Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Ruben most recently helmed the world premiere of John Leguizamo’s The Other Americans at the Arena Stage in Washington, D. C.
Latest News on Ruben Santiago-Hudson:
BIO
Ruben most recently helmed the world premiere of John Leguizamo’s The Other Americans at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and the Public Theatre in NYC. He will star opposite Tom Hanks and Kelli O’Hara in This World of Tomorrow, written by Hanks and James Glossman, at NYC’s The Shed in November 2025. His Broadway production of Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau received 4 Tony® nominations, including Outstanding New Play. His own autobiographical Lackawanna Blues was awarded The Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards as well as a Tony Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor. With Lackawanna Blues, Ruben became the first person in the history of Broadway to write, direct and star in a play. His Broadway production of Jitney garnered several awards for Outstanding Revival including the Tony Award and six Tony nominations. Santiago-Hudson adapted August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom for Netflix: produced by Denzel Washington, directed by George C. Wolfe, and starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman.
Santiago-Hudson received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars and made his Broadway acting debut alongside Gregory Hines in Jelly’s Last Jam; other Broadway credits include Stick Fly and Gem of the Ocean.
Ruben wrote, executive produced and co-starred in the HBO film Lackawanna Blues based on his Obie- and Helen Hayes Award-winning play. The movie received many honors, including an Emmy, Golden Globe, NAACP Image Award, The Christopher Award, and the Humanitas Prize.
Film and television credits include “East New York,” American Gangster, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Shaft, Devil’s Advocate, Domestic Disturbance, Forgotten Genius, The Red Sneakers, Selma, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Solomon and Sheba (the first time a biblical movie starred actors of color), Rear Window, “The Quad,” “Public Morals,” “Low Winter Sun,” “David Makes Man,” “Billions,” “The West Wing,” “Law & Order,” and numerous other guest star appearances. Santiago-Hudson starred in the hit ABC series “Castle” for three seasons as Capt. Roy Montgomery.
Ruben’s other honors as writer, director or actor include the Humanitas Prize, the National Board Of Reviews, the Christopher Award, the Clarence Derwent Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, 4 Obie Awards, 6 Audelco Awards, the Helen Hayes Award, the NAACP Image Award, the Glen Bartle Distinguished Alumni Award, the SDCF Joseph Calloway Directing Award, the Lloyd Richards Directing Award, the Nederlander Apple Award, and honorary doctorate degrees from Wayne State University and Buffalo State University.
Photos
Director Debbie Allen, Producer Brian A. Moreland and the cast including Taraji P. Henson, Cedric "The Entertainer", Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joshua Boone, Maya Boyd, Abigail Onwunali, Bradley Stryker, Tripp Taylor, Nimene Sierra Wureh, Savannah Commodore, Jackson Edward Davis, Jasmine Batchelor, Rosalyn Coleman, Thomas Michael Hammond, Cayden McCoy, Kevyn Morrow, Dominique Skye Turner and Christopher Woodley
From: Photos: JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE Cast Meets the Press
STAGE CREDITS
Productions
Writing
See how Ruben Santiago-Hudson connects to other Broadway stars and creatives.
Six Degrees of Broadway Beta
See how many degrees separate Ruben Santiago-Hudson from another Broadway star or creative.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Connection
Movies
[ 1988 ] Street Hustler Ruben Hudson
[ 1994 ] Blanket
[ 1994 ] Mahatma
[ 1994 ] Todd
[ 1997 ] Bum #2
[ 1997 ] Leamon Heath
[ 2000 ] Jimmy Groves
[ 2001 ] Sgt. Edgar Stevens
[ 2002 ] Samuel Menendez
[ 2006 ] Manny Botero
[ 2007 ] Doc
[ 2007 ] Hawkins
[ 2007 ] Stokely
[ 2009 ] Landlord
[ 2014 ] Bayard Rustin
[ 2020 ] writer
TV Shows
Captain Billy Cooper
Raul Gomez
Captain Roy Montgomery
Curtis, Orlando, Larry
Officer Marvin Sandeford
Gabriel
Eddie Diaz
Walter Perry, Johnny
Otis
Jess Chapel
Cecil Diamond
[ 1990-2025 ] Defense Attorney WintersDr. Paul JacksonDetective Brian KeeneMr. Gaines
Awards and Nominations
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Skeleton Crew
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jitney
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jitney
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson's Jitney
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, The Piano Lesson
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, The Piano Lesson
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, The Piano Lesson
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
winner
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Seven Guitars
Videos
Video: What's Next for Ruben Santiago-Hudson? He Hopes It's More August Wilson
by Luka Vonier - 2026-05-24 18:00:20
Exclusive: Watch Scenes from JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE on Broadway
by Nicole Rosky - 2026-05-07 15:24:29
Video: Taraji P. Henson Shares Why She Joined Broadway's JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE
by Josh Sharpe - 2026-04-20 15:14:38
Video: Tom Hanks Discusses the Joys of Performing Live in THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-11-26 10:43:11
Video: Debbie Allen Previews Broadway's JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-11-25 13:04:46
Video: Tom Hanks, Kelli O'Hara, & Kenny Leon Talk THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW on CBS MORNINGS
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-11-18 12:39:49
Video: Tom Hanks Previews New Play THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW at The Shed
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-10-06 11:38:37
Video: Ruben & Trey Santiago-Hudson Talk Joining Forces for THE OTHER AMERICANS
by Backstage Live with Richard Ridge - 2024-11-08 13:20:38
Video: Go Behind Manhattan Theatre Club in New ALL ARTS Doc With Sarah Jessica Parker, André De Shields & More
by Michael Major - 2023-09-13 16:01:36
VIDEO: Watch 'Fallaste Corazón' from DESTINY OF DESIRE at The Old Globe
by Alan Henry - 2023-06-23 12:35:12
Video: The Cast of DESTINY OF DESIRE Performs 'El Destino del Deseo' in Rehearsal
by Stephi Wild - 2023-05-15 05:34:22
Video: On the Red Carpet for Opening Night of BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY
by Red Carpet - 2022-12-22 09:02:35
VIDEO: Producer Kevin McCollum Talks Broadway's Financial Return in BROADWAY RISING Documentary Clip
by Michael Major - 2022-11-17 11:23:49
News
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 13, 2026
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS appointed three industry figures to its Board of Trustees, including two-time Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan and two-time Tony winner Kara Young.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 1, 2026
The Guthrie Theater has revealed the cast and creative team for the presentation of Octopus Theatricals' Kunene and the King by John Kani, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 23, 2026
Phylicia Rashad will direct August Wilson's Fences at the Mark Taper Forum. Set in segregated Pittsburgh in the 1950s, Fences depicts the life of Troy Maxson, a former Negro League baseball star now scraping by as a sanitation worker.
by - Sep 22, 2026
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is September 22, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
by Stephi Wild - Sep 21, 2026
Daniel J. Watts will join the cast of August Wilson's SEVEN GUITARS at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, taking on the role of Canewell in the revival directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 17, 2026
Samantha Marie Ware, Amber Iman, Ephraim Sykes and more will perform selections from The Ten, a new musical from Emily Phillips, Future Cut and Nambi E. Kelley, at two private industry presentations directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
by - Sep 17, 2026
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is September 17, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
by R. Scott Reedy - Sep 16, 2026
Seventeen years after its high-profile, record-breaking Broadway run, playwright Keith Huff’s taut crime drama “A Steady Rain” will finally land in Boston for two performances only, September 17–18, at Boston Lyric Opera’s Community Studios.
by Sidney Paterra - Sep 16, 2026
BroadwayWorld has your official fall 2026 Off-Broadway preview, a complete guide to everything opening Off-Broadway! See West End transfers, stars in play revivals, multiple world premieres and more.
by Nicole Rosky - Aug 17, 2026
Roundabout Theatre Company has just announced the complete cast and design team for the upcoming production of The Imaginary Invalid by Molière translated by Doug Skinner, adapted by Tony Award winner Bill Irwin (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) with direction by Tony Award nominee Brandon J. Dirden (Waiting for Godot) making his Broadway directorial debut.
by Stephi Wild - Aug 4, 2026
Lincoln Center Theater has announced the full cast and creative team for August Wilson's SEVEN GUITARS, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.
by R. Scott Reedy - Jul 27, 2026
For Steven Maler, founding artistic director of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” holds special significance as the first free outdoor Shakespeare production he directed with CSC, in 1996 in Copley Square. This summer Maler is again directing the comedy – through August 9 at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common, in partnership with the City of Boston’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture – to mark CSC’s 30th anniversary.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 21, 2026
Roundabout Theatre Company has revealed dates for productions during the upcoming 2026-2027 season both on and off Broadway, including The Imaginary Invalid, The Full Monty, and more.
by Sidney Paterra - Jul 26, 2026
Broadway says goodbye to Joe Turner's Come and Gone which concludes its limited engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, following 30 previews and 105 regular performances. The next tenant for the venue has not yet been announced.
by Bruce Glikas - Jul 14, 2026
Lincoln Center Theater officially opened The Whoopi Monologues this week with a celebrity-filled opening night at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. Angela Bassett, Sara Bareilles, Don Cheadle, Ayo Edebiri, Shonda Rhimes, Alex Newell, and more were among the guests. Check out photos of the event.
by Sidney Paterra - Jul 16, 2026
Whether you've been planning to see it since opening night or are just discovering the production, here are 10 reasons why Joe Turner's Come and Gone deserves a spot on your Broadway calendar before the curtain falls.
by Marissa Faith Curley - Jul 11, 2026
Pulitzer and Tony winners Bess Wohl, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Martyna Majok, Bill Rauch, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson join Daphne Rubin-Vega on the 2026 faculty of the tuition-free Candela Playwrights Summer Fellowship in New York City.
by Bruce Glikas - Jul 6, 2026
Kerry Washington, who is getting ready to star in The Whoopi Monologues off-Broadway, recently paid a visit to Joe Turner's Come and Gone on Broadway. Following the performance, she posed with members of the cast, including Taraji P. Henson and Cedric “The Entertainer.' Check out photos here.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 24, 2026
The Actors’ Equity Foundation hosted its 2026 awards for theatre artists for both performances and humanitarian work in the theatre industry. See photos from the event!
by Nicole Rosky - Jun 23, 2026
The new season on Broadway (2026-2027) at the Vivian Beaumont Theater brings the first-ever Broadway revival of Aaron Sorkin’s seminal work, A Few Good Men, starring Bradley Whitford and Tom Blyth, with direction by Tony Award winner Michael Arden. In the spring, Artistic Director Lear deBessonet returns to the Beaumont with the first Broadway revival of The Sound of Music in nearly 30 years, starring Tony Award nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has appeared on Broadway in 7 shows.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has not appeared in the West End.
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Lackawanna Blues, Distinguished Performance Awards (Drama League Awards) for Lackawanna Blues, Outstanding Director of a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Skeleton Crew, Special Achievement Awards (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Lackawanna Blues, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Lackawanna Blues, Outstanding Director of a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Jitney, Special Citation (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Jitney, Best Direction of a Play (Tony Awards) for August Wilson's Jitney, Outstanding Solo Performance (Drama Desk Awards) for August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned, Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Awards) for August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned, Outstanding Solo Performance (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned, Outstanding Director of a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Piano Lesson, Direction (Obie Awards) for The Piano Lesson, Outstanding Director (The Lortels) for The Piano Lesson, Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for Lackawanna Blues, Outstanding Solo Performance (Drama Desk Awards) for Lackawanna Blues, Special Citations (Obie Awards) for Lackawanna Blues and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Seven Guitars.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has received numerous prestigious awards and recognitions throughout his career. His accolades include an Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play from the Drama Desk Awards for Joe Turner's Come and Gone. He earned a Special Achievement Award from the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Lackawanna Blues, along with an Outstanding Solo Performance Drama Desk Award for the same production. Additionally, Santiago-Hudson received Special Citations from the Obie Awards for Lackawanna Blues. As a director, he has been honored with an Outstanding Director of a Play Drama Desk Award for Jitney, as well as a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for the same production. His directorial work on The Piano Lesson earned him both a Direction Obie Award and an Outstanding Director award from The Lortels. His acting achievements include an Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production Helen Hayes Award for Lackawanna Blues, and a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for Seven Guitars.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson has written 1 shows including Lackawanna Blues (Playwright).
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