Ariana DeBose was born on January 25, 1991 in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she dedicated herself to dance and theatrical performances. After a brief reality TV show, she traveled to Broadway, where highlights of her career included appearing in the original "Hamilton" and receiving a Tony Award nomination for her role in Summer. Donna Summer Musical. Debos then took her talent to the big and small screens. She starred in Netflix's "Prom" and AppleTV+'s "Schmigadoon!" and played a key anita role in the 2021 remake of The West End Story.
On March 27, 2022, DeBoss won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Anita. She was the first African-Latino, the first publicly colored actor and the first public woman of color to win an Oscar, and the first open woman of color to be nominated for a performance.
Early life and education
DeBos's African-Peruvian father was never involved in her life. Her white mother, Gina DeBose, raised her as a single parent in Raleigh and Wake Forest, North Carolina.
At the age of 3, Debos began taking dance lessons. Her talent soon became apparent. DeBos's mother shared in an interview: "I always like to say that she is dancing out".
When 13-year-old DeBos came out to become gay, her mother accepted.
DeBoss graduated from Wake Forest-Rollsville High School and did a short internship at the University of West Carolina.
Started becoming a performer
When DeBose was about to begin sixth grade, her mother, as a teacher, moved to Wake Forest to give her daughter more artistic opportunities. There, DeBos continued her dance lessons. At the age of 15, she won the Cold Stone Creamery dance competition.
Debos's initial career goal was to become a dancer, but when she was around 10 or 11 years old, she fell in love with theater. In North Carolina, she appeared in the repertoire of Aida, Les Misérables, and The Choir. While working for the Choir, De Bos met the show's star, Charlotte de Ambrois, who subsequently became her mentor.
In 2009, the 18-year-old Debos appeared on the reality show "You Think You'll Dance." She was in the top 20 before being eliminated. While she didn't win, the show helped inspire her to move to New York. "I left the show knowing I wanted to do more than just dance," DeBos told Latina Magazine, "and I miss the challenge of singing, dancing and acting at the same time." "
From Broadway theater companies to stars
In 2011, DeBos was selected for Bring It On: The Musical, a film based on Gabriel Union and Kirsten Dunst about opposing cheerleaders. DeBos was part of the show's national tour before making her Broadway debut in 2012.
In 2013, DeBos played Mary Wilson in Motown. Musical. She also made a stand-in for the role of Diana Rose in the play. She next appears in Pippin.
In 2015, Debos became part of Hamilton's original cast, from Off Broadway to Broadway. DeBos was a crew member, but had a special role as "Bullet," which required her to interact with Alexander Hamilton and others as her death approached. Debos also advocated for profit participation with other originals as they contributed to the development of musical theatre.
After Hamilton, DeBos took on a role in the musical Bronx's Tale. In 2018, she played "Disco Donna" in Summer. Donna Summer Musical" She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the role.
Throughout her theatrical career, DeBoss has constantly sought new opportunities as she once said, "I believe in challenging myself."
West Side Story
DeBos was initially reluctant to audition for the role of Anita in Steven Spielberg's remake of The West End Story. She explained to Elle magazine: "I thought they wanted people who fit the entertainment industry's archetype of Latino, and that wasn't me.
After DeBos agreed to audition, she asked for more time to prepare for the role because she was busy starring in Summer on Broadway. Donna Summer Musical" This meant that when Spielberg asked her to read aloud, she had to reject him, even though he could accept her reading aloud at another time.
Before she was chosen as Anita, DeBose shared that she hoped the role would address the "double bias" that being African-Latino could mean. She said Tony Kushner, who wrote the film's screenplay, heard her opinion and helped incorporate the experience into the script.
Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the 1961 film version of West End Story, also had a role in the new film. DeBos said her predecessors, who won Oscars for her performances, were a supportive presence. Making the film was also a "healing" experience for Debos, telling The Wrap: "I didn't get a chance to get in touch with my culture growing up. When I grew up, I was the only person in my community who looked like me. Western Story gave me a chance to be completely immersed in it, an opportunity I hadn't had before that."
Debbers' depiction of Anita was universally praised. She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Actors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Her SAG Award made her the first Latino American to receive an individual acting award.
DeBos also won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. On March 27, 2022, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. DeBos's Oscars made her and Moreno part of an exclusive club of actors who won Oscars for playing the same role (other members included Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro, both of whom played Vito Corleone, and Heath Ledger and Joakin Phoenix played the Joker).
Film and television
In 2016, Debos appeared on the blue-blooded man. In 2020, a recorded performance of "Hamilton" was released on the Disney+ website, in which DeBos participated in the ensemble. That same year, DeBos played popular cheerleaders captain Alesha Green in the Netflix musical Prom.
In 2021, Debos brought her talent to Schmigadoon on the Apple TV+! In this work, which mimics past musicals, she performs with Keegan-Michael Key and Kristin Chenowice. In January 2022, DeBos also hosted Saturday Night Live.
activism
Debos and her Prom co-star Jo Ellen Pellman founded the Unruly Hearts Initiative to support LGBTQ+ youth. "Joe Allen and I created UHI as a bridge between young people and their parents with resources to help them move forward on the path of identity," she said. The organization has raised funds for the Trevor Project, the Point Foundation, and the Covenant Society. DeBos also serves on the covenant Society's board of directors.
Personal life
DeBos and Broadway prop maker Jill Johnson had a previous relationship.
She is currently dating Broadway costume designer Sue Makkoo and lives in a country house in New York City.