Olga Merediz (born February 15, 1956) is an American actress and singer. Merediz originated the role of Abuela Claudia in the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of ...

'', for which she received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. She played the role for the show's entire

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

run, and reprised the role in the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

. Her television credits include NBC's 2016 series ''Shades of Blue'' and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

's ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a ...

''.

Early life

Merediz was born in Guantánamo, Cuba on February 15, 1956. She left Cuba with her family when she was five years old to

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

. Thereafter, she relocated with her family to

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

where she grew up. Merediz graduated with a bachelor's degree from

Newcomb College H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, or Newcomb College, was the coordinate women's college of Tulane University located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1886 in memory of her daug ...

, the former female counterpart to

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, Louisiana.

Career

Film and television

Having made her film debut in 1984's ''

The Brother from Another Planet ''The Brother from Another Planet'' is a 1984 American science fiction film, written and directed by John Sayles. The low-budget film stars Joe Morton as an extraterrestrial trapped on Earth. Plot A mute space alien crash-lands his ship on Elli ...

'', Merediz has since appeared in a number of films, including ''

The Milagro Beanfield War ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' is a 1988 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Redford from a screenplay written by John Nichols and David S. Ward based on Nichols's novel of the same name. The ensemble cast includes Ruben Blades, Richar ...

'' (1988), '' City of Hope'' (1991), '' Evita'' (1996), ''

Music of the Heart ''Music of the Heart'' is a 1999 American biographical musical drama film directed by Wes Craven and written by Pamela Gray, based on the 1995 documentary '' Small Wonders''. The film is a dramatization of the true story of Roberta Guaspari, po ...

'' (1999), '' K-Pax'' (2001), '' Remember Me'' (2010), '' Custody'' (2016), '' Humor Me'' (2017), and the reprise of her 2008 Tony Award nominated Broadway role as Abuela Claudia, in the film adaptation ''

'' (2021). She also portrayed Alma Madrigal in '' Encanto'' (2021). Her television credits, in both dramas and comedies, include recurring and guest roles in '' Diary of a Future President'', ''

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

'', ''

Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural comedy television series that aired on Fox, and later on NBC. The show aired from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for a total of eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Da ...

'', ''

'' and '' Madam Secretary''. She has been a series regular in the UK television series ''

Bounty Hunters A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

'' and the comedy ''

Saint George Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

'', has appeared in episodes of both ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'' and '' Law & Order: SVU'', and appeared as herself as a judge on ''

Throwdown with Bobby Flay ''Throwdown! with Bobby Flay'' is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish. At the beginning of each show, Flay rec ...

''.

Theatre and stage

In addition to ''In the Heights'', her

credits include ''Reckless'' at the Manhattan Theatre Club, ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cerva ...

'', and ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

''. She also appeared as Rosie in ''

Mamma Mia! Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent *Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...

''. Before they went to Broadway, Merediz starred in the Off-Broadway versions of ''In the Heights'', and ''The Human Comedy''. Some of her other Off-Broadway credits include ''Women without Men'', ''The Haggadah'', ''Lullabye and Goodnight'', and ''The Blessing''. Additionally, Merediz was directed by

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and direc ...

in a play called ''Thornhill''.

Voice-over credits

Merediz has an extensive voice-over and narration portfolio, including the PBS Nature documentaries: ''Bears'', ''Hotel Armadillo'', ''Jungle Animal Hospital'', ''Nature's Miracle Orphans'', and ''Cuba: The Accidental Eden''. Her voice can be heard in numerous TV/radio commercials, ''

Dora the Explorer ''Dora the Explorer'' is an American children's animated television series and multimedia franchise created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner that premiered on Nickelodeon on August 14, 2000, went on hiatus on June 5, 20 ...

'', ''

Go, Diego, Go! ''Go, Diego, Go!'' is an American children's animated television program that premiered on Nickelodeon on September 6, 2005 in the United States. Created and executive produced by Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes, the series is a spin-of ...

'', ''

Elena of Avalor ''Elena of Avalor'' is an American computer-animated adventure television series that premiered on Disney Channel on July 22, 2016, and moved to Disney Junior on July 14, 2018. The series features Aimee Carrero as the voice of Elena, a Latina pri ...

'', and '' Encanto''. She served as spokesperson for the MTA, New York City Transit Authority.

Awards and nominations

At the 2008 Tony Awards, she received a nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the

incarnation of ''In the Heights''. In addition to her Tony Award nomination, Merediz won a 2007

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

for Outstanding Ensemble Performance for her role in the off-Broadway run of ''In the Heights'', as well as a 2003 HOLA Tespis Award from the

Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) is an active arts service and advocacy organization founded in 1975. It is in the United States and is dedicated to Hispanic artists, actors and actresses. It is not to be confused with H.O.L.A., H ...

. In 2013, ''Latina'' magazine named her as one of the 50 Best Latin Singers and Pop Stars of All Time. According to the magazine, "The Cuban Broadway star knows how to dominate a live stage and owns it!"

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Discography

Charted songs

References

External links

*
Olga Merediz
at the Internet Off-Broadway Database * {{DEFAULTSORT:Merediz, Olga 1956 births Cuban emigrants to the United States Living people Hispanic and Latino American women singers American musical theatre actresses American television actresses American voice actresses 21st-century American women H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College alumni