1. Early life and background
Ruben Santiago-Hudson's early life and educational pursuits laid the foundation for his distinguished career in the performing arts.
1.1. Birth and family
Ruben Santiago-Hudson was born Ruben Santiago Jr. on November 24, 1956, in Lackawanna, New York. He is the son of Alean Hudson and Ruben Santiago, a railroad worker. His father was Puerto Rican, and his mother was African American. He later adopted his mother's maiden name, Hudson, as part of his compound surname, a decision that would become significant in his career and personal identity.
1.2. Education
Santiago-Hudson attended Lackawanna High School. He pursued higher education, earning his bachelor's degree from Binghamton University and his master's degree from Wayne State University. In recognition of his significant contributions to the arts, he was awarded honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from both Buffalo State College and Wayne State University.
2. Career
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has built a comprehensive career spanning acting, playwriting, and directing, showcasing his versatility and dedication to his craft.
2.1. Acting
Santiago-Hudson has an extensive acting resume, encompassing theater, television, and film, where he has taken on a variety of memorable roles.
On Broadway, he appeared in Jelly's Last Jam in 1992, a play written by George C. Wolfe. He earned the 1996 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in August Wilson's Seven Guitars. In November 2011, he starred on Broadway in Lydia R. Diamond's play Stick Fly.
His television career includes roles in daytime soap operas such as One Life to Live, Another World, and All My Children. In primetime television, he has been featured in numerous series including The Cosby Mysteries, New York Undercover, NYPD Blue, Touched by an Angel, The West Wing, Third Watch, and five episodes of Law & Order, where he portrayed different characters including Mr. Gaines, Detective Brian Keene, Attorney Winters, and Dr. Paul Jackson. From 2009 to 2011, he starred as New York City Police Captain Roy Montgomery in the ABC series Castle, a role he held until his character's death in the third season finale. In 2013, he starred as Charles Dawson in the police drama Low Winter Sun, set in Detroit. In 2007, he starred in a PBS Nova documentary about the life of chemist Percy Lavon Julian.
His film credits include roles in blockbusters and critically acclaimed independent films. He played a Street Hustler in Coming to America (1988) and Detective Jimmy Groves in Shaft (2000). He also appeared as Leamon Heath in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Sergeant Edgar Stevens in Domestic Disturbance (2001), Detective Hawkins in Mr. Brooks (2007), 'Doc' in American Gangster (2007), and the Landlord in The Invention of Lying (2009). A notable role was his portrayal of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in the 2014 film Selma.
2.1.1. Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Coming to America | Street Hustler | Credited as Ruben Hudson |
| 1994 | Blown Away | Officer Blanket | |
| Bleeding Hearts | Todd | ||
| 1997 | The Devil's Advocate | Leamon Heath | |
| 2000 | Shaft | Detective Jimmy Groves | |
| 2001 | Domestic Disturbance | Sergeant Edgar Stevens | |
| 2002 | Winning Girls Through Psychic Mind Control | Samuel Menendez | |
| 2006 | Brother's Shadow | Manny Botero | |
| 2007 | Mr. Brooks | Detective Hawkins | |
| Honeydripper | Stokely | ||
| American Gangster | 'Doc' | ||
| 2009 | The Invention of Lying | Landlord | |
| 2014 | Selma | Bayard Rustin | |
| 2020 | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Screenplay by | |
2.1.2. Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-1992 | Dear John | Larry / Orlando / Curtis | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 1990-1993 | Another World | Billy Cooper | Recurring role, 11 episodes |
| 1990-2008 | Law & Order | Mr. Gaines / Detective Brian Keene / Attorney Winters / Dr. Paul Jackson | Recurring 6 episodes |
| 1994 | The Cosby Mysteries | Police Officer | 1 episode |
| 1994-1995 | NYPD Blue | Otis | 2 episodes |
| 1994-1996 | New York Undercover | Johnny / Walter Perry | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Solomon & Sheba | Tamrin | Television film |
| 1995-1996 | Gargoyles | Gabriel (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 1997-1998 | Michael Hayes | Eddie Diaz | Main role, 21 episodes |
| 1997-1999 | Spawn | Jess Chapel (voice) | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
| 1998 | Rear Window | Antonio Fredericks | Television film |
| 1999 | The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer | Detective Newhouse | Television film (credited as Ruben Santiago Hudson) |
| 1999 | Touched by an Angel | Dr. Joe Acot | 1 episode |
| 1999 | The West Wing | Morris Tolliver | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Third Watch | Detective Wolfort, NYPD | 1 episode |
| 2000 | American Tragedy | Christopher Darden | Television film |
| 2002 | The Red Sneakers | Uncle Joe | Television film (credited as Ruben Santiago Hudson) |
| 2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Freddie Combs | Television film (also wrote the screenplay) |
| 2005 | Their Eyes Were Watching God | Joe Starks | Television film |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Carlos Guzman | 1 episode |
| 2009-2014 | Castle | Captain Roy Montgomery | Main role, 59 episodes |
| 2011 | Person of Interest | Sam Latimer | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Low Winter Sun | Charles Dawson | Main role, 10 episodes |
| 2015 | Public Morals | Lieutenant King | Main role, 10 episodes |
| 2016 | The Family | Chief of Police Len Bucksey | 3 episodes |
| 2016-2023 | Billions | Raul Gomez | Recurring role, 9 episodes |
| 2017 | Designated Survivor | General Contreras | 1 episode |
| 2017 | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Dr. Roland Pattillo | Television film |
| 2017-2018 | The Quad | Cecil Diamond | Main role, 18 episodes |
| 2022 | East New York | Officer Marvin Sandeford | Main role, 21 episodes |
2.2. Playwriting and Directing
Santiago-Hudson is highly acclaimed for his work as a playwright and director, particularly for his autobiographical play Lackawanna Blues. This play, which premiered in New York at the Joseph Papp Theatre in 2001, is an autobiographical work where he portrayed himself and approximately twenty different characters from his past, offering a deeply personal and culturally resonant narrative. He later adapted it into a highly successful and award-winning 2005 HBO film, where the roles were played by different actors. The film adaptation garnered the Humanitas Prize and received nominations for Emmy and Writers Guild of America Awards.
As a director, Santiago-Hudson has received significant recognition. In 2013, he won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director and an Obie Award for Direction for his work on the Off-Broadway production of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. He was also nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for this production. In 2016, he received an Obie Awards Special Citation for Collaboration for his work on Skeleton Crew, a collaboration with Dominique Morisseau and the Atlantic Theater Company.
2.3. Other work
Beyond his acting, playwriting, and directing roles, Santiago-Hudson has contributed to other forms of media. In 2003, he served as a reader for Volume 13 of the HBO film, Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives, a series narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. He has also lent his voice to numerous audiobooks, including James Patterson's Cross Justice, which was recognized with a 2017 Audie Award and an AudioFile magazine's Earphones Award.
3. Awards and honors
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has received numerous accolades throughout his career, recognizing his exceptional talent across various artistic disciplines:
- 1996: Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Seven Guitars.
- 2006: Humanitas Prize for writing the HBO film adaptation of his play Lackawanna Blues.
- 2009: NAACP Lifetime Achievement Theatre Award at the Los Angeles NAACP Theatre Awards.
- 2013: Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director for The Piano Lesson.
- 2013: Obie Award for Direction for The Piano Lesson.
- 2013: Nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for The Piano Lesson.
- 2016: Obie Awards Special Citation for Collaboration for his work on Skeleton Crew.
- This award was a collaboration with Dominique Morisseau and the Atlantic Theater Company.
- 2017: Audie Award for Cross Justice (Thriller or Suspense category) and AudioFile magazine's Earphones Award for his narration.
- 2021: Nominated for best adaptation by the Screen Writers Guild for the film version of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
4. Personal life
Ruben Santiago-Hudson is married to Jeannie Brittan. He has four children: Broderick Santiago and Ruben Santiago III from previous relationships, and Trey and Lily with Jeannie Brittan.
When he first arrived in New York in 1983, he was known professionally as Ruben Santiago. He sought roles at various theater companies but encountered issues related to his heritage and identity. At the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, he was asked if he spoke Spanish, which he did not. When he approached the Negro Ensemble Company, he was reportedly told, "We don't have Puerto Ricans." This experience led him to incorporate his mother's maiden name, Hudson, into his surname, becoming Ruben Santiago-Hudson. This change helped him land a part in A Soldier's Play at the Negro Ensemble Company, reflecting his journey to embrace both sides of his identity within the performing arts world.
5. Legacy and influence
Ruben Santiago-Hudson's legacy is defined by his profound artistic contributions and his consistent engagement with social themes, which are often woven into his work. His autobiographical play Lackawanna Blues stands as a testament to his ability to transform personal experience into universal narrative, shedding light on the lives and resilience of the working-class Black community in Lackawanna, New York. The play's success and its adaptation into an HBO film solidified his standing as a powerful storyteller who brings authentic voices to the stage and screen.
His portrayal of Bayard Rustin in the film Selma highlights his dedication to roles that reflect significant moments in the civil rights movement and figures who championed social justice. Through such roles, Santiago-Hudson actively contributes to the cultural conversation around equality and human rights. His career, marked by versatility as an actor, playwright, and director, has opened doors for diverse narratives and performers in American theater and Hollywood. His decision to embrace his full heritage by adding his mother's maiden name, Hudson, to his surname also serves as a symbolic act, challenging traditional industry perceptions and fostering a more inclusive environment for artists of mixed backgrounds. His consistent work, especially within August Wilson's canon, further cements his influence on contemporary American theater, where he has been instrumental in bringing to life complex characters and stories that resonate with broad audiences.
6. External links
- [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/Ruben-Santiago-Hudson-72850 Ruben Santiago-Hudson at the Internet Broadway Database]
- [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0763650/ Ruben Santiago-Hudson at IMDb]
- [http://www.filmreference.com/film/47/Ruben-Santiago-Hudson.html Ruben Santiago-Hudson at FilmReference.com]
- [http://www.danaroc.com/inspiring_082106rubensantiagohudson.html Ruben Santiago-Hudson profile at DanaRoc.com]