Lin manuel miranda heritage: Lin-Manuel Miranda | Biography, Movies, Alexander Hamilton, Moana, & Facts

Lin-Manuel Miranda | Biography, Movies, Alexander Hamilton, Moana, & Facts

Lin-Manuel Miranda

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Born:
January 16, 1980 (age 42)
New York City
New York
Awards And Honors:
Grammy Award (2016)
Tony Awards (2008)
Emmy Award (2014): Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
Grammy Award (2018): Best Song Written for Visual Media
Grammy Award (2016): Best Musical Theater Album
Grammy Award (2009): Best Musical Show Album
Kennedy Center Honor (2018)
Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2016)
Tony Award (2016): Best Book of a Musical
Tony Award (2016): Best Original Score Written for the Theatre
Tony Award (2008): Best Original Score Written for the Theatre
Notable Works:
“Hamilton”
“In the Heights”
“tick, tick…BOOM!”
Notable Family Members:
son of Luis A. Miranda, Jr.
son of Luz Towns-Miranda
married to Vanessa Nadal Miranda (2010–present)
father of Sebastian Miranda (b. 2014)
father of Francisco Miranda (b. 2018)
brother of Luz Miranda-Crespo

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Top Questions

Who is Lin-Manuel Miranda?

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a playwright, composer, lyricist, and actor known for his hip-hop–infused musicals In the Heights and Hamilton. He is also known for his work with Disney, writing music for the movie Moana and portraying the character Jack in Mary Poppins Returns.

Where is Lin-Manuel Miranda from?

Lin-Manuel Miranda was born and raised in Inwood, a Hispanic neighborhood in Manhattan, New York. Miranda’s parents are of Puerto Rican origin.

When did Lin-Manuel Miranda write his first musical?

Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote his first musical, In the Heights, when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan University in 1999. The play made its Off-Broadway premiere eight years later.

What is Hamilton about?

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical Hamilton is about the life of U.S. statesman and Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Miranda was inspired to write the musical after reading Ron Chernow’s biography Alexander Hamilton on vacation.

Where does Lin-Manuel Miranda’s name come from?

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s name is inspired by the Vietnam War poem “Nana roja para mi hijo Lin Manuel” by José Manuel Torres Santiago.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, (born January 16, 1980, New York, New York, U.S.), American actor, composer, lyricist, and writer who created and starred in stage productions that blended modern musical forms with classic musical theatre. Perhaps his best-known work was Hamilton, a hip-hop musical about Alexander Hamilton.

Miranda was born to parents of Puerto Rican origin and grew up in a Hispanic neighbourhood in northern Manhattan. His father was a political consultant to several New York City mayors, and his mother was a psychologist. His childhood home was filled with the sounds of salsa and show tunes. Miranda saw his first Broadway musical, Les Misérables, at the age of seven, and it made a lasting impression on him. His tastes also ran to hip-hop and R&B, and he became a proficient rapper. In high school he won the lead role in W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance and became a fixture in the school’s drama program. During that time he met Stephen Sondheim, who later became a mentor to Miranda, along with fellow musical-theatre legend John Kander. Miranda studied theatre at Wesleyan University, where he continued to perform in musicals and to write his own songs and shows. It was there that he penned the first draft of the musical In the Heights, which was set in Washington Heights, a northern Manhattan neighbourhood similar to that of his own childhood.

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Miranda graduated (2002) from Wesleyan and embarked on an acting career, appearing in films and on television. He also performed with a hip-hop improv group, Freestyle Love Supreme, around New York City and at festivals, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The improv show Freestyle Love Supreme played on Broadway in 2019–20. With fellow Wesleyan alumnus Thomas Kail, he continued to develop In the Heights. The musical blended hip-hop and salsa (with music and lyrics by Miranda) with a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. It opened Off-Broadway in February 2007 and ran until July, with Miranda in the lead role; it won two Drama Desk Awards. In the Heights had its Broadway debut in March 2008 and won four Tony Awards, including those for best musical and best original score. The show was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for drama, and its original-cast recording won the 2008 Grammy Award for best musical show album. A film adaptation of the musical was released in 2021, and it featured Miranda in a small role.

After reading Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography about Alexander Hamilton, Miranda began creating a musical about the Founding Father. In the life of Hamilton—who rose from obscure origins on the small Caribbean island of Nevis to become a leading U.S. statesman and the first U.S. secretary of the treasury—Miranda saw a quintessential American story, one that he perceived as akin to the humble beginnings of rappers. The resulting Hamilton was energetic and infectious, and it featured a racially diverse cast, with Miranda starring in the title role. In January 2015 the musical opened Off-Broadway at New York City’s Public Theater, where its huge success led to an early move to Broadway in July. In 2016 Hamilton was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and that year it received an unprecedented 16 Tony nominations, with Miranda earning several nods, including best actor in a leading role in a musical. The production eventually won 11 Tonys, falling one short of the record. Hamilton was named best musical, and Miranda won for best book and best original score. In July 2016 he made his final appearance in the show.

Truth and fiction in Hamilton

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The following year the musical opened in London’s West End, where it was a critical and commercial success. It won seven Olivier Awards, including best new play. In addition, Miranda garnered the award for outstanding achievement in music. As one of the creators of Hamilton, he received a special Kennedy Center Honor in 2018 for developing a groundbreaking work that defies category. In 2019 he reprised the title role for a brief run in Puerto Rico to benefit the Flamboyan Arts Fund, a nonprofit he founded after Hurricane Maria (2017) to ensure support for the arts. He had been active in causes on behalf of Puerto Rico throughout his career. A filmed performance of Hamilton aired on television in 2020.

Miranda later contributed to the soundtrack for the Disney animated film Moana (2016), and he earned an Academy Award nomination—his first—for the song “How Far I’ll Go. ” In the musical Mary Poppins Returns (2018) he assumed the mantle of lamplighter and sidekick to the eponymous nanny. Miranda then starred in the TV series His Dark Materials (2019– ), which was based on Philip Pullman’s best-selling fantasy trilogy. He later directed his first feature film, tick, tick…BOOM! (2021), an adaptation of a stage musical about a theatre composer. Also in 2021 he wrote “Dos Oruguitas” (“Two Caterpillars”) for the film Encanto (“Charm”), and the song earned Miranda another Oscar nomination.

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In September 2015 it was announced that Miranda had won a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant.”

Lorraine MurrayThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Understanding Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Ethnic Background, Wife & Family

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A true genius and multi-talented star, Lin-Manuel Miranda has warmed his way into millions of hearts with his lyrics and composition. The internationally renowned thespian is the mastermind behind the Broadway smash Hamilton, which is one of the most successful musicals of all time.

The award-winning composer, actor, performer and writer who so easily commands the spotlight has achieved ground-breaking feats with his phenomenal projects. Though a self-described nerd, Miranda is also considered to be one of Hollywood’s most hardworking and most sought-after talents, given the staggering array of projects currently in the pipeline. Be inspired to success with interesting facts about the music personified Miranda and his wildly decorated career.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Ethnicity and Bio

The Manhattan native was born on January 16, 1980, to Puerto Rican parents. His mother Luz Towns-Miranda is a psychologist and his father, Luis A. Miranda, Jr., is a community activist turned political consultant. Given their Puerto-Rican descent, Miranda’s family lived mostly in the Inwood’s Latino neighborhood.

Miranda and his sister, Luz, were raised in a musically-oriented family. They were exposed to a wide range of musical genres and enrolled for piano lessons at the instance of their parents. Lin-Manuel Miranda began exhibiting his theatrical skills even before his teen years. As an elementary and high school student, he participated in stage productions. He proceeded to Wesleyan University where he majored in theatre studies. He was also quite active as an undergraduate as he created a hip-hop comedy group, Freestyle Love Supreme.

Career

Prior to his Broadway fame, Miranda had shortly after college worked first as a high school English teacher. He debuted his theatrical career in the year 2002 with the musical hit In the Heights which was a huge Broadway success. In the Heights not only won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album but also earned Miranda four Tony Awards and many others.

Some of his other works include the remake of the 1978 musical Working in 2008, the Spanish translation of the Broadway revival West Side Story (2009), singing the theme song in Murray has a Little Lamb, writing political jingles for Eliot Spitzer’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign, penning the music and lyrics for 2011’s Bring It On, a special composer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and composing the song Bigger which earned him the 2014 Emmy Award.  More so, Miranda composed the lyrics and music for Moana‘s How Far I’ll Go. The animated movie production earned him an Oscar nomination in 2017.

Inspired by the historical biography of Alexander Hamilton, America’s first secretary of the treasury, Lin-Manuel Miranda began working on the musical Hamilton in 2008. After seven long years, Miranda brought magic to the theatre with Hamilton which debuted at the Public Theater in 2015. The musical was so phenomenal that it sold out advance tickets, was critically acclaimed and bagged numerous awards.

The next year brought even bigger fame and recognition for Miranda. Not only did he bag two Tony Awards in the Original Score and Book categories, Hamilton also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and broke Broadway records as it won 11 Tony Awards out of 16 nominations.

Though Hamilton was no overnight success, Miranda was quite overwhelmed and humbled by the production’s success which awakened the younger generation with a part of U. S history. Nonetheless, Miranda has refused to rest on his laurels and continues to work on several other future projects such as the sequel of Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Returns, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and many others.

Miranda’s creativity is not restricted to just songs and Broadway as he has also shown his versatility on both the big and small screens. He has made guest appearances on episodes of several TV series such as The Sopranos, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, House and more. He also starred in the 2012 film The Odd Life of Timothy Green. Also included in Miranda’s impressive resume is film directing. He is making his directional debut with the autobiographical musical Tick, Tick … Boom!

Awards and Achievements

Lin-Manuel Miranda has an exhaustive list of achievements in the creative industry and has consequently been honored with several awards for his contributions. In the year 2009, Miranda made history as he became the youngest recipient of an honorary degree from Yeshiva University, Washington Heights, Manhattan. In 2015, Miranda received a MacArthur Foundation Award and his alma mater Wesleyan University also honored him with a Doctor of Humane Letters.

The musical Hamilton was such a hit that it has so far received a Grammy award, a Pulitzer Prize, and numerous Tony Awards. Cumulatively, Miranda is a recipient of two Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a MacArthur Fellowship, an Emmy Award, and three Tony Awards. Given his success history and other lucrative ventures at hand, it will only be a matter of time before an Oscar is added to his impressive list of accolades.

Net Worth

A force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry, the theatrical genius has his tentacles impressively spread across stage, television. Being Hamilton‘s creator and star, Miranda sure made millions off Broadway’s hottest show. He is expected to pocket more revenue as the multi-million-dollar enterprise expands beyond Broadway.

Besides his multiple award winnings, Miranda also owns an entertainment company 5000 Broadway Productions. The entertainment company is the foundation for most of his work,

Though his total salary is not publicly known, Lin Manuel Miranda’s net worth is estimated at $10 million, a value that is sure to appreciate with time.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Family: Wife and Son

The reason why the Broadway genius ever gets anything done is because he has a perfect symphony in his wife and kids. Lin-Manuel Miranda is married to Vanessa Nadal, a scientist and lawyer.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and wife Vanessa Nadal

The couple attended the same high school where Miranda began crushing on Vanessa but held back his feelings at the time. Miranda and Vanessa got married in 2010 and began expanding their family in November 2014 when they welcomed their son Sebastian, whom they named after the singing crab from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Their second son Francisco was born in February 2018.

Height

The Broadway star stands at a height of 5 feet 9 inches and weighs 73 kg. His body measurements are biceps – 15.5 inches, waist – 35 inches, and chest – 41 inches.

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#BLM has changed everything, or 10 attempts by the West to rewrite its cultural heritage

In light of recent events, the West is persistently trying to renounce many elements and manifestations of racism and intolerance in its culture, but it is impossible to simply make entire episodes or films disappear from discourse. Let’s remember the 10 most striking examples of what and how retrograde happened to television and cinema in recent times in connection with the #BLM movement.

Hamilton

Recording of one of Broadway’s most award-winning musicals, made in 2016 and repurchased from the creator – screenwriter, composer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda – by the Disney Corporation for broadcast on Disney + from July 4, tells the story of the American Revolutionary War and the strengthening of their financial system through the life of one of the founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton.

  • What did you do?

Seizure, not seized, but the musical and Lin-Manuel Miranda himself were heavily criticized by the community on Twitter and briefly became the object of another wave of Cancel Culture (“cancellation culture”, mass boycott).

  • Why?

Can you imagine? For the romanticization of slave owners. In the musical itself, the themes of the abolition of slavery are voiced many times, almost all the main characters (except one!) are traditionally played by representatives of racial minorities, and the musical is actually not quite about that – but an attempt to boycott did occur.

Gone with the Wind

The stunning and original painting is one of the greatest films of all time, is in the US National Film Registry and received thirteen Academy Award nominations, winning eight of them – with Hattie McDaniel playing Mammy became the first African-American woman to win.

  • What did you do?

On June 10, the film was removed from the HBO Max library, but after some time the service changed its mind and returned it to the catalog.

  • Why?

For the romanticization of slavery, of course – even the return to the service was accompanied by the appearance of preliminary comments about political correctness and condemnation of many of the moments shown in the film. The result – as of early June, the film was #1 on Amazon’s most popular movies chart, #5 on Apple’s iTunes movie chart, and even started a conversation about how political correctness can go too far.

Office

Comedy mockumentary about the everyday life of one of the branches of the Dunder Mifflin paper company, which is run by an incredibly incompetent boss.

  • What did you do?

Netflix completely cut a scene from “Dwight’s Christmas” (season 9, episode 9). After the series moves to NBCUniversal’s Peacock in 2021, it will be the edited episode that will be used.

  • Why?

In the episode titled, the titular character throws a Dutch Christmas themed celebration, which results in one of the white characters almost dressing up as Black Pete, Santaklaas’s folklore black companion. Fun fact – at the holidays in the Netherlands, this character is traditionally played by a white actor.

Community

A comedy series about a college group of adults who attend Colorado Community College together.

  • What did you do?

On June 26, Netflix and Hulu, with the consent of Sony, removed the fourteenth episode of the second season, titled “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons”, from their platforms.

  • Why?

In the deleted series, a character named Ben Cheng comes to a Dungeons & Dragons session, having his body painted completely black and proving that he is actually a drow (dark elf), while the characters of the series themselves call his act ” hate crime.”

Clinic

The series is dedicated to the funny situations in which the young doctors of the Sacred Heart clinic find themselves, trying to find their place in life and the world of medicine.

  • What did you do?

Hulu removed three episodes from the platform: “My Doctor Friend” (season 3, episode 8), “My Quickballs” (season 5, episode 4) and “My Liver Pate” (season 5, episode 17) .

  • Why?

In two of these episodes, the characters appear in a caricature image of the character of the African-American actor Donald Faison, while the third episode includes the mutual dressing up of white and black characters in each other.

Studio 30

A comedy series about the employees of a TV channel who produce sketch shows, about the relationship between people working in show business, and the constant struggle between the writers and the head of the TV company.

  • What did you do?

At the request of creators Tina Faye and Robert Carlock, and with the approval of NBCUniversal, four episodes were removed from all electronic platforms: “The Stars Don’t Lie” (season 3, episode 2), “The Live Show” (season 5 , episode 2), “Christmas Attack Zone” (season 5, episode 10), “Live from Studio 6N” (season 6, episode 19).

  • Why?

In three of the episodes described above, the characters of Jane Krakowski and Jon Hamm appeared in blackface. As for the fourth, it’s not so obvious – “The Live Show” has a storyline that clearly alludes to the theory that is considered racist about the real birthplace of Barack Obama.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Comedy series set in Philadelphia around the hapless owners of the Irish pub Paddy’s.

  • What did you do?

Five episodes have been pulled from the Hulu streaming service, although still available for electronic distribution: “American Top Models for Paddy’s Pub Banner Contest” (season 4, episode 3), “Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth (Season 6, Episode 9), “The Gang Recycles Their Trash” (Season 8, Episode 2), “The Gang Shoots Lethal Weapon 6” (Season 9, Episode 9), “Dee’s Day” (Season 14, Episode 3).

  • Why?

In two of these episodes, actress Caitlin Olsen’s character is portrayed as Puerto Rican reporter Martina Martinez to satirize white people’s stereotypes of people of color; in the last episode, she forces the rest of the gang to dress up as Martina Martinez. Also in some episodes there are attempts to remake the Lethal Weapon series of films, in which the character of Danny Glover is played by a white actor with blackface.

South Park

One of the longest-running animated series (since The Simpsons), it follows the lives and adventures of four South Park elementary school students.

  • What did you do?

HBO Max retired five episodes: Super Best Friends (Season 5), Cartoon Wars Part I, and Cartoon Wars Part II (Season 10), as well as episodes 200 and 201 (season 14).

  • Why?

All of these episodes contained images of the Prophet Muhammad, which are considered idolatry in Islam. Interestingly, the controversial situation with these episodes has been going on for years and has led to threats to the lives of Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and the Comedy Central channel has already removed the 200 and 201 episodes from the show immediately after they were shown. The #BLM movement was responsible for the disappearance of episodes from the HBO Max show.

Little Britain

Sketch-com with a translation option “Your Britasha”, the progenitor of the Russian sketch-com “Nasha Russia”, is an anthology of stories about the people of Great Britain.

  • What did you do?

The transmission has been completely withdrawn from the BBC iPlayer and BritBox systems.

  • Why?

The main reason is that when trying to make fun of British society, actors David Walliams and Matt Lucas quite often dressed as black and Asian women, the creators were also accused of transphobia and indulging in the spread of prejudice.

Cops

One of the longest-running American reality shows about the daily work of police units.

  • What did you do?

The show was completely closed in early June, after 32 seasons. Given that the premiere of season 33 before the riots was scheduled for June 15th.

  • Why?

The show has been criticized for romanticizing the image of an incorruptible and heroic cop, especially in contrast to the behavior of real-life cop Derek Chauvin, displayed during the arrest of George Floyd. The show’s cancellation also came amid protests calling for the removal of government funding for the police.

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    Hamilton’s movie will hit theaters in 2021

    Disney is set to release a live-action adaptation of Hamilton’s original cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, in theaters!

    Pretty soon we’ll all be in the room where this is happening, and we’ll do it sitting across from Lin-Manuel Miranda and all of Hamilton’s original Broadway cast! It was the news official on the social media account of Hamilton, the musical on Monday afternoon, when it was announced that the production of Hamilton recorded between 2015 and 2016 will be sent to theaters for a limited run courtesy of The Walt Disney Company.

    Disney presents:
    Hamilton.
    With The Original Broadway Cast.
    Filmed onstage at The Richard Rodgers Theatre.
    In A Theater Near You.
    October 15, 2021.#Hamilfilm pic.twitter.com/z4ohfWXzi3

    — Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 3, 2020

    “Disney will release [ Hamilton ] with the original Broadway cast,” the tweet read. — Shot on stage at the Richard Rogers Theatre. In the theater next to you. October 15, 2021.”

    While this release date is more than a year away, this announcement is undoubtedly music to the ears of countless theatergoers around the world… most of whom have never had the opportunity to see the musical Hamilton on Broadway, West End or his various other touring shows. With orchestra tickets for 9Still costing around $550 a seat, 0008 The Great White Way remains decidedly out of reach for most of its fans.

    Hamilton is, of course, the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner who took the world by storm when he made his Broadway debut in August 2015. Premiering at a public theater in February before that, Hamilton is Miranda’s brainchild who wrote both the music and lyrics, as well as the book, while starring Alexander Hamilton in the original cast. Fusing hip-hop, jazz, classic Broadway tune and a range of other musical influences, Miranda brought new vitality to the theater and popular understanding of American history.

    He reminds millions of complex rivalries and contradictions

    Building on Ron Chernov’s 2004 biography, Alexander Hamilton, which was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography, Miranda reconstructed the American Revolution and one of the principal founders of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton, for the 21st century. Casting a diverse and multicultural cast, Miranda emphasized both Hamilton’s own status as an immigrant and the universal legacy of the American experiment for all of its citizens, even those who are decidedly unlike the country’s founders. It also reminds millions of the complex rivalries and controversies that arose in the country’s early days, as opposed to the deceptive image of a peaceful conclave of godlike deities.

    Hamilton acted as a reminder

    Probably most impressive for Disney, Hamilton also names the origins of Broadway and the musical culture that was once the center of American popular culture. Back in the 1960s, major Broadway musicals were making mainstream popular music—the Arena of TV tunes had even dominated decades before. But generations after Broadway music became increasingly isolated and separated from how popular music’s own divergent sounds developed,0008 Hamilton acted as a reminder of the ability of theater and popular music to intersect and influence culture in exciting ways.

    The Cast of Hamilton

    The original Hamilton cast is still loved for the roles they created (and performed on the Broadway cast recording). Among them are Miranda as Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr.

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