Renée Victor, the veteran movie and TV actress who charmed audiences around the world as the voice of wise and protective Abuelita Elena in Pixar’s 2017 Day of the Dead musical comedy Coco has died at 86. Victor died at her home in Sherman Oaks, CA on Friday night due to lymphoma, a representative confirmed to the New York Times.
Though her long career stretched back to 1980s, when she scored the first of a series of small roles in TV shows including Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Matlock, and picked up in the 1990s with appearances in films including The Apostle, The Prophecy II and My Brother the Pig, it was her role as the strong-willed Abuelita (grandmother) in Coco that made her an international superstar late in life. The colorful story of a a 12-year-old boy in Mexico who is magically transported to the land of the dead grossed more than $800 million across the world and had Victor sharing billing with stars including Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Edward James Olmos and Alanna Ubach.
Coco‘s studio, Pixar, paid tribute in an Instagram post that read, “We are heartbroken to hear of the passing of Renée Victor, the voice Abuelita in Coco and an incredible part of the Pixar family. We will always remember you.”
Victor was born in San Antonio, TX on July 25, 1938 and made her acting debut at 10 in a San Antonio production of the opera Carmen, according to her IMDb bio. She later moved to Las Vegas in the 1960s, performed alongside musicians Xavier Cugat and Perez Prado and fronted a popular musical duo with her husband, Ray Victor, “Ray and Renée,” from 1963-1973.
She worked as a singer/dancer at the Stardust Hotel and also performed on the stage in Europe, Latin America and Australia before taking on hosting duties in the early 1970s on KTLA Los Angeles’ talk show Pacesetters, which focused on the Chicago movement.
In addition to her acting gigs, Victor also served as a translator-interpreter for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, translated the Nutcracker Suite into Spanish for the BBC and narrated La Ofrenda — The Day of the Dead for an entry in the Los Angeles Film Festival, as well as recording jingles for RC Cola and Twin Dragon Chinese Cookies.
She first broke into acting in the mid-1980s with brief roles in Hotel, Masquerade and the George Burns Comedy Week, continuing her run on the small screen into the 1990s with spots on The Parent ‘Hood, The Tony Danza Show and Team Knight Rider, among many other credits. After a six-episode run on ER in 2004, Victor landed her longest TV run as housekeeper Lupita in Weeds, which ran from 2005-2012. She also had long runs on the action series Snowpiercer and With Love, most recently appearing as Inez in the ABC family drama A Million Little Things.
Her film career continued apace in the 2000s as well, with appearances in A Night in Old Mexico and Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, before scoring her breakout role as the firm, but loving grandmother in the Oscar-winner Coco, which featured an all-Latin cast.
In a tribute post, her daughter Margot wrote, “She was dignity and beauty till the end. I am shattered, but I celebrate the end of her elegant and defiant battle with illness these last couple of years. She would never allow anything to keep her down. All my life she’s been a force of nature, a world of fun, sharp wit with boundless talents and energy. hroughout her long life, her ability to reach any goal against odds was formidable. She was and will forever remain my hero and inspiration. She was my closest friend who’s awe and support of my endeavors was madness, but I know she is happy where she is now, while still by my side.”
Victor was excited in March about the news that a Coco sequel was set to hit theaters in 2029. “It was my great pleasure and experience working with the incredibly talented [director] Lee Unkrich and [co-director] Adrian Molina! We get to do it again!” she wrote on Instagram. “This is what we’ve all been waiting for! I’m so excited! Coco shared a Mexican tradition that is now celebrated around the world in unity. An amazing amount of work and talent goes into the creation of this unique film.”
