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Sara Ramirez modeling at The Heart Truth Fashion Show 2008. Photo by The Heart Truth-Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Sara Ramirez

Sara Ramirez was born on August 31, 1975, in Mazatlán, Mexico, and moved to the United States when she was seven years old, following her parents’ divorce. Sara is a Juilliard School graduate (1997). Ramirez made their Broadway debut in Paul Simon’s The Capeman (1998) before winning a Tony Award for their performance as the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot in 2005.

Ramirez starred as Dr. Callie Torres in 239 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy for ABC.
Sara is a singer/songwriter and LGBT rights activist in addition to her acting career. Ramirez came out as bisexual, then non-binary, and used they/them pronouns. They went on to play the bisexual, non-binary characters, Kat Sandoval, in Madam Secretary and Che Daz in And Just Like That…

They serve on the boards of True Colors United and the LGBT Centers in San Diego, New York, and San Francisco. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation honored them with the Ally for Equality Award in 2015.

1. Sara is a Tony Award winner

Sara Ramirez. Photo by The Heart Truth.

Ramirez made their breakthrough as the Lady of the Lake in Eric Idle and John Du Prez’s musical Spamalot. The musical, based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, premiered on Broadway in 2005 to widespread acclaim. Ramirez received numerous awards for their performance, including the 2005 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance. The New York Times’ Ben Brantley described them as “a toothsome devourer of scenery,” and another reviewer for The Playgoer praised their intensity as serious, ludicrous, and totally on key.

2. Sara is a graduate of the famous Juilliard school

Juilliard school. Photo by Kidfly182.

After playing the Witch in Into the Woods, Dolly in Hello, Dolly!, and Miss Hannigan in Annie, Ramirez was recommended for the Juilliard School in New York City, where they received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (dramatics). Ramirez honed their acting skills and trained as a vocalist at Juilliard.

3. Ramirez has featured in a video game

Sara debuted as Lammy, the main protagonist of the PlayStation game “Um Jammer Lammy” from late 1998 to early 1999, and then again in the summer of 1999 due to U.S. censorship and religious and violent issues in Japan’s version of the game. They appeared as Lammy once more in the 2001-2002 PlayStation 2 game “PaRappa the Rapper 2.”

4. Ramirez is a successful recording artiste

In 2009, Ramirez released their first single, a cover of Silent Night. Grey’s Anatomy’s tenth episode of the sixth season featured the song. Their self-titled debut extended play was released in March 2011 on the iTunes Store by Atrevida Records. The EP featured four songs, including a cover of Brandi Carlile’s “The Story,” which appeared on her 2007 album. Ramirez and the album’s writer-producer, Rob Giles, collaborated on two of the three songs. Sara Ramirez debuted at 37 on the Billboard 200, nine on the Independent Albums chart, and 38 on the Canadian Albums Chart.

“The Story” debuted at 69 on the Billboard Hot 100, 72 on the Canadian Hot 100, and 34 on the Irish Singles Chart the same week. Decca Records and ABC Studios released soundtracks for Monty Python’s Spamalot and Grey’s Anatomy: The Music Event (2011), respectively.

5. Sara is an activist and LGBT rights advocate

LGBT flag. Photo by Stavrialena Gontzou.

They serve on the boards of True Colors United and The Task Force, as well as the LGBT Centers in San Diego, New York, and San Francisco. They spoke at a True Colors Fund conference in support of homeless LGBTQ youth. Ramirez also supports other organizations such as BiNetUSA, Bisexual Organizing Project, American Institute of Bisexuality, NDLON, and Mujeres De Maz. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation honored them with the Ally for Equality Award in 2015.

6. Sara appeared in the Grey’s Anatomy cast for ten years

Grey’s Anatomy Logo. Photo by ABC.

Following his success on Broadway, Ramirez joined the cast of the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy in the second season as Dr. Calliope ‘Callie’ Torres, a love interest for Dr. George O’Malley. Ramirez revealed on an Oprah Winfrey Show special Grey’s Anatomy-themed episode that top executives from ABC, who were greatly impressed by their performance in Spamalot, offered them a role in any ABC show they wanted. Ramirez chose Grey’s Anatomy because they were already fans of the show.  She said that during their initial audition, the producers liked them and intended to cast them in the show, but they didn’t know who.

Ramirez, who was initially assigned recurring status when the character was created, received star billing in the show’s third season, alongside fellow cast member Eric Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan.

7. Ramirez has starred in Sex and the City revival

Sex and the City logo. Photo by Keete 37.

Ramirez’s character, Che Diaz is a non-binary podcast host and stand-up comedian who is outspoken. In the show, Diaz is a non-binary person who came out later in life and speaks their truth unapologetically. The character taught Sara a lot about how to embrace their power, even when confronted with systems that would have them shut down.

8. A shooting in Florida inspired Sara’s coming out

Sara Ramirez. Photo by The Heart Truth.

They delivered their memorable speech just months after the fatal shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Ramirez told People Magazine that the shooting inspired them to come out, explaining that they had not previously disclosed their sexual orientation for fear of jeopardizing their career. They realized, however, that they could use their platform to empower others, and that coming out gave them a sense of relief.

9. Ramirez has battled mental health issues

Mental Health. Photo by Total Shape.

Ramirez disclosed in 2011, as the cover girl for the March issue of Latina Magazine, that they had struggled with serious depression. She stated that they could barely get out of bed at one point to go film Grey’s Anatomy.

In the interview, they also discussed the death of her best friend, Al D. Rodriguez, whom they referred to as their “gay husband.” According to Sara, Rodriguez had opened their eyes to accepting and loving themselves for about 10 or 11 years, until he died.

10.  Her unique name is commonly mispronounced

As it turns out, her name isn’t “Sara.” Her first name is pronounced “sada,” with the R sounding somewhere between a T and a D.