Daveed Diggs

Name	Daveed Diggs
Image
Caption	Diggs at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival
Birth Name	Daveed Daniele Diggs
Birth Date	1982-1-24
Birth Place	Oakland, California, U.S.
Education	Brown University (BA)
Years Active	2003–present
Partner	Emmy Raver-Lampman (2015-present)
Children	1
Module	Instrument Vocals Label Sub Pop ⋅ Deathbomb Arc Current Member Of clipping. Website daveeddiggs.com/
Module2	Signature

Early life and education

Diggs was born in Oakland, California, the son of Barbara, a social worker, and Dountes Diggs, a bus driver. His mother is Jewish, and his father is African-American. His parents named him "Daveed", the Hebrew pronunciation of David. Diggs has said, David' means beloved in Hebrew... They spelled it with two Es because my dad liked the look of it." His parents' ethnic and racial identities have contributed to his own self-identification: "The cultures never seemed separate—I had a lot of mixed friends. When I was young, I identified with being Jewish, but I embraced my dad's side too."

Diggs is an alumnus of Berkeley High School and Brown University, where he graduated in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts. He was recruited by Brown for his track skills and broke the Brown Bears' school record in the 110-meter hurdles as a sophomore with a time of 14.21 seconds. After graduating, he worked as a substitute teacher.

Career

Theater

Diggs performed in experimental theater early in his career, most notably when he was on the national tour for Marc Bamuthi Joseph's choreopoem, Word Becomes Flesh, about a nine-month pregnancy through the eyes of a young, single father. He also frequently performed in regional Shakespeare productions.

Music

Diggs is the vocalist of and writer for the experimental hip-hop and rap group clipping. The group was founded by William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes in 2009, with Diggs joining in 2010. The trio self-released their first mixtape album midcity in 2013 to fairly positive reviews. Signing with Sub Pop, they released their album CLPPNG in 2014, which they promoted with their CLPPNG Tour. In 2016, they released an EP titled Wriggle, then the album Splendor & Misery. In 2017, they released The Deep, a five-and-a-half minute track that tells the story of a society of the descendants of the enslaved living underwater. In 2018, the song was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form). In 2019, they released an album titled There Existed an Addiction to Blood; additionally, in 2020, the group released the album Visions of Bodies Being Burned.

Diggs is a member of True Neutral Crew, with Brian Kinsman, Margot Padilla, and Signor Benedick the Moor. The group has released two EPs, #MONSANTO (2013) and 2014's #POPPUNK, as well as Live, a 20-minute short film of a live performance. They released their debut album soft rules in 2016.



In 2010, he made an album with Rafael Casal titled The BAY BOY Mixtape. Diggs also founded a hip hop triumvirate with Chinaka Hodge and Casal known as The Getback. The Getback later became a collaborative ensemble composed of Diggs, Hodge, Casal and other artists along with a band formed by drummer Chukwudi Hodge, turntablist Dion Decibels and Max Miller-Logan on trumpet and Keys. Though the band have diversified themselves from their work with the ensemble, they are still known as The GetBack (Get:Band) on Facebook. Two years later, in 2012, he released his first solo rap album, Small Things to a Giant, composed of original music he had written. Both The BAY BOY Mixtape and Small Things to a Giant included other artists in The Getback collective.

He is also a member of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail's freestyle rap group Freestyle Love Supreme, or FLS, which performs across the country.

His rapping has also been featured on tracks by Busdriver, George Watsky, Rafael Casal, and Leslie Odom, Jr., and he wrote and performed a rap number for the 2016 animated film Zootopia.

In December 2020, Diggs, along with lifelong friends William Hutson and Johnathan Snipes, partnered with Disney Channel to produce a festive song for Hanukkah. The released track, titled "Puppy for Hanukkah", is described by Disney Music and Soundtracks V.P. Steven Vincent as "inventive, humorous, and relevant".

Television

Diggs has had recurring roles on the series The Get Down, Black-ish, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He also appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Diggs served as an executive producer of the 2017 ABC series The Mayor. In addition, he wrote original music for it, as well as guest starring on it. Starting in early 2017, Diggs played one of Mr. Noodle's brothers, Mr. Noodle, in the "Elmo's World" segment of Sesame Street.

In early 2018, Diggs was featured in several television commercials for the Zelle digital payment service.

In 2020, he began starring in the TNT television adaptation of Snowpiercer. He also starred as Frederick Douglass in the Showtime miniseries The Good Lord Bird.

In September 2020, it was confirmed that the critically acclaimed Casal and Diggs written film Blindspotting would be spun-off as a comedy-drama series Blindspotting, with Diggs set to write and executive produce. Blindspotting the TV series, follows Ashley Rose, portrayed by Jasmine Cephas Jones both in the film and show, as she navigates life after longtime partner Miles is unexpectedly incarcerated. The series was picked up by Lionsgate Television, produced by Dreams with friends Inc. and Snoot Entertainment, and was distributed by Starz. The series had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2021. The series became available for streaming June 13, 2021, on Starz and StarzPlay. On October 14, 2021, it was announced that the series would be renewed for a second season.

In September 2024, it was announced that Diggs would join the fifth season of the show The Boys, in an undisclosed role.

Film

Diggs had his Hollywood film debut in the Disney animated film Zootopia, for which he wrote and performed the "Parlez Vous Rap".

Diggs appeared in the 2017 film Wonder, starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. Diggs played the schoolteacher of the protagonist, a boy with a facial deformity. Diggs had a voice role in the 2017 animated film Ferdinand, in which he played the character Dos.

Alongside his lifelong friend Rafael Casal, Diggs co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in the 2018 film Blindspotting, which premiered at Sundance in January 2018. He received the Atlanta Film Festival's inaugural Innovator Award in April, prior to the film's theatrical release on July 27, 2018. Diggs plays Collin, a felon living in Oakland, as he tries to get through the last three days of his year-long probation without incident. Diggs and Casal wrote the film over nine years to tell a story about their quickly gentrifying hometown as they knew it. Diggs received critical praise for his performance in the film.

Diggs voiced Sebastian in Disney's live-action film The Little Mermaid. The film reunited Diggs with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who co-wrote new songs for the film and also served as a producer.

Personal life

Diggs has one child, a son, with his partner Emmy Raver-Lampman, whom he met in 2015 when they were performing together in Hamilton.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Discography

Solo

• The BAY BOY Mixtape (2010) - collaboration with Rafael Casal
• Small Things to a Giant (2012)
• Blindspotting: The Collin EP (2018)
• Seven Nights in Chicago (2019) - collaboration with Rafael Casal

With [[clipping.]]

• Dba118 (2012) - EP
• midcity (2013)
• CLPPNG (2014)
• Wriggle (2016) - EP
• REMXNG (2016) - EP
• Splendor & Misery (2016)
• There Existed an Addiction to Blood (2019)
• "Chapter 319" (2020)
• Visions of Bodies Being Burned (2020)
• "Puppy for Hanukkah" (2020) - collaboration with Disney Channel
• Dead Channel Sky (2025)

With True Neutral Crew

• #MONSANTO (2013) - EP
• #POPPUNK (2014) - EP
• soft rules (2016)

Featured artist

• The Monster (2009) - featured on "Running Down" & "Wise Guys"
• Mean Ones (2012) - additional vocals
• Hamilton (2015) - original Broadway cast recording
• Thumbs (2015) - featured on "Surrounded by Millionaires"
• Good For You (2016) - single; featured rapper
• Maiden Voyage Suite (2016) - EP by Sir Benedick the Moor; featured on 1200am
• x Infinity (2016) - featured on Exquisite Corpse

Concerts

• midcity promotional concerts (5 shows, in the US and UK, February 19, 2013 –- March 18, 2014)
• CLPPNG Tour (19 shows, in the US and the UK, July 3 – November 10, 2014)
• #POPPUNK promotional concerts (3 shows, in the US, July 17, 2014 – June 5, 2015)

Accolades

Honors

On May 28, 2017, an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree was conferred upon Diggs during the 249th commencement ceremony at Brown University, his alma mater.

See also

• African-American Tony nominees and winners

References

• Daveed Diggs Theatre Credits and Profile
• Rose, Mike, Today's famous birthdays list for January 24, 2023 includes celebrities Neil Diamond, Aaron Neville, January 24, 2023, Cleveland.com, January 24, 2023, January 24, 2023, live
• 2019 Independent Spirit Awards Nominees, 'Eighth Grade' & 'We the Animals' Lead, Kate, Erbland, November 16, 2018, November 16, 2018, IndieWire, November 26, 2018, live
• Robinson, Lisa, How Hamilton Changed Daveed Diggs's Life (and Preferred Mode of Transportation), May 13, 2018, Vanity Fair, November 29, 2016, en, July 15, 2017, live
• Hamilton star Daveed Diggs to lead Snowpiercer show, Entertainment Weekly, Rosen, Christopher, May 17, 2017, live, May 19, 2017
• Daveed Diggs leaps to Broadway stardom in 'Hamilton', The Times of Israel, live, March 4, 2016
• celebrity Jews, Nate, Bloom, J, May 12, 2016, August 26, 2019, August 26, 2019, live
• Daveed Diggs OfWashington' On His Greatest Life Lessons, Jeryl, Brunner, Forbes, August 26, 2019, August 26, 2019, live
• Hoffman, Barbara, July 18, 2015, I went from couch-surfing to starring on Broadway, live, August 8, 2015, New York Post
• Daveed Diggs on His Hebrew School Roots, Meeting Crazy Celebrities & Getting His Shot on Broadway in Hamilton, Broadway.com, Kathy, Henderson, live, February 1, 2016
• Raman, Sheela, Senior profile: Daveed Diggs, March 1, 2016, Brown Daily Herald, September 22, 2004, live, May 13, 2016
• Daveed Diggs was a track star at Brown University. Now he's a rap star in Hamilton on Broadway., February 17, 2016, The Boston Globe, live, February 24, 2016
• Before Starring on Broadway in Hamilton, Daveed Diggs worked at Pier 1 Imports, September 16, 2015, November 17, 2021, live, en, November 14, 2019
• Word Becomes Flesh, Living Word Project, dead, January 30, 2016
• Daveed Diggs, Playbill, April 26, 2016, live, May 6, 2016
• 'Hamilton's' Daveed Diggs on how he met Lin-Manuel Miranda, May 13, 2016, Yahoo! News, September 25, 2020, September 25, 2021, live
• theneedledrop, TND Podcast #44 ft. Daveed Diggs, April 3, 2016, November 17, 2021, live, April 3, 2016
• 20 Best, Worst and WTF Moments at 2016 Tony Awards, Plitt, Amy, Reilly, Phoebe, June 13, 2016, Rolling Stone, June 20, 2016, dead, June 20, 2016
• Daveed Diggs' Post-Hamilton Plate Starts to Fill Up - Playbill, Playbill, Robert, Viagas, July 20, 2016, July 19, 2016, November 24, 2020, live
• 2018 Hugo Awards, March 15, 2018, The Hugo Awards, May 6, 2018, en-US, April 2, 2018, live
• TRUE NEUTRAL CREW: #POPPUNK, Miserachi, Raquel, May 15, 2014, Noisey, VICE, May 27, 2016, September 10, 2016, live
• True Neutral Crew - #MONSANTO, Fantano, Anthony, September 9, 2013, The Needle Drop, May 27, 2016, live, June 29, 2016
• Ashton, Will, Daveed Diggs' Rise From Experimental Hip-Hop To Hamilton's Marquis De Lafayette, Cinemablend, June 26, 2019, December 20, 2020, January 13, 2021, live
• True Neutral Crew: #POPPUNK – album review, Tucker, Simon, July 9, 2014, Louder Than War, May 27, 2016, live, July 1, 2016
• Watch This: True Neutral Crew Release 20 Minute Short Film Of Themselves Playing Live, November 14, 2014, Louder Than War, May 27, 2016, February 1, 2021, live
• Getbackers, daveeddiggs.tumblr.com, January 24, 2018, January 25, 2021, live
• The GetBack (Get:Band), Facebook, January 24, 2018, August 21, 2023, live
• Johnson, Lauren M., 'Hamilton' star Daveed Diggs brings his unique style to a new Hanukkah song, December 20, 2020, CNN, Cable News Network, December 5, 2020, December 16, 2020, live
• dead, August 4, 2016, 7 Things We Learned at Baz Luhrmann's 'Get Down' Talk, April 25, 2016, Rolling Stone, May 26, 2016
• Daveed Diggs of 'Hamilton' Joins 'Black-ish' Family in Season 3 (EXCLUSIVE), Maureen, Ryan, July 20, 2016, December 10, 2017, August 5, 2020, live
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt season 3's best new guest stars, from Daveed Diggs to Beyoncé (kinda), May 21, 2017, September 27, 2017, April 26, 2019, live
• 'The Mayor' Creator Explains How Chance the Rapper Inspired ABC Comedy Series, Joe, Otterson, August 6, 2017, December 10, 2017, August 5, 2020, live
• Daveed Diggs gives scoop on new ABC series, Newsday, September 27, 2017, November 12, 2020, dead
• (#101) "Pilot", The Futon Critic, September 18, 2017, August 21, 2023, live
• Steinberg, Brian, October 17, 2016, 'Sesame Street' Will Revive 'Elmo's World', en-US, Variety, July 4, 2020, March 9, 2021, live
• 'Banks Hire Rapping Broadway Star to Give Venmo Run for Its Money, Jennifer, Surane, Bloomberg News, February 2, 2018, February 27, 2018, January 25, 2021, live
• Rosen, Christopher, May 17, 2017, Hamilton star Daveed Diggs to lead Snowpiercer show, Entertainment Weekly, live, May 19, 2017
• STARZ, October 21, 2021, Starz.com, en, October 21, 2021, live
• White, Peter, October 14, 2021, 'Blindspotting' Renewed For Season 2 At Starz, October 21, 2021, Deadline, en-US, October 21, 2021, live
• Otterson, Joe, 2024-09-24, 'The Boys' Season 5 Casts Daveed Diggs, 2024-09-25, Variety, en-US
• First trailer for Blindspotting starring Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, April 20, 2018, Flickering Myth, May 6, 2018, en-US, August 21, 2023, live
• Los Angeles Times, Sundance 2018: Blindspotting cast talk about their love of Oakland, January 19, 2018, November 17, 2021, live, May 6, 2018
• 'Blindspotting' Review: Daveed Diggs Is an Instant Movie Star in Intense, Uneven Oakland Buddy Movie — Sundance 2018, Kohn, Eric, January 19, 2018, IndieWire, May 6, 2018, en-US, December 19, 2020, live
• Blindspotting Review: Daveed Diggs is About to Become a Star, January 19, 2018, /Film, May 6, 2018, en-US, August 13, 2020, live
• 'Daveed Diggs' Partner Was Also in 'Hamilton,' but Who Is She?, Michelle, Stein, May 14, 2020, September 19, 2020, May 29, 2020, live
• Emmy Raver-Lampman Was Intimidated To Work With Jason Statham, en, April 11, 2024, www.youtube.com
• Daveed Diggs (visual voices guide), December 21, 2024, Behind The Voice Actors
• Kroll, Justin, 2018-03-12, Netflix's Dan Gilroy-Jake Gyllenhaal Film Sets Ensemble (EXCLUSIVE), 2024-12-21, Variety, en-US
• Radulovic, Petrana, August 24, 2019, Pixar's latest film , Soul, is a metaphysical comedy with the studio’s first black lead, December 21, 2024, Polygon, en-US
• Fleming, Mike Jr., 2019-08-02, Kevin Kline, Timothy Olyphant Join Melissa McCarthy In Ted Melfi-Helmed , The Starling, ; eOne & Boies/Schiller Join Limelight As Co-Financiers, 2024-12-21, Deadline, en-US
• Grobar, Matt, 2023-03-28, Universal & DreamWorks Set Cast, Official Title For , Trolls, Threequel Bowing This Fall, 2024-12-21, Deadline, en-US
• Donnelly, Matt, 2023-03-23, Daveed Diggs Joins Andrew Stanton's 'In the Blink of an Eye' at Searchlight (EXCLUSIVE), 2024-12-21, Variety, en-US
• Invincible Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More, September 11, 2023, en-US
• Romano, Nick, September 24, 2024, The Boys, season 5 adds Daveed Diggs in mystery role (exclusive), December 21, 2024, Entertainment Weekly, en
• Danzig, Christopher, The Def Poetry of Rafael Casal, December 20, 2020, East Bay Express, November 10, 2020, March 5, 2019, live
• Myint, Ava, Deathbomb Arc releasing Daveed Diggs' Small Things To A Giant on cassette, Impose, Impose Magazine, December 20, 2020, January 25, 2021, live
• Blindspotting: The Collin EP, AllMusic, AllMusic, Netaktion LLC, December 20, 2020, July 27, 2020, live
• Fierberg, Ruthie, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal Drop Seven Nights in Chicago Album August 9, Playbill, Playbill Inc., December 20, 2020, August 5, 2021, live
• Roa, Ray, Review: A total mindf*** — Youth Code opens for Clipping at St. Pete's Local 662, a little madness ensues, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Euclid Media Group, LLC, December 20, 2020, August 21, 2023, live
• Hemmerling, Joe, Midcity, Tiny Mix Tapes, December 20, 2020, January 25, 2021, live
• Ham, Robert, Clipping: CLPPNG Review, Paste, June 11, 2014, Paste Media Group, December 20, 2020, August 21, 2023, live
• Falisi, Frank, Wriggle, Tiny Mix Tapes, December 20, 2020, September 19, 2021, live
• P, M R, clipping. release a 24-hour song, acapella tracks, and a remix album, Tiny Mix Tapes, December 20, 2020, December 31, 2020, live
• Rohrbach, Paul, Watch Clipping's Spacey, Single-Shot "True Believer" Video, Paste, April 4, 2017, Paste Media Group, December 20, 2020, August 9, 2020, live
• Goodridge, Hayden, Clipping.'s There Existed an Addiction to Blood Underscores the Horrors of Humanity, Paste, October 16, 2019, Paste Media Group, December 20, 2020, November 26, 2020, live
• Gilbey, Ryan, Daveed Diggs: 'Pixar wanted feedback from a ton of black folks', December 20, 2020, The Guardian, Guardian News & Media Limited, December 18, 2020, December 19, 2020, live
• Weingarten, Christopher R., 2020 Is Chaotic. Clipping's New Horror-Rap Album Captures It., The New York Times, October 19, 2020, December 20, 2020, The New York Times, November 1, 2020, live
• WATCH: Daveed Diggs' New 'Puppy for Hanukkah' Song, The Jewish News, December 7, 2020, December 20, 2020, December 8, 2020, live
• Gillespie, Blake, True Neutral Crew, #MONSANTO, Impose, Impose Magazine, December 20, 2020, January 26, 2021, live
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• Surrounded by Millionaires, AllMusic, December 20, 2020, January 26, 2021, live
• Bailey, Alyssa, Listen to the Stars of Hamilton Cover Selena Gomez's "Good for You", Elle, February 12, 2016, Hearst Magazine Media, Inc., December 20, 2020, April 12, 2021, live
• 'Palm Springs,' 'Lovecraft Country' Lead Nominations for Inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards, November 19, 2020, Borys, Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, January 5, 2021, December 27, 2020, live
• July 13, 2021, 'The Crown,' 'I May Destroy You,' 'Hacks,' 'Mare of Easttown' Score Major 2021 Emmy Nominations, Rolling Stone
• 2021 SAG Awards nominees, February 4, 2021, February 4, 2021, February 4, 2021, live
• Children’s & Family Emmys: The Complete Winners List, December 17, 2023, December 18, 2023, Deadline, Patrick, Hipes

External links