Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, Lin-Manuel Miranda had a passion for the arts and creativity from a young age. He participated in theater as a child and wrote his first Broadway musical,In the Heights, while he was still in college. That show won him his first Tony Award for Best Musical! He went on to create and star in the beloved musicalHamiltonabout the life of Alexander Hamilton. A nonstop writer, Lin-Manuel contributed music for other major projects such asMoana,Encanto,Star Wars, andThe Little Mermaid. He has won a Pulitzer prize, five Grammy awards, three Tony Awards, and two Emmy awards so far in his successful careeras a composer, lyricist, actor, and director.