6 Things You Need to Know About Superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda

By Maggie Panos
Getty | Ben Gabbe
Getty | Ben Gabbe

If you haven't at least heard the name Lin-Manuel Miranda, I don't know what rock you've been living under, but it's time to crawl out. Miranda has been making headlines for the past year thanks to Hamilton, the Broadway musical that he created and starred in. Hamilton has seen enormous success, and since Miranda is set to leave the show in July to tackle new projects, there are a few things you should know about him. Here's your cheat sheet!

  1. The basics: Miranda was born and raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. He's of Puerto Rican descent, a fact he proudly showed off at the Grammys this year. He attended Wesleyan University, where he formed a hip-hop comedy troupe and wrote and directed musicals.
  2. You may have seen him on TV already. Before he became a household name (at least if you live in the greater Manhattan area), Miranda appeared in small roles on The Sopranos, House, Modern Family, and How I Met Your Mother.
  3. He created the massive hit that is Hamilton. Miranda created an entire musical after reading and becoming inspired by a biography of Alexander Hamilton. While it was at first just a mixtape, Miranda expanded it to be a full production. Hamilton opened off-Broadway in January 2015, then moved to Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre later that year. The show went on to consistently sell out every performance and eventually won 11 Tonys. Miranda is scheduled to have his final performance on July 9, when most of the original cast members' contracts expire.
  4. He's close to achieving the coveted EGOT. Once Miranda inevitably earns an Oscar, he'll be a member of the elite club of people who have an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. He has Tonys and Grammys for In the Heights (his first Broadway musical) and Hamilton, and he scored an Emmy for composing the music for the 67th Emmy Awards.
  5. He wrote music for Disney's Moana. Speaking of Oscars, Miranda may actually get one next year for his work on Moana, Disney's upcoming animated film.
  6. He's starring in the reboot of Mary Poppins. Miranda is signed on to star as Jack, opposite Emily Blunt, in Disney's 2018 film Mary Poppins Returns.

There you go! Obviously, we can all look forward to seeing a lot of Miranda over the next few years.