Miguel Cervantes (actor)

Last updated
Miguel Cervantes
Born (1976-01-09) January 9, 1976 (age 48) [1]
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)actor, singer
Notable work Hamilton

Miguel Cervantes is an American actor, singer and activist. He played the role of Alexander Hamilton in the Chicago production of Hamilton from September 2016 until the production closed in January 2020. He played the role in the Broadway production from March 3, 2020 to January 7, 2024. [2] [3]

Contents

Career

A Dallas native, Cervantes graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in 1995 before attending Emerson College. [4]

Prior to Hamilton, Cervantes had performed in the Broadway casts of American Idiot (musical) and If/Then. [5] He was called to audition for Hamilton while the show transitioned from The Public Theater to Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre and then called back to perform a second time in front of a group that included producers and Hamilton writer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda. He subsequently booked the role in the Chicago production. [4]

Critic Maureen Ryan praised Cervantes' "coiled intensity" in the role. [6] The Chicago Tribune subsequently named Cervantes Chicagoan of the Year in theater. [7]

After the Chicago production closed in 2020, [8] Cervantes took over the lead role in the Broadway production. He announced in October 2023 that he would leave the role on January 7, 2024. [9] Miranda appeared during Cervantes' final curtain call. [10]

Cervantes has also performed in the digital musical A Killer Party: A Murder Mystery Musical. [11]

Cervantes' screen career includes appearances on Madam Secretary, Person of Interest, and The Blacklist.

Personal life

Cervantes and his family relocated to Chicago in the years following his casting in Hamilton. They have one son, Jackson, and a daughter adopted in 2023. [12] [13] An older daughter, Adelaide, suffered from infantile spasms, a severe form of epilepsy associated with developmental delays, and died in October 2019 at the age of 3. [14] Adelaide's diagnosis happened around the time Cervantes was cast in Hamilton. [15]

Cervantes' wife, Kelly Cervantes, is chair of the Chicago nonprofit CURE Epilepsy, an organization with which Miguel Cervantes is also active. [16]

Cervantes took up golf while in the Chicago production of Hamilton and, with co-star Andrew Call, conceived the Shu Caddy, a combination tee holder, divot tool and ball marker that can clip onto a golfer's shoe or belt. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chita Rivera</span> American actress, dancer and singer (1933–2024)

Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, known professionally as Chita Rivera, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Rivera received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CIBC Theatre</span> Theater in Chicago, Illinois, US

CIBC Theatre is a performing arts theater located at 18 West Monroe Street in the Loop area of downtown Chicago. It is operated by Broadway In Chicago, part of the Nederlander Organization. Opened in 1906 as the Majestic Theatre, it currently seats 1,800 and for many years has presented Broadway shows. In its early years, the theater presented vaudeville celebrity acts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian d'Arcy James</span> American actor and musician

Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician. He is known primarily for his Broadway roles, including Shrek in Shrek the Musical, Nick Bottom in Something Rotten!, King George III in Hamilton, and The Baker in Into the Woods. He has received five Tony Award nominations for his work. On-screen, he is known for his recurring role as Andy Baker on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, Officer Krupke in West Side Story, and reporter Matt Carroll in Spotlight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Rannells</span> American actor (born 1978)

Andrew Scott Rannells is an American actor. He is best known for originating the role of Elder Kevin Price in the 2011 Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. He received his second Tony nomination in 2017 for his performance as Whizzer in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos. Other Broadway credits include Hairspray (2005), Jersey Boys (2009), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2014), Hamilton (2015), The Boys in the Band (2018), and Gutenberg! The Musical! (2023). For his performance in the Off West End production of Tammy Faye, he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lin-Manuel Miranda</span> American songwriter, actor, and librettist (born 1980)

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals In the Heights (2005) and Hamilton (2015), and the soundtracks for the animated films Moana (2016), Vivo, and Encanto. He has received numerous accolades including a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Grammy Awards, along with nominations for two Academy Awards. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Olivo</span> American musical theatre actor (born 1976)

KO, formerly known as Karen Olivo, is an American stage and television actor, theater educator, and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Kitt (musician)</span> American composer and musician

Thomas Robert Kitt is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, and musician. For his score for the musical Next to Normal, he shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Yorkey. He has also won two Tony Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Next to Normal, as well as Tony and Outer Critics Circle nominations for If/Then and SpongeBob SquarePants. He has been nominated for eight Drama Desk Awards, winning one, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for Jagged Little Pill in 2021.

Thomas Kail is an American theatre and television director, known for directing the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musicals In the Heights and Hamilton, garnering the 2016 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the latter. Kail was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2018. He has also directed the television series Fosse/Verdon (2019), for which he was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Henry</span> Canadian-American singer and actor

Joshua Anthony Charlton Henry is a Canadian-American actor and singer of stage and screen.

Jessica Ruth Mueller is an American actress and singer. She started her acting career in Chicago and won two Joseph Jefferson Awards in 2008 and 2011 for her roles as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel and Amalia Balash in She Loves Me. In 2011, she moved to New York City to star in a Broadway revival of musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her performance as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She went on to receive two additional Best Actress in a Musical Tony Award nominations for her leading roles in Waitress (2016) and the Broadway revival of Carousel (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Platt</span> American actor and singer (born 1993)

Benjamin Schiff Platt is an American actor and singer. The son of film and theater producer Marc Platt, he began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music (2006) and The Book of Mormon (2012–2015), rising to prominence for originating the title role in the Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017). His performance in the latter earned him multiple accolades, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, the youngest solo recipient of the award at the time, in addition to a Daytime Emmy, and Grammy Award. Platt reprised the role of Evan Hansen in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical, produced by his father. He then played Leo Frank in the 2022 New York City Center Gala production of Parade, which transferred to Broadway in 2023 and earned him nominations for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

<i>Hamilton</i> (musical) 2015 biographical musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton: An American Musical is a sung-and-rapped-through biographical musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Lin-Manuel Miranda as well as choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler. Based on the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the musical covers the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolution and the political history of the early United States. Composed over a seven-year period from 2008 to 2015, the music draws heavily from hip hop, as well as R&B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers of the United States and other historical figures. Miranda described Hamilton as about "America then, as told by America now."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javier Muñoz (actor)</span> American actor and singer

Javier Muñoz is an American actor and singer. He is most notable for his Broadway performances as Usnavi de la Vega in the 2008 musical In the Heights and Alexander Hamilton in the 2015 musical Hamilton, in which he played the titular role from July 11, 2016, until January 14, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillipa Soo</span> American actress

Phillipa Anne Soo is an American actress and singer. Known for her leading roles on Broadway primarily in musicals, she has received two Grammy Awards along with nominations for a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daveed Diggs</span> American actor and rapper

Daveed Daniele Diggs is an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. He is the vocalist of the experimental hip hop group Clipping, and in 2015, he originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the musical Hamilton, for which he won a 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. Along with the main cast of Hamilton, he was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Ramos</span> American actor and singer (born 1991)

Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez is an American actor and singer. After graduating in musical theatre from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, he began working in stage musicals. In 2015, he originated the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway musical Hamilton. 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 of the play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Jackson (actor)</span> American actor (born 1975)

Christopher Neal Jackson is an American actor and singer. He began his career in 1995 starring in the Off-Broadway musical Time and the Wind by composer Galt MacDermot at the age of 20. He made his Broadway debut in 1997 as an ensemble member in the original Broadway cast of Disney's The Lion King. He remained with the show for several years, ultimately taking over the role of Simba. He went on to perform leading roles in several more Broadway musicals and plays, including After Midnight, Bronx Bombers, Holler If Ya Hear Me, and Memphis. He drew critical acclaim in several projects with Lin-Manuel Miranda: originating the roles of Benny in In the Heights and George Washington in the smash hit Hamilton. For the latter role he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also collaborated with Miranda on the Disney film Moana in which he provides the singing voice of Chief Tui. His other film work includes secondary roles in After.Life and Tracers.

Lexi Lawson is an American actress and singer, best known for her work in musicals. She held the lead female roles in touring productions of Rent and In the Heights. Lawson made her Broadway debut as Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmy Raver-Lampman</span> American actress, singer (b. 1988)

Emmy Raver-Lampman is an American actress and singer. She began her career working in musical theater, and has performed in various Broadway and national touring productions such as Hair, Jekyll & Hyde, Wicked, and Hamilton. She has played Allison Hargreeves in the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy since 2019.

Solea Pfeiffer is a Zimbabwe-born American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Eliza Hamilton in the first national tour of Hamilton, which she landed after performing as Maria in West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl. Two years later, she starred in the New York City Center's production of Evita. In 2023, she joined the Broadway cast of Hadestown as Eurydice.

References

  1. Cervantes, Miguel [@MiggstaC09] (January 10, 2020). "I am as fulfilled as I have ever been. An amazing, beautiful wife,a rock star son, supportive friends & a city that has held up me& my wife up through the worst. My 43rd year will have been one that will be unforgettable. Thank You. 🥂 to another one in the books. ❤ https://t.co/CX6mC4M504" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021 via Twitter.
  2. "Miguel Cervantes Is No Stranger to Twists of Fate". New Jersey Monthly. 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  3. Ingenthron, Blair. "Miguel Cervantes to play final Hamilton performance" . Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 Franklin, Janice L. (7 October 2016). "TheaterJones | Q&A: Miguel Cervantes | Broadway in Chicago". TheaterJones.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  5. "Miguel Cervantes Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  6. Ryan, Maureen (20 October 2016). "Review: Broadway Smash 'Hamilton' Opens in Chicago". Variety. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  7. Jones, Chris. "Chicagoan of the Year in theater: For Miguel Cervantes, the lead of 'Hamilton,' this was never just a role". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  8. McPhee, Ryan (5 January 2020). "Hamilton Closes in Chicago January 5". Playbill. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  9. Ingenthron, Blair (1 October 2023). "Miguel Cervantes to Play Final HAMILTON Performance in January". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  10. Wild, Stephi. "Video: Lin-Manuel Miranda Makes Surprise Appearance During HAMILTON Curtain Call". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  11. Gans, Andrew (August 12, 2020). "Checking In With… Hamilton Star Miguel Cervantes". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  12. "Introducing Strawbaby". Kelly Cervantes. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  13. "Miguel Cervantes reveals the 'addition' to his Hamilton track". Broadway News. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  14. "About me". Kelly Cervantes. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  15. Puja Bhattacharjee. "Epilepsy is personal for 'Hamilton' star". CNN. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  16. "Kelly Cervantes". CURE Epilepsy. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  17. Schulte, Sarah. "2 Chicago 'Hamilton' stars turn off-stage passion for golf into new business idea". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved 13 November 2020.