With more than 20 awards in theater, music, acting and other fields, Lin-Manuel Miranda is an inspiration in the arts. For being that, the acclaimed mutifaceted artist will add another prize to his long list of accomplishments next month.
Best known as the creator of the acclaimed Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton and for a growing list of achievements in the music and film industries, Miranda will be receiving this year’s Inspire Award from the Hollywood Critics Association during the group’s fourth annual awards ceremony on March 5.
That distinction is presented to an artist in the entertainment industry whose work serves as a motivation for others, according to the HCA. As an actor, singer, rapper, composer, producer, and playwright, Miranda has broken down barriers while pursuing his dreams and inspiring millions along the way.
‘A PIONEER’
“Miranda’s work on the Broadway stage has spoken to an entire generation, and his recent work in film and television has only continued to expand upon his talent in additional mediums,” says Ashley Menzel, the association’s vice chair. “Miranda is a pioneer and his passion shines through in everything that he touches. We are absolutely delighted to honor him during the upcoming ceremony.”
Forty-one-year old Miranda started writing and performing in musicals early on in his youth, while attending public schools in his natal New York. He wrote the first draft of In the Heights, which would turn out to be his first great theatre hit, while he was still in college. That musical about Latino life in a neighborhood of the Big Apple, revised and improved with other creatives’ participation, ultimately made it to Broadway and won four Tonys, including best musical, plus one Grammy and other prizes. Miranda is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent.
BEFORE HAMILTON
Miranda would work on in many other musicals in various roles before his Hamilton: An American Musical premiered on Broadway in 2015, winning 11 Tonys and also a Pulitzer for drama. The musical is about America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
While working in theatre, Miranda started expanding his artistic horizons. He has collaborated with Disney, mainly producing music for several films, including some installments of the Star Wars franchise. His song How Far Will I Go for the animated flick Moana received an Oscar nomination for original song as well as nods for the Golden Globe and Grammy awards.
After performing in minor roles in different TV and film projects, Miranda got cast as a supporting actor in Mary Poppins Returns, starring Emily Blunt and Ben Whishaw. The movie earned Miranda another Golden Globe nomination.
MORE AWARDS, STAR IN HOLLYWOOD
Other honors bestowed upon Miranda include an Emmy Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Kennedy Center Honor, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has also performed for President Barack Obama.
His film and TV credits have kept on growing in the past few years, including the series, DuckTales, His Dark Materials, and One Day at a Time. Last year, Hamilton the movie premiered, capturing the live performance of the award-winning theatre musical with the original cast. The film is nominated to two Golden Globes this year.
Twenty-twenty-one will be a year of new milestones for Miranda. His Netflix series tick, tick…BOOM! will mark his full-feature directorial debut. Furthermore, he is also involved in Vivo for Sony Pictures Animation and Encanto for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Also arriving this year will be In the Heights the film, based on the Broadway musical.
In addition to his creative work, Miranda has also been involved in activism. He supported the relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017 creating the benefit single Almost Like Praying and bringing Hamilton to the island in 2019, which raised $15 million for the arts.
Founded in late 2016, the Hollywood Critics Association aims at bringing together a diverse group of film and television critics to represent the voices of a new era in Hollywood.
