Puerto Rican actor Anthony Ramos is developing a movie about the Borinqueneers. The Borinqueneers were a U.S. Army regiment of Puerto Rican soldiers, the first Hispanic regiment in the U.S. Army. They grew out of a local regiment that began serving in 1899. They were organized into the regular army in 1908 and served in the Panama Canal Zone during World War I. In 1920, they gained the name of the 65th Infantry Regiment, but continued to be known as the Borinqueneers, a nod to the Taino name for Puerto Rico, Borinken. The Borinqueneers were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in addition to the hundreds of individual military honors they received.
Anthony Ramos
Ramos was born and grew up in Brooklyn and was educated at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy before beginning his career on Broadway, TV, and the big screen.
Ramos originated the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway performances of Hamilton. He played Usnavi in the film adaptation of In the Heights. Other major film roles include A Star Is Born as Ramon, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
He is working with filmmaker Tony Nardolillo and cinematographer Rafael Leyva to develop the new film. His Instagram post above shows that filming has begun, following two years of preparatory work. The movie is currently titled “65th.”
Toward the end of the reel shared below, Ramos shares how he learned that his grandfather was one of the Borinqueneers.
@findingyourroots @Anthony Ramos shares his crazy experience about his discoveries while filming Finding Your Roots. Hear more about Anthony Ramos’ story on a future episode of #FindingYourRoots ♬ original sound – findingyourroots
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