Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Ruben Santiago-Hudson (born Ruben Santiago Jr., November 24, 1956) is an American actor, playwright, and director who has won national awards for his work in all three categories. In 1996 he won a Tony Award for his performance in Seven Guitars. He is best known for his role of Captain Roy Montgomery from 2009 to 2011 on ABC's Castle. In November 2011, he appeared on Broadway in Lydia R. Diamond's play Stick Fly. In 2013, he starred in the TV series Low Winter Sun, a police drama set in Detroit. In 2021, he was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film version of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Early life

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Ruben Hudson was born in 1956 in Lackawanna, New York, the son of Alean Hudson and Ruben Santiago, a railroad worker. He later adopted his mother's maiden name as part of his compound surname. His father was Puerto Rican and his mother was African American. He went to Lackawanna High school, earned his bachelor's degree from Binghamton University, his master's degree from Wayne State University and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Buffalo State College and Wayne State University.

Career

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Santiago-Hudson appeared on Broadway in Jelly's Last Jam (1992), written by George C. Wolfe. He received the 1996 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in August Wilson's Seven Guitars.

He wrote Lackawanna Blues (2001), an autobiographical play in which he portrayed himself and some twenty different characters from his past, which was produced in New York at the Joseph Papp Theatre in 2001. He adapted it for a highly acclaimed, award-winning 2005 HBO film, in which the parts were played by different people. It won the Humanitas Prize and earned Emmy and Writers Guild of America Award nominations. In 2003, he was the reader in Volume 13 of the HBO film, Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives. The series was narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. He played Mayor Joe Starks in Their Eyes Were Watching God.

On television, he has appeared on the daytime soap operas One Life to Live, Another World and All My Children. His work in primetime series has included The Cosby Mysteries, New York Undercover, NYPD Blue, Touched by an Angel, The West Wing, Third Watch, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and five episodes of Law & Order (which coincidentally starred Lackawanna Blues star S. Epatha Merkerson), among others. He starred as New York City Police Captain Roy Montgomery in the ABC series Castle until his character's death occurred in the third season finale. In 2007, he starred in a PBS Nova documentary about the life of chemist Percy Lavon Julian.

In 2013, Santiago-Hudson won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director, an Obie Award for Direction, and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for his work in the Off-Broadway production of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson.

In 2016, he won the Obie Awards Special Citation for Collaboration for his work on Skeleton Crew with Dominique Morisseau and the Atlantic Theater Company.

Santiago-Hudson narrated a number of audiobooks, including James Patterson's Cross Justice which was recognized by the 2017 Audie Award and AudioFile magazine's Earphones Award.

Personal life

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Santiago-Hudson has four children: Broderick Santiago and Ruben Santiago III from previous relationships, and Trey and Lily from his marriage with Jeannie Brittan.

When he came to New York in 1983, he was known as Ruben Santiago. He tried to get a part at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and was asked if he spoke Spanish, which he does not. When he wanted to work at the Negro Ensemble Company, "they laughed and said, 'We don't have Puerto Ricans.'" So he added his mother's name, Hudson, and eventually won a part in A Soldier's Play at the Ensemble Company.

Selected filmography

Film

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1988</td><td>Coming to America</td><td>Street Hustler</td><td>Credited as Ruben Hudson</td></tr><tr><td>1994</td><td>Blown Away</td><td>Officer Blanket</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bleeding Hearts</td><td>Todd</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1997</td><td>White Lies</td><td>Bum #2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Devil's Advocate</td><td>Leamon Heath</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2000</td><td>Shaft</td><td>Detective Jimmy Groves</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Domestic Disturbance</td><td>Sergeant Edgar Stevens</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>Winning Girls Through Psychic Mind Control</td><td>Samuel Menendez</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Unchained Memories</td><td>Reader</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2006</td><td>Brother's Shadow</td><td>Manny Botero</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2007</td><td>Mr. Brooks</td><td>Detective Hawkins</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Honeydripper</td><td>Stokely</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>American Gangster</td><td>"Doc"</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>The Invention of Lying</td><td>Landlord</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2014</td><td>Selma</td><td>Bayard Rustin</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom</td><td></td><td>Screenplay by</td></tr></tbody></table>

Television

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1987–1993</td><td>Another World</td><td>Gus / Billy Cooper</td><td>Recurring role, 12 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1987</td><td>Leg Work</td><td>Orderly</td><td>Episode: "Mystery Woman"</td></tr><tr><td>1990</td><td>Amen</td><td>Fireman</td><td>Episode: "Moving In"</td></tr><tr><td>Life Goes On</td><td>Mr. Serno</td><td>Episode: "Corky Rebels"</td></tr><tr><td>1990–1992</td><td>Dear John</td><td>Larry / Orlando / Curtis</td><td>Recurring role, 6 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1990–2025</td><td>Law & Order</td><td>Mr. Gaines / Detective Brian Keene / Defense Attorney Winters / Dr. Paul Jackson</td><td>Guest role, 7 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1991</td><td>Which Way Home</td><td>Jim Waters</td><td>Miniseries</td></tr><tr><td>1994</td><td>The Cosby Mysteries</td><td>Police Officer</td><td>Episode: "Expert Witness"</td></tr><tr><td>1994–1995</td><td>NYPD Blue</td><td>Otis</td><td>2 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1994–1996</td><td>New York Undercover</td><td>Johnny / Walter Perry</td><td>2 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1995</td><td>Solomon & Sheba</td><td>Tamrin</td><td>Television film</td></tr><tr><td>The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A.</td><td>Det. Stan Lewis</td><td>Television film</td></tr><tr><td>1995–1996</td><td>Gargoyles</td><td>Gabriel (voice)</td><td>3 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1996</td><td>ABC Afterschool Specials</td><td>Kevin</td><td>Episode: "Daddy's Girl"</td></tr><tr><td>1997–1998</td><td>Michael Hayes</td><td>Eddie Diaz</td><td>Main role, 21 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1997–1999</td><td>Spawn</td><td>Jess Chapel (voice)</td><td>Recurring role, 7 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1998</td><td>Rear Window</td><td>Antonio Fredericks</td><td>Television film</td></tr><tr><td>1999</td><td>Early Edition</td><td>Emmett Brown</td><td>2 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer</td><td>Detective Newhouse</td><td>Television film (credited as Ruben Santiago Hudson)</td></tr><tr><td>Touched by an Angel</td><td>Dr. Joe Acot</td><td>Episode: "Such a Time as This"</td></tr><tr><td>The West Wing</td><td>Morris Tolliver</td><td>Episode: "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc"</td></tr><tr><td>Third Watch</td><td>Detective Wolfort, NYPD</td><td>Episode: "History of the World"</td></tr><tr><td>2000</td><td>American Tragedy</td><td>Christopher Darden</td><td>Television film</td></tr><tr><td>2001, 2002</td><td>All My Children</td><td>Dr. Zeke McMillan #1</td><td>Unknown episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>The Red Sneakers</td><td>Uncle Joe</td><td>Television film (credited as Ruben Santiago Hudson)</td></tr><tr><td>Little John</td><td>Steven</td><td>Television film</td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Whoopi</td><td>Marshall</td><td>Episode: "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"</td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Wild Card</td><td>Bennett Graham</td><td>Episode: "Sniper Shot, Intern Hot"</td></tr><tr><td>2005</td><td>Lackawanna Blues</td><td>Freddie Combs</td><td>Television film; also writer and executive producer</td></tr><tr><td>Their Eyes Were Watching God</td><td>Joe Starks</td><td>Television film</td></tr><tr><td>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</td><td>Carlos Guzman</td><td>Episode: "Name"</td></tr><tr><td>2007</td><td>Nova</td><td>Percy Julian</td><td>Episode: "Forgotten Genius"</td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td>Canterbury's Law</td><td>Judge Joe Stanley</td><td>Episode: "Pilot"</td></tr><tr><td>2009–2014</td><td>Castle</td><td>Captain Roy Montgomery</td><td>Main role, 59 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>Person of Interest</td><td>Sam Latimer</td><td>Episode: "Mission Creep"</td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>Low Winter Sun</td><td>Charles Dawson</td><td>Main role, 10 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2015</td><td>The Good Wife</td><td>Charles Jinks</td><td>Episode: "Loser Edit"</td></tr><tr><td>Public Morals</td><td>Lieutenant King</td><td>Main role, 10 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2016</td><td>The Family</td><td>Chief of Police Len Bucksey</td><td>3 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2016–2023</td><td>Billions</td><td>Raul Gomez</td><td>Recurring role, 9 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>Designated Survivor</td><td>General Contreras</td><td>Episode: "Commander-in-Chief"</td></tr><tr><td>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</td><td>Dr. Roland Pattillo</td><td>Television film</td></tr><tr><td>2017–2018</td><td>The Quad</td><td>Cecil Diamond</td><td>Main role, 18 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>David Makes Man</td><td>Dr. Bree</td><td>5 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2022–2023</td><td>East New York</td><td>Officer Marvin Sandeford</td><td>Main role, 21 episodes</td></tr></tbody></table>

Awards and nominations

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Association</th><th>Category</th><th>Work</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1996</td><td>Tony Award</td><td>Best Featured Actor in a Play</td><td>Seven Guitars</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Drama Desk Award</td><td>Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Drama Desk Award</td><td>Outstanding Solo Performance</td><td>Lackawanna Blues</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2005</td><td>Humanitas Award</td><td>90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television</td><td>Lackawanna Blues</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Primetime Emmy Award</td><td>Outstanding Television Movie</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Writers Guild Award</td><td>Long Form – Adapted</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Producers Guild Award</td><td>Best Long-Form Television</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>Los Angeles NAACP Theatre Awards</td><td>NAACP Lifetime Achievement Theatre Award</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>Drama Desk Award</td><td>Outstanding Direction of a Play</td><td>The Piano Lesson</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2014</td><td>Drama Desk Award</td><td>Outstanding Solo Performance</td><td>August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>Tony Award</td><td>Best Direction of a Play</td><td>Jitney</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Drama Desk Award</td><td>Outstanding Direction of a Play</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2021</td><td>Writers Guild Award</td><td>Best Adapted Screenplay</td><td>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>Tony Award</td><td>Best Actor in a Play</td><td>Lackawanna Blues</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Drama Desk Award</td><td>Outstanding Actor in a Play</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Wayne State University</td><td>Apple Award</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>