Ana Ofelia Murguía, Mexican actress and voice in Disney’s ‘Coco’, Dies, 90

Ana Ofelia Murguía, one of Mexico’s most acclaimed actresses whose voice as Mama Coco in Disney’s animated film “Coco” earned her international recognition, died Sunday. She was 90.

Her death was confirmed by the Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts and the National Theater Company, which did not specify the cause of death.

The National Theater Company described Murguía on social media as “one of Mexico’s greatest actresses.” In a statement, Lucina Jiménez López, director of the National Institute of Fine Arts, described her career as one that “marked an entire era.”

In Pixar’s 2017 animated film ‘Coco’, Murguía plays the key role of Mama Coco, the great-grandmother of a boy, the main character Miguel, who finds herself in the land of the dead on a journey to discover his family’s history. At the emotional climax of the film, Miguel and Mama Coco sing the song “Remember Me” together.

The film, built around the Mexican holiday of the Day of the Dead, was celebrated for its portrayal of Mexican culture and treatment of weighty topics such as death in a children’s film. It won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “Remember Me” at the 2018 Oscars.

‘Coco’ introduced Murguía to a global audience, but she was known in her home country of Mexico long before that.

Ana Ofelia Murguía was born on December 8, 1933 in Mexico City. She studied acting at the Mexican National School of Theater Arts and made her debut in 1954 in the play ‘Trial By Fire’. Her first film role was in the 1964 film ‘Transit’.

She would go on to appear in more than 70 plays and 90 films, working with some of Mexico’s best filmmakers. Praised for her versatility, she played the role of the villain or antagonist, according to A rack from the Institute of Fine Arts and the National Theater Company.

At the prestigious Ariel Awards in Mexico, Murguía won Best Supporting Actress for her performances in ‘Cadena Perpetua’ in 1979; ‘Los Motivos de Luz’ in 1986; and ‘La Reina de la Noche’ (The Queen of the Night) in 1996. She was nominated for best actress five times, but never won. In 2011, she was recognized with a special Lifetime Achievement Award from Golden Ariel.

In April 2023, she received the Ingmar Bergman Medal from the National Autonomous University of Mexico for leaving an “indelible mark” on Mexican cinema and theater.