Olga Merediz

Olga Merediz (born February 15, 1956) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for originating the role of Abuela Claudia in the Broadway musical In the Heights, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. Merediz played the role throughout the show's entire Broadway run and reprised it in the film adaptation. Her television credits include Shades of Blue and Orange Is the New Black. Merediz was born in Guantánamo, Cuba and moved to Miami, Florida with her family at the age of five. She later settled in Puerto Rico. She made her film debut in The Brother from Another Planet (1984) and has appeared in other films such as The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) and City of Hope (1991). Merediz holds a bachelor's degree from Newcomb College in New Orleans, Louisiana.