Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (born August 31, 1975) is an American actor and singer.
Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved from Mexico to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School.
Ramírez began acting in Broadway productions, making their debut in Paul Simon's The Capeman, and later ventured into film and television roles.
Sara Elena Ramírez was born on August 31, 1975, in Mazatlán, Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico.
Both of Ramírez's parents are Mexican.
When Ramírez was eight years old, their parents divorced, and Ramírez went to live with their mother, eventually settling in Tierrasanta, San Diego, California.
Ramírez's interest in music encouraged their mother to send them to San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, where their singing talent was discovered during an audition.
Ramírez started acting in stage productions in high school.
After having played such roles in the plays Into the Woods, Hello, Dolly!, and Annie, Ramírez was recommended to study drama at Juilliard School, from which they graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
While at Juilliard, Ramírez further worked on their acting skills and trained as a vocalist.
Ramírez speaks both Spanish and English fluently.
Based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical opened on Broadway in 2005 to widespread acclaim.
1998
While still at Juilliard, Ramírez was discovered by a casting director and was offered the role of Wahzinak in Paul Simon's 1998 Broadway musical The Capeman.
Based on the life of the Puerto Rican gangster Salvador Agron, the production garnered negative reviews, but Ramirez was singled out for their "outstanding" performance.
They made their screen debut in the same year, with a minor yet "memorable" role in the romantic comedy You've Got Mail.
Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film had Ramírez play Rose, a Zabar's cashier who was "very serious about her line's cash-only policy."
Ramirez voiced the titular character of Lammy in the video game UmJammer Lammy, a spin-off of PaRappa the Rapper, on Sony's PlayStation console.
They later reprised their role in the latter's sequel for PlayStation 2, but had a smaller role.
1999
Ramirez debuted as a voice actor in the 1999 video game entitled Um Jammer Lammy, and has voiced Queen Miranda in the animated series Sofia the First (2012–2018).
In 1999, Ramírez appeared in Mark Lamos' The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm (1999).
They garnered praise for their performance and received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for their role.
Charles Isherwood of Variety praised their "beautiful, smoky voice" but was critical of their "torchy" performance of "The Man I Love," which ignored "the wry irony that infuses Ira's lyrics".
2001
Ramirez then appeared in the 2001 Broadway production of Edward Kleban's A Class Act.
They replaced Julia Murney (from the off-Broadway) to play the role of Felecia, the protagonist Ed's boss.
2002
The same year, they starred in other productions including Fascinating Rhythm and Dreamgirls, and then performed in the 2002 production of The Vagina Monologues with Tovah Feldshuh and Suzanne Bertish.
During this time, Ramírez also appeared in guest roles in several television series, including NYPD Blue, Law & Order: SVU, Third Watch, and Spin City among others.
Ramírez's breakout role came upon being cast as the Lady of the Lake in Eric Idle and John Du Prez's musical Spamalot.
2005
Ramírez's breakthrough came with their portrayal of the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
On Grey's Anatomy, they portrayed Dr. Callie Torres, one of the longest-running LGBT characters in US television history, appearing in 11 seasons and 239 episodes.
Ramírez's volunteered addition of the character's bisexuality marked one of the earliest series regular queer roles on primetime television.
After departing from the series, Ramirez came out as bisexual and later non-binary, using they/them pronouns.
They later portrayed the bisexual, non-binary roles of Kat Sandoval in Madam Secretary and Che Díaz in And Just Like That..., respectively.
Ramírez was singled out for their performance, winning several awards including the 2005 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.
Ben Brantley of The New York Times described them as "a toothsome devourer of scenery", and another reviewer for The Playgoer emphasizing their stage presence remarked that their "intensity is totally serious and totally ludicrous and totally on key".
An Entertainment Weekly review gave them the highest praise by calling them a show-stealer.
After success on Broadway, Ramírez joined the cast of the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy in a recurring role as Dr. Calliope 'Callie' Torres, a love interest for Dr. George O'Malley, in the show's second season.
2009
Ramírez released their first single "Silent Night" in 2009.
2011
Their self-titled EP debuted at no. 37 on the Billboard 200 in 2011.
2015
Ramírez's extensive campaigns for LGBT rights won the Ally for Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in 2015.
In addition to the Tony Award, Ramírez has also been the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Satellite Award, among other accolades.
