Daveed Diggs

Daveed Daniele Diggs, born January 24, 1982, in Oakland, California, is an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. The son of Barbara, a social worker, and Dountes Diggs, a bus driver, he was raised with a mixed cultural background — his mother is Jewish and his father is African-American. His parents chose the name "Daveed," the Hebrew pronunciation of David, with his father opting for the double-E spelling for aesthetic reasons. Diggs has spoken about how his parents' identities shaped his own, noting that Jewish and African-American cultures never felt separate to him growing up. He attended Berkeley High School before enrolling at Brown University, where he graduated in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts. At Brown, he was recruited for his track abilities and set the school record in the 110-meter hurdles as a sophomore, finishing in 14.21 seconds. After graduation, he worked as a substitute teacher.

Diggs began his theatrical career in experimental and regional productions, including a national tour of Marc Bamuthi Joseph's choreopoem Word Becomes Flesh, which follows a nine-month pregnancy through the perspective of a young, single father. He also performed frequently in regional Shakespeare productions. His connection to Broadway came through the freestyle rap group Freestyle Love Supreme, where he met playwright and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda via director Thomas Kail. In 2012, Miranda invited Diggs to hear early versions of what would become Hamilton, and Diggs recognized the project's potential as a use of the rap-musical form. He originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, first off Broadway in 2015 and then when the production transferred to Broadway later that year. His Broadway credits also include Freestyle Love Supreme, which ran in 2021. For his performance in Hamilton, Diggs received a Theatre World Award in 2015 and won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical in 2016. Along with the principal cast, he also received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album that same year for the Hamilton cast recording. He played his final performance in the show on July 15, 2016. In 2021, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in the Disney+ live stage recording of Hamilton, which was released in 2020.

Beyond Broadway, Diggs has built an extensive screen career. He played a recurring role in the ABC comedy series Black-ish from 2016 to 2022 and appeared in recurring roles on The Get Down and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He co-starred in the films Wonder in 2017 and Velvet Buzzsaw in 2019. Beginning in 2017, he played one of Mr. Noodle's brothers in the "Elmo's World" segment of Sesame Street. From 2020 to 2024, he starred in the TNT television adaptation of Snowpiercer. He also starred as Frederick Douglass in the Showtime miniseries The Good Lord Bird. In September 2024, it was announced that Diggs would join the fifth season of The Boys in an undisclosed role.

Diggs wrote, produced, and starred in the 2018 film Blindspotting, which earned him a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He then served as creator, writer, and executive producer on the 2021 Starz spin-off series Blindspotting, which follows Ashley Rose, portrayed by Jasmine Cephas Jones, as she navigates life after her partner Miles is incarcerated. The series had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2021, and was renewed for a second season in October 2021. Diggs reprised his role from the film as a guest in the series. He also served as executive producer on the sports drama series The Crossover, for which he won a Children's and Family Emmy Award in 2023. His voice acting credits include Ferdinand in 2017, Soul in 2020, DC League of Super-Pets in 2022, The Little Mermaid in 2023, and Trolls Band Together in 2023. His Hollywood film debut came with the Disney animated film Zootopia, for which he wrote and performed the rap number "Parlez Vous Rap."

As a musician, Diggs is the vocalist and a writer for the experimental hip-hop group Clipping, which was founded by William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes in 2009, with Diggs joining in 2010. The trio self-released their debut mixtape midcity in 2013, then signed with Sub Pop and released CLPPNG in 2014. Subsequent releases include the EP Wriggle and the album Splendor & Misery, both in 2016; The Deep in 2017, a track about a society of descendants of enslaved people living underwater, which received a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation in 2018; There Existed an Addiction to Blood in 2019; and Visions of Bodies Being Burned in 2020. In December 2020, Diggs partnered with Disney Channel alongside Hutson and Snipes to release "Puppy for Hanukkah." Diggs is also a member of True Neutral Crew, with Brian Kinsman, Margot Padilla, and Signor Benedick the Moor, a group that has released two EPs and a debut album titled soft rules in 2016. Earlier in his career, he made The BAY BOY Mixtape in 2010 with Rafael Casal and released his first solo rap album, Small Things to a Giant, in 2012. He co-founded the hip-hop collective The Getback with Chinaka Hodge and Casal. His rapping has been featured on tracks by Busdriver, George Watsky, Rafael Casal, and Leslie Odom, Jr.