Ruben Santiago-Hudson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
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Santiago-Hudson in 2022
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Ruben Santiago Jr.
November 24, 1956 Lackawanna, New York, U.S.
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| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse(s) | Jeannie Brittan |
| Children | 4 |
Ruben Santiago-Hudson (born Ruben Santiago Jr. on November 24, 1956) is an American actor, playwright, and director. He has won many awards for his work in all three areas.
You might know him best as Captain Roy Montgomery from the TV show Castle, which he starred in from 2009 to 2011. In 2013, he also appeared in the police TV series Low Winter Sun, which was set in Detroit. More recently, in 2021, he was nominated for an award for his screenplay for the movie Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
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Early Life and Education
Ruben Hudson was born in 1956 in Lackawanna, New York. His mother was Alean Hudson and his father was Ruben Santiago, who worked on the railroad. His father was Puerto Rican and his mother was African American. Ruben later added his mother's last name, Hudson, to his own.
He went to Lackawanna High School. He earned his first college degree from Binghamton University and a master's degree from Wayne State University. He also received special honorary degrees from Buffalo State College and Wayne State University.
A Career in Acting, Writing, and Directing
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has had a very busy career in different parts of the entertainment world.
Early Acting Roles
In 2003, he was a reader for a part of the HBO film Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives. This series was narrated by the famous actress Whoopi Goldberg.
He also appeared on Broadway in a play called Jelly's Last Jam in 1992. In 1996, he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in August Wilson's play Seven Guitars.
Writing His Own Stories
Ruben Santiago-Hudson wrote an autobiographical play called Lackawanna Blues in 2001. In this play, he played himself and about twenty other characters from his past! The play was first shown in New York.
He later adapted Lackawanna Blues into a highly praised HBO film in 2005. In the movie, different actors played the many characters. This film won the Humanitas Prize and was nominated for Emmy and Writers Guild of America awards.
Television Appearances
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has been in many TV shows. He appeared on daytime soap operas like One Life to Live and All My Children.
In primetime TV, he was in shows such as NYPD Blue, The West Wing, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He was a main character, Captain Roy Montgomery, in the ABC series Castle. His character was written off the show in the third season finale. In 2007, he was also featured in a PBS documentary about the life of a chemist named Percy Lavon Julian.
Directing and Audiobooks
In 2013, Santiago-Hudson won the Lucille Lortel Award and an Obie Award for his directing work. These awards were for his direction of August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson, which was shown Off-Broadway.
In 2016, he received another Obie Award for his work on the play Skeleton Crew. He worked on this play with Dominique Morisseau and the Atlantic Theater Company.
He has also narrated several audiobooks. One of them was James Patterson's Cross Justice, which won an Audie Award in 2017.
Selected Film and Television Roles
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has appeared in many movies and TV shows. Here are some of them:
Film Roles
- 1988: Coming to America
- 1997: The Devil's Advocate
- 2000: Shaft
- 2007: American Gangster
- 2014: Selma as Bayard Rustin
- 2020: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (he wrote the screenplay for this film)
Television Roles
- 1990–1993: Another World
- 1990–2008: Law & Order (in several different roles)
- 1997–1998: Michael Hayes
- 2005: Lackawanna Blues (he also wrote the screenplay)
- 2009–2014: Castle as Captain Roy Montgomery
- 2013: Low Winter Sun
- 2016–2023: Billions
- 2022: East New York
Awards and Honors
- 1996: Tony Award for his acting in Seven Guitars.
- 2006: Humanitas Award for writing the HBO film Lackawanna Blues.
- 2009: NAACP Lifetime Achievement Theatre Award.
Personal Life
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has four children. His older sons are Broderick Santiago and Ruben Santiago III. He also has two younger children, Trey and Lily, with his wife, Jeannie Brittan.
When he first moved to New York in 1983, he was known as Ruben Santiago. He found that sometimes his background caused confusion. For example, when he tried to get a part at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, they asked if he spoke Spanish, which he doesn't. When he wanted to work at the Negro Ensemble Company, he was told they didn't have Puerto Rican actors. So, he added his mother's last name, Hudson, to his name. After that, he won a part in a play called A Soldier's Play at the Ensemble Company.
See also
In Spanish: Ruben Santiago-Hudson para niños
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Ricans of African descent
