Jasmine Cephas Jones (; born July 21, 1989) is an American-British actress and singer who is best known for originating the

dual role A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

s of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the Broadway stage musical ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

''. Her work on ''Hamilton'''s accompanying cast album earned her a

Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album The Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album has been awarded since 1959. The award is generally given to the album's producers, principal vocalist(s), and the composer and lyricist if they have written a new score which comprises 51% or more ...

. In 2020, Cephas Jones won a Creative Arts Emmy for portraying Tyisha in '' #freerayshawn''.

Early life and education

Jasmine Cephas Jones was born on July 21, 1989 in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

but grew up in

Midwood, Brooklyn Midwood is a neighborhood in the south-central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded on the north by the Bay Ridge Branch tracks just above Avenue I and by the Brooklyn College campus of the City University of New York, ...

. She is the daughter of actor

Ron Cephas Jones Ron Cephas Jones (; January 8, 1957 – August 19, 2023) was an American actor, best known for his role as William Hill in the drama series ''This Is Us'' (2016–2022), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award; along with four consecutive ...

(1957-2023), who was of

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

heritage, and British-born jazz singer Kim Lesley, who is white. She attended

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia or "LaG", is a public High school (North America), high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, near Lincoln ...

of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

, and graduated from

Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre is a professional conservatory for actors in New York City. First operational from 1915 to 1927, the school re-opened in 1928 and has been active ever since. It is the birthplace of the Meisner ...

in 2011.

Career

Jones has made small appearances in multiple independent films, including ''Titus'' (2013) and ''Fairfield'' (2014). She has also appeared in episodes of '' Blue Bloods,'' ''

Unforgettable Unforgettable may refer to: Film * ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta * ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film * ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film * ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...

'', and '' Mrs. Fletcher.'' In 2015, she originated the roles of Maria Reynolds and Peggy Schuyler in the original

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production of ''

.'' When the show moved to Broadway, she continued in those roles, and remained with that production until December 8, 2016. In 2016, she won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for her work as one of the principal soloists on the ''Hamilton'' cast album. She has solos in 'Schuyler Sisters' and 'Say No To This'. At

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confe ...

, she, along with ''Hamilton'' castmates

Renée Elise Goldsberry Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Known for her roles on stage and screen she has received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. S ...

and

Phillipa Soo Phillipa Anne Soo ( ; born May 31, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Known for her leading roles on Broadway (theatre), Broadway primarily in musicals, she has received two Grammy Awards along with nominations for a Tony Awards, Tony Awar ...

, sang "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...

". Jones also appears in the 2015 film ''

Mistress America ''Mistress America'' is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Noah Baumbach. It was written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, who stars alongside Lola Kirke. The film was released on August 14, 2015, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Plot College fre ...

'', the 2018 film ''

Dog Days The dog days or are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star"), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, ...

,'' and the critically acclaimed 2018 film '' Blindspotting.'' In 2020, she appeared as a secondary character in the short series '' #Freerayshawn'', winning an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

for her performance as Tyisha. Jones' 2020

win made history both alongside her father

for being the first father-daughter duo to win

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

in the same year, and as the first-ever Black woman to win in the Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category. Following the positive response to the '' Blindspotting'' film, cable and streaming network

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

along with

Lionsgate Television Lionsgate Television is the television division of the American production company Lionsgate Studios. History The company was established in July 1997 as Lions Gate Television, Inc. with the establishment of Lionsgate Films. In June 1998, it ...

, Snoot Entertainment, and Dreams With Friends Inc., ordered a spin-off series following the events of the film. The series had Jones set to lead the cast, reviving her role as Ashley for the series as it surrounds her character. The series also had Jones set to serve as producer for the season, awarding her a first producing credit. ''Blindspotting'' premiered on June 13, 2021 and was renewed for a second season by Starz on October 14, 2021. On July 13, 2021, Jones and her father

announced the 2021 Primetime Emmy nominees on behalf of the Television Academy. On October 25, 2021, it was announced that Jones had signed with CAA (

Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency, LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. With 1,800 employees in March 2016, it is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous client ...

) Representation. Jones plays the role of Swan on the 2024

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals '' In the Heights'' and ''Hamilton'', and the soundtracks for the animated films '' Moana' ...

and Eisa Davis, ''

Warriors A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

''.

Personal life

On December 24, 2018, Cephas Jones became engaged to fellow ''

'' original Broadway cast member Anthony Ramos, whom she met and began dating in 2014 during rehearsals for the original, Off-Broadway, production of ''Hamilton'' at The Public Theatre. It was reported that the couple split in November 2021.

Theatre

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

Soundtrack and cast album appearances

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jasmine Cephas 1989 births 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Brooklyn Actresses from London American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American people of British descent American stage actresses American television actresses Berklee College of Music alumni Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Grammy Award winners Living people Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre alumni People from Midwood, Brooklyn Primetime Emmy Award winners