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Lin-Manuel Miranda

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is a versatile American songwriter, actor, filmmaker, and librettist. A librettist is a person who writes the text or script for a musical.

Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton
Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton

Miranda is widely recognized for his work on the Broadway stage and in major animated films. He created the musicals In the Heights and Hamilton. He also composed the soundtracks for Disney films such as Moana, Vivo, and Encanto. His career has earned him many prestigious accolades. These include a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony Awards. He has also won two Emmy Awards and five Grammy Awards.

Pulitzer Medal - obverse
Pulitzer Medal - obverse

Creating a musical requires a complex process of writing and performance. Miranda often manages multiple roles simultaneously by writing the music, the lyrics, and the book. The book is the written script that tells the story. For the musical Hamilton, he spent an entire year refining the song "My Shot." He wanted every verse to reflect the intellect of Alexander Hamilton. He also performs the lead roles in his own productions. This requires him to act, sing, and dance at a professional level.

GClef
GClef

His work extends to film direction, as seen in his debut with Tick, Tick...Boom!.

Miranda's career includes several distinct types of theatrical and musical work. He has written musicals for Broadway, such as the award-winning In the Heights. He also co-wrote the musical Bring It On, which premiered in Atlanta before moving to Broadway. Beyond traditional musicals, he co-founded Freestyle Love Supreme. This is a hip hop improv group that performs at various international comedy festivals.

P culture
P culture

He also works extensively in film music. His songs for Disney films have earned him two Academy Award nominations. One song, "How Far I'll Go," was from Moana, while "Dos Oruguitas" was from Encanto.

Miranda's background heavily influences his creative voice. He was born on January 16, 1980, in New York City.

Flag of New York City
Flag of New York City

His parents named him after a poem by Puerto Rican writer José Manuel Torres Santiago. Miranda is of predominantly Puerto Rican descent. He spent at least one month every year with his grandparents in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico.

Flag of Puerto Rico
Flag of Puerto Rico

He studied at Hunter College High School and later attended Wesleyan University. During his sophomore year at Wesleyan in 1999, he wrote the earliest draft of In the Heights. He graduated from Wesleyan in 2002.

His professional success is marked by significant numbers and records. Hamilton was a massive cultural phenomenon that won 11 Tony Awards. It was also nominated for a record 16 Tonys. The Hamilton cast recording was highly successful on the music charts. It spent 10 weeks at the top of Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart. It also became the eleventh-biggest album of the 2010s. In terms of personal earnings, Miranda earned a 3% royalty on every Hamilton performance. By July 2017, this amounted to $12.7 million.

Lin-Manuel Miranda star
Lin-Manuel Miranda star

Miranda has achieved many surprising milestones in popular culture. He achieved his first number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100 with "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto. This song also reached number one on the UK Singles charts. He has also engaged in unique performances, such as freestyle rapping for President Obama at the White House. In 2016, he fulfilled a childhood dream by performing a cameo in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. He even hosted Saturday Night Live in 2016.

Beyond entertainment, Miranda uses his platform to engage with social and political issues. He is a politically active advocate for Puerto Rico. In 2016, he met with politicians to support debt relief for the island. Following Hurricane Maria in 2017, he raised funds for disaster relief and rescue efforts. His work often connects historical figures to modern musical styles like rap and salsa. This approach allows him to bridge the gap between history and contemporary culture through art.

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Flag of Puerto Rico.svg
File:Flag of New York City.svg
Flag of New York City.svg
File:P culture.svg
P culture.svg
File:GClef.svg
GClef.svg
File:Lin-Manuel Miranda Walk of Fame star ceremony (46074095722).jpg
Lin-Manuel Miranda Walk of Fame star...
File:Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton.jpg
Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton.jpg
File:Lin-Manuel Miranda & James McAvoy (48383681926) (cropped).jpg
Lin-Manuel Miranda & James McAvoy...
Rose Garden Freestyle feat. Lin-Manuel...
File:Pulitzer Medal - reverse.png
Pulitzer Medal - reverse.png
File:Pulitzer Medal - obverse.png
Pulitzer Medal - obverse.png
File:Lin-Manuel Miranda star.png
Lin-Manuel Miranda star.png
File:Lin-Manuel Miranda signature, Billboard Open Letter 2016.png
Lin-Manuel Miranda signature, Billboard...
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