Renée Victor Passes On

Renée Victor, a singer actress who voiced Abuelita Elena Rivera in the movie Coco (2017) and appeared on such shows as Weeds and Snowpiercer, died on May 30 2025 at the age of 86 after a battle with lymphoma.

Renée Victor was born in San Antonio, Texas on July 25 1938. It was in the 1960s that she moved to Los Angeles where she began her career as a singer. She worked with such legendary bandleaders as Xavier Cugat and Perez Pedro. She also worked as a dance instructor, teaching tango and salsa. She married Ray Victor, and the two would perform as a duo Ray & Renée from 1963 to 1973. It was in the 1970s that she began hosting the local public affairs show Pacesetters on KTLA in Los Angeles. 

It was in the 1980s that Renée Victor began acting. During the decade she guest starred on the shows Hotel, Masquerade, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, George Burns Comedy Week, and Matlock. She appeared in the movie Salsa. 

In the Nineties Renée Victor provided additional voices on the Saturday morning cartoon The Addams Family. She guest starred on the shows Bob, The Parent 'Hood, Men Behaving Badly, The Tony Danza Show, Team Knight Rider, and That's Life. She appeared in the movies The Doctor (1991), Steal Big Steal Little (1995), The Apostle (1997), The Prophecy II (1998), The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998), and My Brother the Pig (1999). 

In the Naughts Renée Victor had recurring roles on ER, Weeds, and Tyler Perry's House of Payne. She guest starred on Strong Medicine, Mister Sterling, Women's Murder Club, Good Morning Agrestic, and Children's Hospital. She appeared in the movies Island Prey (2001), Never Trust a Serial Killer (2002), Assassination Tango (2002), Prospect (2004), Hot Tamale (2006),. Hollywood Familia (2006), Confessions of a Shopaholic  (2009), Stuntmen (2009), and Boyle Heights (2010).

In the Teens  Renée Victor voiced the grandmother in Coco (2017). She also appeared in the movies Wake (2011), A Night in Old Mexico (2013),  Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014), Superfly (2018), and In Other Words (2020). She continued appearing on Weeds. She had recurring roles on Snowpiercer, The Super Man, Vida,  and Dead to Me. She guest starred on the shows Major Crimes, Witches of East End, Gentefied, All Rise, and Victor and Valentino.

In the 2020s she had a recurring role on With Love. She guest starred on Fairfax, Undone, Mayan M.C., and A Million Little Things. She appeared in the movies Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone (2021), Welcome to Our World (2021) and Moe (2023). 

For most people Remée Victor would always be Abuelita Elena Rivera in the movie Coco. Mrs. Victor did a great job of voicing Abuelita, who was no-nonsesne and overly protective, yet still loving towards the lead character Miguel. Renée Victor excelled in playing comforting characters. On Snowpiercer she played Mama Grandé, one of the spiritual leaders of the oppressed people living in the tail of the title train. She played the nun Sister Teresa on Mayans M.C. In contrast to these characters was Lupita, the housekeeper of lead character Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) on Weeds. Lupita is wisecracking, cagey, and gutsy, Renée had an enormous amount of talent and could play a wide array of characters.