Ruben Santiago-hudson
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
After years of struggle, during which he was often told he was unsuitable for the classic, this actor began gaining recognition for his performances on Broadway in the 1990s. Ruben Santiago-Hudson scored on the New York stage in three projects--as cornet player Buddy Bolden alongside Gregory Hines in the musical "Jelly's Last Jam" (1992), as Canewell, the harmonica-playing amateur philosopher, in August Wilson's "Seven Guitars" (1996), for which he won a Tony Award, and in the title role of "Henry VIII" for the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1997. After his turn in the Wilson play, interest for his services grew in Hollywood. Santiago-Hudson was cast alongside Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves in "Devil's Advocate" (1997) and he landed a regular role in support of David Caruso in the CBS drama "Michael Hayes" (1997-98).
Born and raised outside Buffalo, NY, Santiago-Hudson had an unusual childhood. His father, a railroad worker, and his mother, who struggled with drug addiction, did not live together. While his father was involved with his son, Santiago-Hudson was raised by his mother and her landlady, Rachel Crosby. While his mother dealt with her problems, Crosby, whom the youth called Nanny, oversaw his upbringing with the help of another couple. As one of only 200 blacks in a high school with 1,700 students, Santiago-Hudson encountered racism and his interest in academics dwindled. Nevertheless, he went on to college on scholarships designed for "disadvantaged students" and became interested in acting. Yet, in both college and graduate school he was consistently told that because of his color there were certain roles (mostly classical ones) that he could not play. The closed doors continued when he hit New York City; the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre rejected him because he could not speak Spanish, while the Negro Ensemble Company rejected him because of the Puerto Rican heritage. By combining his parents names, he eventually won a part in Charles Fuller's "A Soldier's Play" at the Negro Ensemble Company.
It would take nearly a decade before Santiago-Hudson made his Broadway debut in "Jelly's Last Jam." TV roles were slim, although from 1990-1993, he played Captain Billy Cooper on NBC's daytime drama "Another World," a role some might say was "window dressing." He did make several appearances on the NBC primetime sitcom "Dear John" in the early 90s and portrayed a soldier helping to free Cambodian refugee children in "Which Way Home" (TNT, 1991). In 1995, he was alongside fellow Latino Jimmy Smits in Showtime's "Solomon & Sheba." Santiago-Hudson's feature film work began with a small role in "Blown Away" (1994), and, that same year, his was tapped by his Broadway co-star Hines for Hines' directorial debut "Bleeding Hearts."
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1983
Arrived in New York; was denied role in Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre because does not speak Spanish; denied role in Negro Ensemble Company because of Latino ancestry
1990
Made primetime episodic debut on the NBC sitcom "Dear John"
1991
TV-movie debut in "Which Way Home" (TNT)
1992
Broadway debut as cornet player Buddy Bolden in the musical "Jelly's Last Jam"
1994
Film acting debut in "Blown Away"; also appeared in Gregory Hines' directorial debut, "Bleeding Hearts"
1996
Starred on Broadway in "Seven Guitars"; won Tony Award
1997
Played title role in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of "Henry VIII" (summer)
2000
Co-starred opposite Samuel L Jackson in "Shaft"
2001
Wrote and starred in his autobiographical one-man show titled "Lackawanna Blues"
2001
Cast as a detective in "Domestic Disturbance"
2005
Wrote and starred in the HBO original movie "Lackawanna Blues" based on his autobiographical one-man show; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Miniseries or TV Movie
Family
Companions
