Sara Ramirez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sara Ramírez
Ramírez in 2008
Born	Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (1975-08-31) August 31, 1975 (age 49) Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Citizenship	Mexico United States
Education	Juilliard School (BFA)
Occupation	Actor singer activist
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Ryan Debolt ​ ​ (m. 2012; separated 2021)​

Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (born August 31, 1975) is an American actor. They were born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. When Sara was eight years old, they moved from Mexico to the United States. Later, they earned a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School.

Ramírez started acting in Broadway shows. Their first role was in Paul Simon's The Capeman. After that, they began acting in movies and TV shows. Sara became well-known for playing the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot. For this role, they won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

On the TV show Grey's Anatomy, Sara played Callie Torres. This character was one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ characters in US television history. Sara appeared in 11 seasons and 239 episodes. They helped make the character identify as bisexual, which was one of the first regular LGBTQ+ roles on primetime TV. After leaving Grey's Anatomy, Sara shared that they identify as bisexual and later as non-binary. They use they/them pronouns. Later, they played characters who also identified as bisexual and non-binary. These roles included Kat Sandoval on Madam Secretary and Che Díaz on And Just Like That....

Ramírez also started voice acting in 1999. They voiced Lammy, the main character in the PlayStation video game Um Jammer Lammy. This game was a spin-off of PaRappa The Rapper. They also voiced Queen Miranda in the Disney Junior animated series Sofia the First (2012–2018). In 2009, Sara released their first song, "Silent Night". Their first music album, called Sara Ramirez, reached number 37 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2011.

Sara Ramírez has worked hard to support LGBT rights. In 2015, they received the Ally for Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Besides the Tony Award, Sara has also won a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Satellite Award.

Early Life and Education

Sara Elena Ramírez was born on August 31, 1975. This was in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, a city in northwestern Mexico. Both of Sara's parents are Mexican. When Sara was eight, their parents divorced. Sara then moved to live with their mother. They eventually settled in Tierrasanta, San Diego, California.

Sara loved music, so their mother sent them to the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. There, during an audition, their singing talent was discovered. Sara began acting in school plays during high school. After performing in plays like Into the Woods, Hello, Dolly!, and Annie, Sara was encouraged to study drama. They went to the Juilliard School and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. At Juilliard, Sara improved their acting and singing skills. Sara speaks both Spanish and English very well.

Career Highlights

Broadway and Early Roles (1998–2005)

While still at Juilliard, a casting director noticed Sara. They were offered the role of Wahzinak in Paul Simon's 1998 Broadway musical The Capeman. This show was about the life of a Puerto Rican gangster. In the same year, Sara also made their movie debut. They had a small role in the romantic comedy You've Got Mail. In this film, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, Sara played Rose. Rose was a cashier who was very strict about her cash-only policy.

Sara's first voice acting job was in the 1999 video game Um Jammer Lammy. They voiced Lammy, an anxious guitarist. This game was a music-based spin-off of PaRappa the Rapper. It was made for Sony's PlayStation console. In 2001, Sara voiced Lammy again in PaRappa the Rapper 2. This game was for PlayStation 2. Sara also voiced Lammy in promotions for a music album.

In 1999, Sara appeared in a show called The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm. Critics praised their performance. They were nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. One reviewer noted their "beautiful, smoky voice." In 2001, Sara was in the Broadway show A Class Act. They also appeared in other shows like Fascinating Rhythm and Dreamgirls. During this time, Sara also had guest roles in several TV series. These included NYPD Blue, Law & Order: SVU, and Spin City.

Sara's big breakthrough came when they were cast as the Lady of the Lake. This was in the musical Spamalot by Eric Idle and John Du Prez. The musical was based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It opened on Broadway in 2005 and was very popular. Sara was highly praised for their performance. They won several awards, including the 2005 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Critics called them a "show-stealer."

Grey's Anatomy and Other Projects (2006–2021)

After their success on Broadway, Sara Ramírez joined the TV show Grey's Anatomy. This was an ABC medical drama. They played Dr. Calliope 'Callie' Torres. Callie was a love interest for Dr. George O'Malley in the show's second season. On a special Grey's Anatomy episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Sara shared how they got the role. Executives from ABC were very impressed by their performance in Spamalot. They offered Sara a role in any ABC show they wanted. Sara chose Grey's Anatomy because they were already a fan. The show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, said she created the character of Callie around Sara. Sara started as a recurring character. Then, in the show's third season, they became a main cast member.

Sara sang "Silent Night" for the show's soundtrack in 2009. They were also the main singer for the musical episode of Grey's Anatomy, called "Song Beneath the Song". This episode aired in 2011. One critic called Sara the "show-stopper" and said their performance was amazing.

As the show continued, Callie Torres became very popular. Sara received much praise for playing such a complex character. Critics called Sara and co-star Jessica Capshaw "goddesses." Sara was nominated for awards like the Alma Awards in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, the cast of Grey's Anatomy won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. They were nominated again in 2008. In 2011, Sara was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

In May 2016, Sara left Grey's Anatomy after the 12th season. They had played Callie for ten years. Sara said they were "deeply grateful" for their time on the show. Shonda Rhimes praised Sara's work.

In 2016, Sara became a producer for the teen comedy film Loserville. This project worked with the Pacer Foundation. It helped prevent bullying.

From 2017 to 2019, Sara was in the TV show Madam Secretary. This was a CBS political drama. They played Kat Sandoval, a new policy advisor.

In 2021, Sara was cast as Che Díaz. This character was a non-binary podcast host and comedian. Che Díaz was in the Sex and the City revival series And Just Like That....

Personal Life and Identity

Ramírez at a charity fashion show to benefit The Heart Truth.

On June 27, 2011, Sara Ramírez got engaged to their longtime boyfriend, Ryan DeBolt. They were married on July 4, 2012, in a private ceremony in New York. On July 6, 2021, Sara announced that they had separated from Ryan. In June 2024, Sara filed for divorce.

In September 2016, Sara donated their hair to Locks of Love. This group makes wigs for children who have hair loss due to medical conditions. After this, Sara had a very short haircut.

In October 2016, Sara shared that they identify as queer and bisexual. They did this at a conference in Los Angeles. Sara said that their decision to share this publicly felt "very organic and natural."

In August 2020, Sara posted a photo on Instagram. In it, they shared that they identify as non-binary. They wrote about being able to be "Girlish boy," "Boyish girl," "All," or "Neither." Before this post, they had updated their social media to use she/they pronouns. Later, this changed to they/them pronouns.

Other Work

Singing Career

Sara Ramírez released their first song, "Silent Night", in 2009. This song was featured in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. Their first music album, called Sara Ramirez, came out in March 2011. It was available on the iTunes Store. The album had four songs. One was a cover of "The Story" by Brandi Carlile. Sara co-wrote two of the other songs. The Sara Ramirez album reached number 37 on the Billboard 200 chart. "The Story" also appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Sara also sang on the soundtracks for Monty Python's Spamalot (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2005) and Grey's Anatomy: The Music Event (2011).

Activism and Charity

Sara Ramírez is an activist. They work hard to support LGBT rights. They are on the board of directors for True Colors United and The Task Force. They also support LGBT Centers in San Diego, New York, and San Francisco. Sara has spoken out to help homeless LGBTQ+ youth. They also support other groups like BiNetUSA and Mujeres De Maíz.

In 2015, Sara received the Ally for Equality Award. This award was given by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

Filmography and Awards

Accolades

Sara Ramírez won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. They also won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. These awards were for their role as Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot. They also received much praise for playing Dr. Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy. Sara was nominated for Best Actress at the NAACP Image Award and the ALMA Award. They won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Discography

Extended Plays

Singles

• "Silent Night" (2009)
• "Rollercoaster" (2015)

Soundtracks

See also

In Spanish: Sara Ramírez para niños