Olga Merediz

Olga Merediz is an American actress who most notably originated the role of Abuela Claudia in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical "In the Heights", for which she received a 2008 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. Merediz reprises the role in the film adaption of "In the Heights", directed by Jon M. Chu, released in 2021 by Warner Brothers. Olga also notably starred as the singing voice of Abuela Alma for the Disney animated film "Encanto" and reprised this role for "Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl" streaming on Disney+. Most recently she can be seen as a supporting role in "Somebody I Used To Know", which became the #1 streamed movie in the US on Prime Video.

Merediz was born in Guantánamo, Cuba. She left Cuba with her family when she was five years old to Miami, Florida. Thereafter, she relocated with her family to Puerto Rico where she grew up and attended American schools. Merediz graduated with a bachelor's degree from Newcomb College, the former female counterpart to Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

On Broadway, Merediz had leading and supporting roles in "The Human Comedy", "Les Miserables", "Mamma Mia!", "Man of La Mancha", "Reckless" and "In the Heights". On film, she has acted with Meryl Streep in both "Marvin's Room" (1996) and "Music of the Heart" (1999), worked with Sidney Lumet in both the film "Q & A" (1990) and the TV series "100 Centre Street", and played Blanca Duarte, Eva Peron's sister, in the movie of "Evita" (1996) directed by Alan Parker.

In other film and television roles she has worked alongside Ryan Gosling, Jim Carrey, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Lopez, Edie Falco, John Leguizamo, Rosie Perez, Barry Levinson, and the late great Robin Williams.

As a series regular on FX's "Saint George", playing George Lopez's feisty mother, Merediz also has recurring television roles on "Orange is the New Black", "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", "Diary of a Future President", "Bull", "Law & Order SVU", the British action comedy "Bounty Hunters", and "New Amsterdam" now streaming on Netflix. Olga will be featured in the upcoming Apple TV series "Jane" based on Jane Goodall.

Merediz produced a documentary based on her real life events, and penned a television pilot script also based on her Cuban-American heritage.