Renée Victor, who voiced the no-nonsense, sandal-throwing Abuelita in Disney’s animated hit “Coco” and performed the wisecracking Lupita on Showtime’s “Weeds,” has died. She was 86.
Victor’s loss of life was confirmed on Monday by a consultant, Julie Smith, who mentioned the actor had lymphoma for a number of years. She died Friday at her dwelling in Sherman Oaks, California, Smith mentioned, with household by her aspect.
A submit on the Instagram feed of Pixar, which produced “Coco,” mentioned: “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.”
Victor appeared in 22 episodes of “Weeds” as sassy housekeeper Lupita between 2005 and 2012, amongst many different TV credit together with “ER,” “Matlock” and “The Addams Family.” However she was maybe finest identified for what she referred to as the chancla-throwing grandmother in “Coco,” the 2017 family-friendly film that explored loss of life via the journey of a younger Mexican boy to the land of the useless.
“I play the part of ‘Abuelita,’ the chancla throwing grandma that preaches ‘No Music!’” she wrote on Instagram, wanting again a number of years in the past. “Enjoy ‘Coco’ with your family this Dia de los Muertos and forever more!”
She additionally seemed again at “The Apostle,” the 1997 film that Robert Duvall wrote, directed and starred in. “He took a chance on me with this film,” Victor wrote on Instagram. “This is where I got my nickname ‘one take Renée,’” she mentioned, including laughter emojis. “I had a small role but what a great one! Can somebody give me an amen?!”
Born in San Antonio, Texas, on July 25, 1938, Victor started her performing profession as a singer and dancer. She moved to Los Angeles within the Nineteen Sixties, based on biography materials offered by her representatives, the place she launched her profession singing with distinguished large band leaders Xavier Cugat and Pérez Prado. She additionally taught Latin dancing, together with the salsa and tango.
She met her future husband, Ray, throughout that interval, and from 1963 to 1973, they carried out collectively as “Ray & Renée,” a range present took them world wide — together with Australia, the place “they enjoyed particular fame,” the supplies mentioned.
Within the Nineteen Seventies, Victor hosted the “Pacesetters” public affairs present on KTLA, her representatives mentioned, and by the ’80s had moved into TV and movie work.
Her movie credit, apart from “The Apostle,” included the 2014 horror movie “Paranormal Activity 5: The Marked Ones,” “The Doctor” with William Damage (1991), and “A Night in Old Mexico” (2013), additionally with Duvall. In 2004, she had a recurring position as Florina Lopez on TV’s “ER,” and the next yr was solid in “Weeds.” Different sequence credit included “Snowpiercer” (2020-2021), “Mayans M.C.” (2022), “Dead to Me” (2020-2022), and Amazon’s “With Love” (2021-2023).
Victor is survived by her daughters, Raquel and Margo Victor, Smith mentioned.
