In what movies and musicals has Lin-Manuel Miranda worked as songwriter or playwright?
The Pulitzer Prize-winning director and actor is best-known for creating and performing in the Broadway sensation Hamilton, but what else has he starred in?
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a multiple award-winning actor, singer, songwriter, director, producer, playwright and rapper. He is best known for his career on Broadway and the 41-year-old has picked up an enormous array of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, two Laurence Olivier Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Tony Awards, and an Emmy.
On Thursday 8 July he is set to appear in a New York Times digital series called ‘Offstage’, a streaming event celebrating the best in stage and screen performances. Episodes are uploaded to YouTube after the live event so you can check out Miranda’s appearance, but what is he best known for?
Early breakthrough with ‘In the Heights’
Miranda’s first major breakthrough came when he developed the musical that would go on to become In the Heights. He did so while majoring in theatre studies at Wesleyan University, and after graduating he took a more hands-on role in the show’s production.
He would go on to star in the production, also writing the show’s music and lyrics, and it debuted in 2008. The musical was set in Washington Heights and featured a distinctive Latin influence, and would go on to run in theatres for nearly two years and picked up four Tony Awards.
After making his break he remained on Broadway to work on the 2009’s reboot of West Side Story and worked as a songwriter for Bring It On: The Musical in 2012. He would also appear in films like The Odd Life of Timothy Green and 200 Cartas, while making cameo appearances in The Sopranos, How I Met Your Mother and Modern Family.
Reimaging of ‘Hamilton’ brings international acclaim
Perhaps Miranda’s best-known work to date is his creation of Hamilton, based on the life of America’s first secretary of the treasury. He first became aware of Alexander Hamilton while reading on holiday in 2008 and would go on to create a full Broadway show chronicling his life.
Miranda related the origins of the Founding Father, rising from obscurity on the Caribbean island of Nevis, to that of modern day rappers, and created the quintessential American Dream story. Hamilton was an instant success when it was first released on Off-Broadway in January 2015, quickly moving to Broadway in July.
The energetic stage show and illuminating performances of its diverse cast saw Miranda’s creation awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as a whole host of other awards and nominations. In 2016 Hamilton received an unprecedented 16 Tony Award nominations, eventually winning 11 of them.
After that enormous success he composed lyrics and music for ‘How Far I’ll Go’, for the animated film Moana. He also starred in the 2018 film Mary Poppins Returns, playing the prominent role of Jack the lamplighter.