr. Noodle's brothers in the "Elmo's World" part of Sesame Street.

In 2020, he began starring as Andre Layton in the TNT TV show Snowpiercer. He also played Frederick Douglass in the miniseries The Good Lord Bird.

In September 2020, it was announced that the movie Blindspotting, which Daveed co-wrote, would become a TV series. Daveed helped write and produce the show and appeared in some episodes. The series premiered in June 2021 on Starz. It was renewed for a second season.

In September 2024, it was announced that Daveed would join the fifth season of the show The Boys.

Film Roles

Daveed's first Hollywood film was the Disney animated movie Zootopia, where he wrote and performed a rap song.

He appeared in the 2017 film Wonder, playing a kind schoolteacher. He also voiced the character Dos in the animated film Ferdinand.

With his friend Rafael Casal, Daveed co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in the 2018 film Blindspotting. The movie is about a man named Collin trying to finish his probation in Oakland, California. Daveed and Casal worked on the film for nine years to tell a story about their changing hometown. Daveed received great reviews for his acting in the movie.

Daveed voiced Sebastian the Crab in Disney's live-action movie The Little Mermaid. This film brought him back together with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who helped write new songs for the movie.

Personal Life

Daveed Diggs has one child, a son, with his partner Emmy Raver-Lampman. They met in 2015 while performing together in Hamilton.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Discography

Solo Music

• The BAY BOY Mixtape (2010) - with Rafael Casal
• Small Things to a Giant (2012)
• Blindspotting: The Collin EP (2018)
• Seven Nights in Chicago (2019) - with Rafael Casal

With clipping.

• Dba118 (2012) - EP
• midcity (2013)
• CLPPNG (2014)
• Wriggle (2016) - EP
• REMXNG (2016) - EP
• Splendor & Misery (2016)
• "Chapter 319" (2020)
• "Puppy for Hanukkah" (2020) - with Disney Channel
• Dead Channel Sky (2025)

With True Neutral Crew

• #MONSANTO (2013) - EP
• #POPPUNK (2014) - EP
• soft rules (2016)

Featured Artist

• The Monster (2009) - on "Running Down" & "Wise Guys"
• Mean Ones (2012) - additional vocals
• Hamilton (2015) - original Broadway cast recording
• Thumbs (2015) - on "Surrounded by Millionaires"
• Good For You (2016) - single; featured rapper
• Maiden Voyage Suite (2016) - EP by Sir Benedick the Moor; on 1200am
• x Infinity (2016) - on Exquisite Corpse

Concerts

• midcity promotional concerts (5 shows, in the US and UK, February 19, 2013 – March 18, 2014)
• CLPPNG Tour (19 shows, in the US and the UK, July 3 – November 10, 2014)
• #POPPUNK promotional concerts (3 shows, in the US, July 17, 2014 – June 5, 2015)

Awards and Recognitions

Honors

On May 28, 2017, Daveed Diggs received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University, which is where he went to college.

Images for kids

• 

  Daveed Diggs' signature

See also

In Spanish: Daveed Diggs para niños