Olga Merediz

Olga Merediz^[1][2] (born February 15, 1956) is an American actress and singer. Merediz originated the role of Claudia in the Broadway musical In the Heights, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She played the role for the show's entire Broadway run, and reprised the role in the film adaptation.^[3][4] Her television credits include NBC's 2016 series Shades of Blue and Netflix's Orange Is the New Black.

Olga Merediz
Merediz in 2021
Born	(1956-02-15) February 15, 1956 (age 68) Guantánamo, Cuba
Citizenship	United States
Alma mater	Tulane University
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	1984–present
Known for	Abuela Claudia in In the Heights
Awards	Drama Desk Award HOLA Tespis Award

Early life

Merediz was born in Guantánamo, Cuba on February 15, 1956.^[1][2] She left Cuba with her family when she was five years old to Miami, Florida.^[5] Thereafter, she relocated with her family to Puerto Rico where she grew up. Olga attended and graduated from Commonwealth High School in San Juan where she performed and began developing her singing and acting skills in the high school theatrical plays.^[5] Merediz graduated with a bachelor's degree from Newcomb College, the former women's college within Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[5]

Career

Film and television

Having made her film debut in 1984's The Brother from Another Planet, Merediz has since appeared in a number of films, including The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), City of Hope (1991), Evita (1996), Music of the Heart (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 In the Heights (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, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Orange Is the New Black and Madam Secretary. She has been a series regular in the UK television series Bounty Hunters and the comedy Saint George, has appeared in episodes of both Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU, and appeared as herself as a judge on Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

Theatre and stage

In addition to In the Heights, her Broadway credits include Reckless at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Man of La Mancha, and Les Misérables. She also appeared as Rosie in Mamma Mia!.

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 in a play called Thornhill.

Voice-over credits

Merediz has an extensive voice-over and narration portfolio, including the PBS Nature documentaries: Bears,^[6] Hotel Armadillo,^[7] Jungle Animal Hospital,^[8] Nature's Miracle Orphans,^[9] and Cuba: The Accidental Eden.^[10] Her voice can be heard in numerous TV/radio commercials, Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, Elena of Avalor, and Encanto.

She served as spokesperson for the MTA, New York City Transit Authority.^[11]

Awards and nominations

At the 2008 Tony Awards, she received a nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the Broadway incarnation of In the Heights.^[12] In addition to her Tony Award nomination, Merediz won a 2007 Drama Desk Award 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.^[13]

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!"^[14]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	The Brother from Another Planet	Noreen's Client
1988	The Milagro Beanfield War	Milagro Townsperson
1990	Q&A	Mrs. Valentin
1991	City of Hope	Nidia
	The Super	Female #2
1992	Boomerang	Guard
1994	Angie	Roz
1995	Drunks	Chairwoman
1996	Evita	Bianca Duarte
	Marvin's Room	Beauty Shop Lady
1997	States of Control	Purse-snatched Woman
	White Lies	Woman #1 in Window
1999	Things I Forgot to Remember	Carmela
	Music of the Heart	Ms. Olivas
2000	Isn't She Great	Mrs. Ramirez
	Center Stage	ABA Receptionist
	Requiem for a Dream	Malin & Block Secretary
2001	K-PAX	Transit Officer
2002	Changing Lanes	Mrs. Miller
	Apartment 5C	Jenny
2004	Imaginary Heroes	Maria	Uncredited
2006	A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints	Aunt Mary
2010	Remember Me	Aidan's Professor
2011	Mr. Popper's Penguins	Nanny
	Trouble in the Heights	Gloria
2012	One for the Money	Rosa Gomez
	The Place Beyond the Pines	Malena Gutierrez
2014	The Angriest Man in Brooklyn	Jane
	Top Five	Chelsea's Mom
	Like Sunday, Like Rain	Esa
	Fugly!	Moms
2016	Custody	Joyce
	Urge	Esthetician
	America Adrift	Sorida
2017	The Light of the Moon	Mariana
	Humor Me	Fortune Teller
2019	Fair Market Value	Missy Goya
2020	Godmothered	Beth
2021	In the Heights	Abuela Claudia
	Encanto	Abuela Alma Madrigal (singing voice)
2023	Somebody I Used to Know	Joanne "Jojo"
TBA	Eternity	Karen	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	The Cosby Show	Mrs. Rodriguez	Episode: "Mr. Quiet"
1986	Another World	Dolores	1 episode
1987	Leg Work	Nuse	Episode: "Things That Go Bump in the Night"
1987–95	ABC Afterschool Special	Mrs. Mathias / Dr. Montoya	2 episodes
1988–89	Tattingers	Nanette	2 episodes
1989	Baby Cakes	Check-out Girl	TV movie
1991–2009	Law & Order	Various	6 episodes
1995	Central Park West	Anne	2 episodes
1996	The Sunshine Boys	Sue	TV movie
2000	The Sopranos	Fran	Episode: "Bust Out"
2001	The Job	Yolanda Sommeriba	Episode: "Anger"
	Third Watch	Judge	Episode: "He Said/She Said"
2002	George Lopez	Aunt Cecilia	Episode: "Who's Your Daddy?"
	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Mrs. Martinez	Episode: "Best Defense"
2003	Hope & Faith	Gloria	3 episodes
2003–19	Dora the Explorer	Maestra Beatriz / Fairy Godmother (voice)	2 episodes
2003–21	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Veronica Nash / Judge Roberta Martinez	6 episodes
2004	The Jury	Leticia Schikert	2 episodes
2005	Go, Diego, Go!	Mrs. Marquez (voice)	Episode: "Diego Saves the Humpback Whale"
2009	Au Pair 3: Adventure in Paradise	Teresa	TV movie
	Royal Pains	Esperanza	Episode: "If I Were a Sick Man"
2010	Past Life	Carmen Santos	Episode: "Pilot"
2011	Blue Bloods	Inez	Episode: "My Funny Valentine"
	Pan Am	Mrs. Rodriguez	Episode: "Unscheduled Departure"
2014	Saint George	Alma Lopez	10 episodes
	Dora and Friends: Into the City!	Emma's Grandma / Wagnerian Woman (voice)	Episode: "Dora Saves Opera Land"
2014–19	Orange Is the New Black	Lourdes	6 episodes
2015	Alternatino	Mother	Episode: "Respect Your Mother"
2016	Madam Secretary	Rep. Elle Vazquez	Episode: "Breakout Capacity"
2016–17	Shades of Blue	Lorena Zepeda	3 episodes
2017	The Breaks		Episode: "Blind Alley"
	Bounty Hunters	Maria	5 episodes
2017–18	Stuck in the Middle	Abuela	2 episodes
2017–19	Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Julia Diaz	2 episodes
2018–19	New Amsterdam	Warden Gloria Salazar	2 episodes
2019	Elena of Avalor	Felicia (voice)	Episode: "Flower of Light"
2019–20	Bull	Judge Ollis	2 episodes
2020–21	Diary of a Future President	Francisca	2 episodes
2022	Blockbuster	Connie Serrano	Main role; 10 episodes

Stage

Year	Show	Role	Notes
1982	Lullabye and Goodnight	Saint	Off-Broadway
1984	The Human Comedy	Mexican Woman	Broadway
1987	Les Misérables	Female Ensemble/Madame Thénardier Understudy	Broadway (Replacement)
2001	Mamma Mia!	Rosie	Broadway (Replacement)
2002	Man of La Mancha	The Housekeeper	Broadway Revival
2004	Reckless	Trish/Woman Patient	Broadway
2008	In the Heights	Abuela Claudia	Broadway Nominated—Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical

Discography

Charted songs

List of charted songs, with year released, selected chart positions, and album name shown

Title	Year	Peak chart positions							Certifications	Album
		US [15]	AUS [16]	CAN [17]	IRE [18]	NZ Hot [19]	UK [20]	WW [21]
"The Family Madrigal" (with Stephanie Beatriz and Encanto cast)	2021	20	40	31	18	7	7	20	RIAA: Gold[22] ARIA: Gold[23] BPI: Platinum[24]	Encanto
"All of You" (with Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, Adassa, Maluma, and Encanto cast)		71	—	83	—	—	—	111	BPI: Silver[24]
"—" denotes songs which were not released in that country or did not chart.

References

1. Willis, John (1995). Theatre World 1992-1993. p. 207. ISBN 9781557832030.
2. "Olga Merediz | Biography and Filmography | 1956". Hollywood.com. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
3. Gans, Andrew (October 27, 2010). "In the Heights to Close on Broadway in January; Miranda to Return to Cast". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2010-12-01. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
4. Jones, Kenneth (January 9, 2011). "Lights Out: In the Heights Ends Broadway Run Jan. 9; Tour Continues and Film Is in the Wings". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2011-01-11. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
5. Freshley, Catherine. "Tulane University - Balance and Ambition". Tulane University. Archived from the original on 29 April 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
6. Toner, Heather (2019-11-05). "Bears ~ About | Nature | PBS". Nature. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
7. Olson, Eric R. (2017-04-05). "Hotel Armadillo ~ About | Nature | PBS". Nature. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
8. Olson, Eric R. (2016-05-04). "Jungle Animal Hospital ~ About | Nature | PBS". Nature. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
9. Olson, Eric R. (2015-09-09). "Nature's Miracle Orphans ~ About | Nature | PBS". Nature. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
10. vea, tanner (2010-09-05). "Cuba: The Accidental Eden ~ About | Nature | PBS". Nature. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
11. Steinhauer, Jennifer (20 March 1994). "F.Y.I." The New York Times. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
12. Soltes, John. "Growing old with Olga Merediz in the new musical, ‘In the Heights’"^{[permanent dead link]}. The Leader. June 19, 2008.
13. The Broadway League. "Olga Merediz | Awards and Nominations". IBDB.
14. "Music". LATINA. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
15. Song peaks in the US (Billboard Hot 100):

    • "The Family Madrigal": "Billboard Hot 100: Week of February 5, 2022". Billboard. February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
    • "All of You": "Billboard Hot 100: Week of February 19, 2022". Billboard. February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
16. "Discography Olga Merediz". australian-charts.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
17. Discography - singles peaks in Canada:

    • "The Family Madrigal": "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: February 5, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
    • "All of You": "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: March 5, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
18. "Discography Olga Merediz". irishcharts.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
19. Peaks on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart:

    • "The Family Madrigal": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
20. Discography - singles peaks in the UK (Official Charts):

    • "The Familia Madrigal": "Stephanie Beatiz & Olga Merediz Chart History". Official Charts Company. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
21. "Billboard Global 200: Week of February 12, 2022". Billboard. February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
22. "American certifications – Olga Merediz – The Family Madrigal". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
23. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
24. "British certifications – Merediz". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 31, 2024. Type Merediz in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

External links

• Olga Merediz at the Internet Broadway Database
• Olga Merediz at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Olga Merediz at IMDb