Sara Ramirez

Sara Elena Ramírez (; born August 31, 1975) is an American actor and singer. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved 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. 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. Ramírez was offered to pick their own primetime television show in an array of ABC lineups, choosing 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. 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). Ramírez released their first single "Silent Night" in 2009. Their self-titled EP debuted at no. 37 on the Billboard 200 in 2011. 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. Early life Ramírez was born on August 31, 1975, in Mazatlán, Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico. Ramírez's father and mother 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.