Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez (born November 1, 1991) is an American actor and singer. After graduating in musical theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Ramos began performing in stage musicals. In 2015, he originated the dual role of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in Hamilton, for which he won a Grammy Award. He received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in the 2020 stage recording.
Ramos played a supporting role in A Star Is Born (2018), and starred in the musical film In the Heights (2021), earning him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the action film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023), and the disaster film Twisters (2024). Ramos has also voiced Mr. Piranha in the DreamWorks Animation crime comedy film The Bad Guys (2022) and its sequel The Bad Guys 2 (2025); the latter of which landed him a nomination for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Voice Performance.
Early life and education Ramos was born Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez on November 1, 1991. He grew up in Bushwick, Brooklyn. His family is Puerto Rican, of African, indigenous, and European descent. On a 2024 episode of Finding Your Roots, he discovered that a portion of his heritage traces back to the Canary Islands and his 16th great-grandfather was Pelinor (d. 1505), an indigenous Guanche king of the island of Tenerife, the largest island in the Canaries.
Ramos lived in Hope Gardens Apartments, an affordable housing complex in Bushwick, Brooklyn with his mother, older brother, and younger sister. Anthony's father struggled with substance abuse and was only present in his life occasionally.
Anthony Ramos attended Halsey Junior High School in Brooklyn, New York City, where he sang Motown songs at school assemblies in a student group called the Halsey Trio. He is a 2009 graduate of New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. His ambitions at the time centered around baseball, including plans to play NCAA Division III college baseball, followed by a baseball coaching career. After high school, he attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York a conservatory for the performing arts, on a full scholarship from the Seinfeld Scholarship, run by Jerry Seinfeld. He graduated from the musical theater program in 2011.
Acting career Beginning in 2011, Ramos earned roles in a variety of regional and touring musical productions, including Usnavi de la Vega in a 2012 production of In the Heights. In 2014, he performed in Heart and Lights at Radio City Music Hall, a dance show with the Rockettes which was canceled during previews. During rehearsals for Heart and Lights, Ramos auditioned for the off-Broadway production of Hamilton at The Public Theater. After being cast in Hamilton, Ramos played Justin Laboy in Lin-Manuel Miranda's short musical 21 Chump Street, a 14-minute, one-time performance on June 7, 2014, which was recorded for This American Life.
Hamilton opened off-Broadway in early 2015, with Ramos originating the dual role of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, the oldest son of Alexander Hamilton. The musical moved to Broadway on July 13, 2015, in previews, and opened on August 6, 2015. Ramos left the production on November 20, 2016, being replaced by Jordan Fisher.
In September 2016, it was announced that Ramos had been cast in director Spike Lee's Netflix comedy-drama series She's Gotta Have It, in the role of Mars Blackmon. Ramos played the role of Ramon in the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and directed by Cooper. In 2018, Variety reported that Ramos had been cast as Usnavi de la Vega in the film adaptation of In the Heights. The movie was released in 2021 to significant acclaim, but was a box-office bomb. In April 2021, Ramos was cast in the lead role in the next installment of the Transformers film franchise, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The film was released on June 9, 2023.
In February 2022, Ramos was cast as Parker Robbins / The Hood in the superhero streaming series Ironheart, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In January 2024, Ramos was cast as the lead voice role in a Bob the Builder animated film. In July 2024, Ramos appeared in Twisters, the sequel to the 1996 film Twister.
Recording career Ramos appeared on the original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton in 2015, in the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. He reunited with Lin-Manuel Miranda in October 2017 as one of the vocalists on Miranda's song "Almost Like Praying," a release to benefit Hurricane Maria victims.
On November 8, 2017, two tracks, "Freedom" and "Common Ground", from solo EP, titled The Freedom EP, were released. The release was produced by Will Wells, who had previously worked with Logic and Pentatonix. The Freedom EP was released on January 20, 2018. In addition to the previously released singles, the EP included two new songs, "When The Bell Tolls" and "PRayer" .
On June 13, 2019, it was announced that Ramos had signed to Republic Records. The signing was documented on his YouTube series, It Takes A Village, where he revealed that new music would be released that summer. His debut album, The Good & The Bad, was released in the autumn on October 25, 2019. Although it did not chart on the US Billboard Top 200 album chart, it did debut at number 21 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.
On June 25, 2021, Republic released his second album, Love and Lies. The album debuted and peaked for one week at number 36 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Personal life In 2014, Ramos met actress Jasmine Cephas Jones during rehearsals for the off-Broadway production of Hamilton. He confirmed their relationship in February 2015, and on Christmas Eve 2018, he proposed to Jones in front of her favorite castle in Arundel, England. In November 2021, they ended their engagement before officially splitting.
In February 2024, Ramos' family was featured on episode 104 ("Mean Streets") of the PBS television show Finding Your Roots, a program about genealogy.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2016 White Girl Kilo 10 Crosby Younger Doorman Short film 2017 Patti Cake$ Recording Engineer 2018 Monsters and Men Manny Ortega Summer Days, Summer Nights Frankie A Star Is Born Ramon 2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters Staff Sergeant Anthony Martinez 2020 Trolls World Tour King Trollex (voice)Hamilton John Laurens / Philip Hamilton Filmed recording of 2016 Broadway musical Honest Thief Agent Ramon Hall 2021 In the Heights Usnavi de la Vega 2022 The Bad Guys Mr. Piranha (voice) 2023 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Noah Diaz Dumb Money Marcus 2024 Long Distance Andy Ramirez Twisters Javi2025 Highest 2 Lowest HimselfCameo The Bad Guys 2 Mr. Piranha (voice) A House of Dynamite Major Daniel Gonzalez 2026 Love Language Dash TBA Kaet Might Die Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 2015 Younger Julio Episodes: “Liza Sows Her Oates”, “IRL” 2016 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Juan Flores Episode: "Forty-One Witnesses" 2017–2018 Will & Grace Tony 4 episodes 2017–2019 She's Gotta Have It Mars Blackmon 19 episodes 2019 Elena of Avalor Tito (voice) Episode: "Team Isa"2021 In Treatment Eladio Restrepo 6 episodes Blindspotting Yorkie 2 episodes Trolls: Holiday in Harmony King Trollex (voice) TV special 2024 Finding Your Roots Himself Episode: "Mean Streets" 2025 Ironheart Parker Robbins / The Hood Disney+ miniseries; 6 episodes 2026 The Beauty The Assassin 11 episodes 2026 The Shards Tony Cruz 1 episode
Theatre Year Production Role Location Notes 2011 Grease Sonny LaTierri Surflight Theatre Regional 2012 Damn Yankees Henry / Ensemble Various National tour In the Heights Sonny de la Vega u/s Usnavi de la Vega Pioneer Theatre Company Regional2014Hamilton John Laurens / Philip Hamilton The 52nd Street Project Workshop 21 Chump Street Justin Laboy Brooklyn Academy of Music Regional 2015 Alice by Heart Caterpillar / Angus / Knave of Hearts MCC Theater Workshop 2015–2016 Hamilton John Laurens / Philip Hamilton The Public Theater Off-Broadway Richard Rodgers Theater Broadway 2018 In the Heights Usnavi de la Vega John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC Regional TBA Mozart TBABroadway
Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected information Title DetailsThe Good & the Bad Release date: October 25, 2019 Label: Republic Formats: CD, digital download, streamingLove and Lies Release date: June 25, 2021 Label: Republic Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
Extended plays + List of extended plays, with selected information Title Details The Freedom EP Release date: January 28, 2018 Label: Whole Team Winnin' Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
Soundtrack and cast albums + List of soundtrack albums, with selected information Title Details Peak chart positions US AUS CAN UK 21 Chump Street: The Musical Release date: June 19, 2014 Label: 5000 Broadway Productions Formats: CD, digital download — — — — Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Release date: September 25, 2015 Label: Hamilton Uptown Formats: CD, digital download 2 6 2 58 Trolls World Tour (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Release date: March 13, 2020 Label: RCA Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 15 66 33 — In The Heights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Release date: June 10, 2021 Label: Atlantic Records/WaterTower Music Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 45 59 — —
Singles + List of singles, with selected information Title Year Album "Cry Today, Smile Tomorrow" 2019 "Dear Diary" The Good & the Bad "The Good & the Bad" "Mind Over Matter" "Figure It Out" "Relationship" 2020 "Stop" rowspan="2" "If You Want Me to Stay" "Say Less"2021Love and Lies "Blessings" "Échale" "Lose My Mind""Good Time"2022 rowspan="2" "Échale (Eydren Remix)""Villano"2023rowspan="4" "Se Fue""Vicariously"2024"New York City"2026
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Grammy Awards Best Musical Theater Album Hamilton Broadway.com Audience Awards Favorite Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical Favorite Male Breakthrough Performance Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture A Star Is Born Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role In the Heights Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Hamilton People's Choice AwardsThe Drama Movie Star of 2021 In the Heights Hollywood Music in Media AwardsSong - Onscreen Performance (for "96,000") Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Black Reel AwardsOutstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male Satellite AwardsBest Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Critics Choice Celebration of Latino Cinema and TelevisionSupporting Actor Award - FilmA House of Dynamite Black Reel AwardsOutstanding Voice PerformanceThe Bad Guys 2
References
External links