Ana Ofelia Murguía, voice of Mama Coco, dies at 90

Ana Ofelia Murguía, the actress who voiced the pivotal Mama Coco in Pixar’s musical fantasy Coco, has died. She was 90.

Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature confirmed the news on social media, noting that her “artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico.” Beyond her role in the Oscar-winning film, Murguía enjoyed a decorated career that spans over seven decades across stage, film, and television. 

Born in Mexico in 1933, Murguía’s began her career with an appearance in the 1967 television series La Tormenta. She went on to star in films including Mi querido Tom Mix, 1979’s Life Sentence, La Reina de la Noche, and 2008’s Tear This Heart Out. Her television credits include Mozart in the Jungle, Gregoria la cucharacha, Tric Trac, and Uroboros. Her final on-screen appearance was in 2018 as Abuela Carmelita in José José: El príncipe de la canción.

During the 2011 ceremony for the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences, she was awarded the Golden Ariel award recognizing her contributions to Mexican cinema industry. She has been nominated for 15 Ariel awards, including three wins for best supporting actress in 1979, 1986 and 1996.

Murguía is perhaps best known for her role in the emotional climax of the Pixar film, Coco, which follows a 12-year-old aspiring musician who goes up against his family’s ancestral ban on music by endearing the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer. Murguía voices Miguel’s great-grandmother, a wheelchair bound woman with whom he shares an emotional scene, singing the film’s hit song, “Remember Me.”

“For even if I’m far away I hold you in my heart,” Miguel sings, before she joins in with, “Until you’re in my arms again… Remember me.” The song from Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez won Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards.

In April 2023, Murguía was awarded the Ingmar Bergman Chair Medal for her career and contributions to the industry. While accepting her award, Murguía told the crowd, “Acting has been the passion of my life, I have never worked to collect an award. I have always loved this career, which I found by pure fluke. I’m happy. I feel like a very lucky woman.”

By Shania Russell 

Photo: Getty