DeBose was born on January 25, 1991, in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her mother, Gina DeBose, is a middle school teacher.[3] DeBose trained in dance at CC & Co. Dance Complex in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she also grew up.[4][5] DeBose has stated that her father is Puerto Rican and her mother is White. She also has African-American and Italian ancestry.[6]
Career
Early work and Broadway roles (2009–2016)
DeBose made her television debut in 2009, when she competed on the TV series So You Think You Can Dance, making it into the Top 20.[7] She later appeared on the soap opera One Life to Live and played Inez in the North Carolina Theatre's production of Hairspray before appearing in the role of Nautica in the 2011 Alliance Theatre production of Bring It On. She also appeared in the ensemble of the New York Philharmonic production of Company, which was filmed for television.[8] At the end of 2011, Bring It On embarked on a national tour across the United States. DeBose continued her role into the 2012 Broadway production and understudied the character Danielle.
In 2013, DeBose played Mary Wilson in Motown on Broadway, understudying the role of Diana Ross.[8] She later joined the cast of Pippin on Broadway, playing a noble and a player and understudying the role of the Leading Player, which she ended up taking over for a short period in 2014.[8] She can be heard playing director/choreographer Zoey Taylor in As the Curtain Rises, an original Broadway soap opera podcast from the Broadway Podcast Network.
In 2015, DeBose left Pippin to join the ensemble of the off-Broadway musical Hamilton. The show moved to Broadway later that year. She left Hamilton in July 2016 and made a guest appearance on the TV series Blue Bloods as Sophia Ortiz. She also starred as Daphne in the thriller film Seaside. From November 2016 to August 2017, DeBose portrayed Jane on Broadway in A Bronx Tale.[9]
Despite not seeing herself playing the role and initially refusing four times to audition for it,[16] DeBose played Anita in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was released in December 2021 to critical acclaim.[17] DeBose received critical attention for her performance of Anita,[18][19] with Caryn James of BBC praising her performance, declaring, "Anita, in a layered, dynamic performance by Ariana DeBose, is the centre of attention, swirling her skirt and dancing to the Latin rhythms that infuse the film."[20] David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote, "DeBose...strong contender for Most Valuable Player here, whose energy—in her singing, her dancing, her line-reading, her side-eyeing—could power a metropolitan block."[21] She also received multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, making her the first Afro-Latina and queer woman of color to win the latter award,[22] and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[23][24]
Following her West Side Story success, it was announced that DeBose would host the 75th Tony Awards.[25] DeBose called the opportunity to host "a bucket list moment" that "I didn't know I had."[26] She received generally positive reviews for the show and received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).[27][28] She also made a recurring appearance in the fourth season of the HBO science fiction series Westworld.[29]
2023–present
DeBose went viral on Twitter after performing at the 76th British Academy Film Awards, where she celebrated the female nominees by name in an original freestyle rap performance. Despite being described by Variety as “a little out of breath at some points” and that the lyrics "felt clumsy", show producer Nick Bullen defended the performance, claiming it was well received by the live audience and that the criticism was "incredibly unfair" and he "absolutely loved it".[30][31] The rap went viral with lines like "Angela Bassett did the thing" becoming pop culture memes.[32][33] DeBose has subsequently performed the rap in concert.[34] DeBose voiced the lead character of Asha in the 2023 Disney animated filmWish.[35]
DeBose is queer[42] and came out to her grandparents in 2015.[43] In December 2020, DeBose and Jo Ellen Pellman launched the Unruly Hearts Initiative. The initiative was created to help young people connect with organizations and charities that advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.[44]
DeBose is in a relationship with costume designer and professor Sue Makkoo. The pair met while working on Summer: The Donna Summer Musical in 2017.[45] Previously, DeBose was in a romantic relationship with theater props master Jill Johnson. The pair met while both were working on Motown: The Musical.[46]
^Button, Simon (October 22, 2018). "The star of Donna Summer's musical on speaking up for queer women of colour". GAY TIMES. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2020. my father was Puerto Rican, so I don't identify with any specific ethnicity either ... I do have African-American lineage, but I'm also part-Italian.
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