Last weekend, viewers across the country finally got to see Hamilton in all of its glory. The filmed 2016 performance, now available on Disney+, featured the musical's famed original cast, including Lin Manuel Miranda (who also penned the show's book, lyrics, and music) as Alexander Hamilton, Philippa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr.
One up-and-coming cast member is Anthony Ramos, who originated the dual roles of John Laurens, an American revolutionary soldier, and Philip Hamilton, Alexander's son. Though only 28 years old, Ramos has already been involved in a variety of exciting projects, and certainly has a bright future ahead of him. Here's everything you need to know about the budding actor.
Ramos has a long history with Lin Manuel Miranda.
While most people know Ramos for his part in Hamilton, the actor also had a role in Miranda's prior musical, In the Heights. He played Sonny de la Vega, the cousin of lead character Usnavi de la Vega, in a 2012 production.
Ramos auditioned for the Off-Broadway run of Hamilton in 2014 and was cast in the original production, which ran at New York's Public Theater. He then also secured the role of Justin Laboy in 21 Chump Street, Miranda's 14 minute, one-time musical performance for NPR's This American Life.
Ramos left Hamilton in November 2016, but still continues to work arm-in-arm with Miranda. The actor is set to play Usnavi de la Vega, a role originated by Miranda himself, on Broadway, in the upcoming In the Heights movie.
Though production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramos is looking forward to his role in In the Heights. “The characters looked like they live around the corner from where I grew up,” the Brooklyn native told IndieWire. “It wasn’t like watching ‘Shrek.’ You can always find characters to relate to, but there was something deeper for me in this show.”
The actor has a thriving career outside Broadway.
Hamilton proved that Ramos has serious acting and singing skills, and he has since employed these talents in other venues. In 2018, Ramos played Mars Blackmon in Spike Lee's Netflix reboot of She's Gotta Have It, based on the 1986 film by the same name. That year, Ramos moved to the big screen, securing the role of Ramon in A Star Is Born, the 2018 film starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
Ramos also has a burgeoning music career. In 2018, he released his first EP, The Freedom EP, featuring five songs inspired by the 2016 presidential election. Since then, Ramos signed with Republic Records and released his debut album, The Good & The Bad, in October 2019.
Ramos is engaged to one of his Hamilton co-stars.
In a sweet Broadway love story, Ramos is currently engaged to Jasmine Cephas Jones, another member of the original Hamilton cast. Jones originated the dual roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds. The pair met during their time in the show, and became engaged on Christmas Eve, 2018.
"Thank you for saying yes to writing stories together for the rest of our lives. I'm honored and Blessed to marry you," Ramos said in an Instagram post, featuring the engaged couple in Paris.
While a wedding date has not yet been announced, the couple is currently enjoying time with their two dogs, Nala and Prince.
