Mexican actor Ana Ofelia Murguía, 90, known for lending her voice to the titular character of the Disney and Pixar film "Coco," has died.
Mexico's National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature announced her death "with deep sadness" on social media, noting her "artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico."
A cause of death was not given.
"We send condolences and warm hugs to her family and friends," the institute added.
Born in Mexico City in 1933, Murguía studied acting at Mexico's National School of Theatre Arts, according to The Guardian.
She landed her first acting role in the 1954 play "Trial By Fire" and a decade later was cast in her first screen role in the 1964 film "Transit."
Murguía portrayed more than 100 roles throughout her decadeslong career, which spanned across stage, film, and television, but arguably one of her most notable was voicing the elderly Mamá Coco in the 2017 Oscar-winning animated film, "Coco," which went on to win two Academy awards — one for best animated feature and one for best original song for "Remember Me," which Murguía sings at the film's end in a duet.
Murguía won Ariel awards, Mexico's preeminent acting prizes, for best supporting actress in 1979, 1986, and 1996 for films including "La Reina de la Noche" (The Queen of the Night), and was nominated a further three times for best supporting actress. Murguía went on to win a lifetime achievement Golden Ariel award recognizing significant figures in the Mexican cinema industry in 2011.
She last appeared in the 2018 series "José José: El Príncipe de la Canción," a show that portrayed the life of the Mexican pop singer in a fictionalized biopic.
"Acting has been the passion of my life, I have never worked to collect an award," Murguía said in April, upon accepting the Medalla Cátedra Bergman [the Ingmar Bergman chair medal] from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, according to The Guardian. "I have always loved this career, which I found by pure fluke. I'm happy. I feel like a very lucky woman."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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