Culture Renée Victor, the voice of Abuelita in 'Coco', dies...

Renée Victor, the voice of Abuelita in ‘Coco’, dies aged 86

-

- Advertisment -
ADVERTISEMENT

American actress Renée Victor, who voiced the scene-stealing, sandal-throwing Abuelita in Disney’s animated hit film Coco and played the wisecracking Lupita in the TV show Weeds has died aged 86.

Victor’s death was confirmed on Monday by a representative, Julie Smith, who said the actress had lymphoma for several years. She died Friday at her home in Sherman Oaks, California, Smith said, with family by her side.

Victor appeared in 22 episodes of Weeds as sassy housekeeper Lupita between 2005 and 2012, among many other TV credits including ER, Matlock and The Addams Family.

Victor as Lupita in Weeds
Victor as Lupita in WeedsShowtime

But she was perhaps best known for her voice work on Coco, the 2017 gem that explored death through the journey of a young Mexican boy to the land of the dead.

A post on the Instagram feed of Pixar, which produced Coco, said: “We are heartbroken to hear of the passing of Renée Victor, the voice (of) Abuelita in ‘Coco’ and an incredible part of the Pixar family. We will always remember you.”

Born in San Antonio, Texas, on 25 July 1938, Victor began her performing career as a singer and dancer. She moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, according to biography material provided by her representatives, where she launched her career singing with prominent big band leaders Xavier Cugat and Pérez Prado. She also taught Latin dancing, including salsa and tango.

She met her future husband, Ray, during that period, and from 1963 to 1973, they performed together as “Ray & Renée,” a variety show took them around the world.

By the ’80s, she had moved into TV and film work. Her film credits included The Doctor with William Hurt (1991), The Apostle (1997) directed by and starring Robert Duvall and A Night in Old Mexico (2013), also with Duvall. In 2004, she had a recurring role as Florina Lopez on TV’s ER, and the following year was cast in Weeds. Other series credits included Snowpiercer (2020-2021), Mayans M.C. (2022), Dead to Me (2020-2022), and With Love (2021-2023). Her final film role was in 2023’s Moe.

Renee Victor at the premiere of Coco in Los Angeles on 8 Nov. 2017
Renee Victor at the premiere of Coco in Los Angeles on 8 Nov. 2017AP Photo

Victor is survived by her daughters, Raquel and Margo Victor. 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest news

Why a robotic imitation of Walt Disney is causing controversy

ADVERTISEMENTThe urban legend goes that Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen to one day be brought back to life. While there's never been any truth to that, the pioneering American animator has, in-sort, been revived - as a robot. To celebrate Disneyland California's 70th anniversary in July, the theme park recently unveiled an animatronic replica of their

A-ha’s Morten Harket reveals he has Parkinson’s disease

ADVERTISEMENTMorten Harket, frontman of celebrated Norwegian synth-pop band A-Ha, has revealed that he has Parkinson’s disease.The news was shared by the band in a statement on their website which read: “This isn’t the sort of news anyone wants to deliver to the world, but here it is – Morten has Parkinson’s disease.”The pop icon, aged 65, shared

New James Bond game ‘007 First Light’ unveiled

ADVERTISEMENTWhile film fans continue to wait for an official announcement regarding the identity of the new James Bond and when the secret agent will be back on the big screen, gamers will be thrilled by the announcement of a new video game which hits consoles next year.Developed and published by IO Interactive, the folks behind Hitman, 007

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus discusses writing musical with AI and ABBA future

ADVERTISEMENTABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus was at the inaugural edition of London’s SXSW festival yesterday and revealed he is writing a new musical using AI.He referred to artificial intelligence as “such a great tool” and discussed his project during a talk at SXSW London.“It is like having another songwriter in the room with a huge reference frame,”
- Advertisement -

Louis Vuitton fights Portuguese liqueur firm over ‘same logo’ use

ADVERTISEMENTIn a true David versus Goliath struggle in the business world, the French conglomerate Louis Vuitton has launched an intellectual property lawsuit against the Portuguese liqueur producer, Licores do Vale.The French firm says the Monção company's use of an LV (with an inverted V) on the labels of its bottles, and a graphic for its

‘Back To The Future’ stars join Gibson in search for missing guitar

ADVERTISEMENTWhere is Marty McFly's missing guitar? If you’re a fan of the Back To The Future films, you’ll know exactly what that question’s about.  In the first Back to the Future film, Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, grabbed a cherry red ES-345 Gibson guitar and rocked out at a 1950s high school dance. He played

Must read

Why a robotic imitation of Walt Disney is causing controversy

ADVERTISEMENTThe urban legend goes that Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen to one day be brought back to life. While there's never been any truth to that, the pioneering American animator has, in-sort, been revived - as a robot. To celebrate Disneyland California's 70th anniversary in July, the theme park recently unveiled an animatronic replica of their

A-ha’s Morten Harket reveals he has Parkinson’s disease

ADVERTISEMENTMorten Harket, frontman of celebrated Norwegian synth-pop band A-Ha, has revealed that he has Parkinson’s disease.The news was shared by the band in a statement on their website which read: “This isn’t the sort of news anyone wants to deliver to the world, but here it is – Morten has Parkinson’s disease.”The pop icon, aged 65, shared
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you