Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Encyclopedia
Ruben Santiago-Hudson is an American
actor
and playwright
, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway
in Lydia Diamond's
play Stick Fly.
, the son of Alean Hudson and Ruben Santiago, a railroad worker. His father was Puerto Rican and his mother was African American
. He went to Lackawanna High school, earned his bachelor's degree from Binghamton University
, and his first master's degree from Wayne State University
. He received an honorary doctorate of letters from Buffalo State College
.
.
He wrote Lackawanna Blues
, an autobiographical play in which he portrayed himself and some twenty different characters from his past, which was produced in New York. He adapted it for a highly acclaimed, award-winning 2005 HBO film, in which the parts would be played by different people, that won him the Humanitas Prize
and earned Emmy and Writers Guild of America
Award nominations.
Santiago-Hudson appeared on Broadway in Jelly's Last Jam
and received the 1996 Tony for August Wilson
's Seven Guitars
. Santiago-Hudson's screen credits include Coming to America
and Domestic Disturbance
.
On television
he has appeared on the daytime dramas Another World
and All My Children
. His work in primetime series have included The Cosby Mysteries
, New York Undercover
, NYPD Blue
, Touched by an Angel
, The West Wing, Third Watch
, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
, and five episodes of Law & Order
(which coincidentally stars Lackawanna Blues star S. Epatha Merkerson
), among others. He starred as New York City Police Captain Roy Montgomery in the ABC series Castle
until his character's death occurred in the third season finale. Penny Johnson Jerald
replaces Santiago-Hudson as Captain Victoria "Iron" Gates in Castle 's fourth season.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in Lydia Diamond's
Lydia R. Diamond
Lydia R. Diamond is an American playwright. Her plays include Here I Am...See Can You Handle It, The Inside adapted from the poems of Nikki Giovanni, Stage Black, The Gift Horse, Stick Fly, Voyeurs de Venus, The Bluest Eye, an adaptation from Toni Morrison's novel and Harriet Jacobs' Incidents...
play Stick Fly.
Early life
Santiago-Hudson was born in Lackawanna, New YorkLackawanna, New York
Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, U.S., located just south of the city of Buffalo in the western part of New York state. The population was 18,141 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Lackawanna Steel Company...
, the son of Alean Hudson and Ruben Santiago, a railroad worker. His father was Puerto Rican and his mother was African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. He went to Lackawanna High school, earned his bachelor's degree from Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
, and his first master's degree from Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. He received an honorary doctorate of letters from Buffalo State College
Buffalo State College
The State University of New York College at Buffalo, referred to as Buffalo State College, often referred to colloquially as Buff State, is a public, liberal arts college in Buffalo, New York, United States and is part of the State University of New York. Buffalo State was founded in 1871 as the...
.
Career
In 2003 Ruben Santiago-Hudson was the reader in Volume 13 of the HBO film Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives. The series was narrated by Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
.
He wrote Lackawanna Blues
Lackawanna Blues
Lackawanna Blues is an American play written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson in 2001. It was later adapted as a television movie that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growing up in Lackawanna, New York, during the 1950s and 1960s.-Play:The...
, an autobiographical play in which he portrayed himself and some twenty different characters from his past, which was produced in New York. He adapted it for a highly acclaimed, award-winning 2005 HBO film, in which the parts would be played by different people, that won him the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
and earned Emmy and Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
Award nominations.
Santiago-Hudson appeared on Broadway in Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson...
and received the 1996 Tony for August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
's Seven Guitars
Seven Guitars
Seven Guitars is a 1995 play by American playwright, August Wilson. It focuses on seven African American characters in the year 1948. The play begins and ends after the funeral of one of the main characters, showing events leading to the funeral in flashbacks...
. Santiago-Hudson's screen credits include Coming to America
Coming to America
Coming to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry...
and Domestic Disturbance
Domestic Disturbance
Domestic Disturbance is a 2001 thriller film directed by Harold Becker and stars John Travolta and Vince Vaughn. It co-stars Teri Polo, Matt O'Leary and Steve Buscemi.-Plot:...
.
On television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
he has appeared on the daytime dramas Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
and All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
. His work in primetime series have included The Cosby Mysteries
The Cosby Mysteries
The Cosby Mysteries is a American television mystery series that starred Bill Cosby. It was the first television series to star Cosby since The Cosby Show and lasted only one season...
, New York Undercover
New York Undercover
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...
, NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
, The West Wing, Third Watch
Third Watch
Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, and five episodes of Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
(which coincidentally stars Lackawanna Blues star S. Epatha Merkerson
S. Epatha Merkerson
S. Epatha Merkerson is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has won a Golden Globe, Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Obie Award and four NAACP Image Awards. She has also received two Tony Award nominations...
), among others. He starred as New York City Police Captain Roy Montgomery in the ABC series Castle
Castle (TV series)
Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
until his character's death occurred in the third season finale. Penny Johnson Jerald
Penny Johnson Jerald
Penny Johnson Jerald is an American actress. She played Beverly Barnes on the HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show, Kasidy Yates on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Sherry Palmer on the Fox action/drama series 24.-Career:Trained at the Juilliard School,...
replaces Santiago-Hudson as Captain Victoria "Iron" Gates in Castle 's fourth season.
Honors
- 1996, Tony Award for performance in Seven Guitars
- 2006, Humanitas Award for writing, for HBO film adaptation of his play Lackawanna Blues.
- 2009, NAACP Lifetime Achievement Theatre Award at the Los Angeles NAACP Theatre Awards.