Lin-Manuel Miranda

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Born: January 16, 1980 (age 36)
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York
Spouse: Vanessa Nadal
Children: Sebastian
Hamilton: Alexander Hamilton (2014-2016)

Early Life
Lin grew up in New York, the neighborhood of Inwood. Growing up, he listened to many soundtracks of musicals. After graduating from Hunter College High School, he went to college at Wesleyan University and graduated in 2002. While still in university, he wrote an early draft of In The Heights, in 1999.

The draft was accepted and Lin went to work on "freestyle raps...salsa numbers..." With In The Heights, he still acted in a number of various productions.

Personal Life
He married one of his high school friends, Vanessa Nadal in 2010. At the wedding reception, Lin, with the help of the engagement party, sang "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof.

In May 14, 2009, he received an honorary degree from Yeshiva University, making him the youngest person to receive that degree from the university.

His first child was born on November 10, 2014, who's named Sebastian. They also have a dog, Tobi or "Tobillo".

In The Heights
In 2002, five separate drafts of In The Heights were written, at the time Lin working as an English teacher at his former high school.

The musical went on Broadway in 2008. It won a collection of awards including the Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Original Score. It also won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

His performance earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. However, his last performance in In The Heights was on February 15, 2009.

Hamilton
2009, Lin picked up the biography by Ron Chernow about Alexander Hamilton. Very inspired by the book, he wrote a rap about Hamilton for the the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word. He referred to the piece as the Hamilton Mixtape.

Just from that mixtape, it shaped a musical, not long after, for Lin began working on the song My Shot and the rest is history.

With lots of success off Broadway, Hamilton officially opened at the Richard Rogers Theatre on August 6, 2015.

At the 58th Annual Grammy's, the soundtrack won Best Musical Theater Album. A few months later, Lin won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

At the 70th Tony Awards, the musical won 11 Tony's. Hamilton was overall awarded Best Musical. Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical were awarded to Lin specifically.

He took his final bow in the Richard Rodgers Theatre on July 9th, 2016. The moment was live steamed to the musical's Facebook, where fans watched Lin take one last look at the theatre. But he'll be back, or so he says!

Other Appearances
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lin wrote a song for the Catina scene. It was a invitation given by J.J Abrams. Recently, he has written music for the Disney film, Moana.

On January 24, 2016, achieving his childhood dream, he performed in Les Misérables as the Loud Hailer. It was the first Broadway show he ever saw.

Lin also co wrote the music and lyrics to Bring It On: The Musical and his own, 21 Chump Street.

He's been on tv as a guest in The Sopranos, Sesame Street, House, The Electric Company, Modern Family, Submissions Only, Freestyle Love Supreme, Do No Harm, How I Met Your Mother, and Smash.

Social Media
Website: www.linmanuel.com
Twitter: @Lin_Manuel
Facebook: @Lin-Manuel Miranda
Tumblr: @linmanuel

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