Jasmine Cephas Jones

 

Jasmine Cephas Jones was born on July 21, 1989, to her famously known parents.  Her African-American father, Ron Cephas Jones, is an actor; while her mother, Kim Lesly, is a  British jazz singer. Jasmine is best known for originating the two roles of Peggy Schyluer and Maria Reynolds in the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton.

Prior to her life on the stage, growing up in Midwood, Brooklyn, Jasmine attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, New York City, where her hunger for the arts was fed. After graduation from high school she moved to attend Berklee College of Music for vocal performance and graduated from Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in 2011.

Two years later, she began to climb the entertainment ladder by starring alongside her dad, Ron Cephas Jones, in the independent film Titus. In 2014, she appeared in the film Fairfield, and in T.V. shows such as Blue Bloods and Unforgettable. It was in 2015 that Jasmine saw her star rise when she was cast in Hamilton.

She originated the roles of Margarita “Peggy” Schyuler Van Rensselaer and Maria Reynolds in the original Off-Broadway production of Hamilton. She continued the roles when the show moved to Broadway and remained in the production until December 2016.

The show garnered many awards; one being a Grammy which Jasmine shared with her castmates by being a main soloist on the Hamilton Cast Album. Hamilton also earned 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and a Pulitzer prize for Drama.

Jasmine sang numerous times at the White House, sang at the Super Bowl and performed at the Kennedy Centre Honors.  Although these experiences were all reasons to be overjoyed, Jasmine’s happiness grew even more when on December 24, 2018, she got engaged to fellow original Hamilton cast member Anthony Ramos who she had begun dating while working together during the Off-Broadway production of Hamilton.

 

Skylar Wooten, Project RACE Teens Vice President

 

Picture courtesy of https://www.instyle.com/fashion/clothing/jasmine-cephas-jones-lou-grey-collaboration Lou & Grey