Karen Olivo

Karen Olivo
Olivo in 2009
Born	(1976-08-07) August 7, 1976 (age 45) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Matt Caplan ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2012)​ James Uphoff ​ (m. 2014)​ [1]

Karen Olivo (born August 7, 1976) is an American stage and television actress, theater educator, and singer.

In 2008, Olivo originated the role of Vanessa in In the Heights on Broadway. The following year, she won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for their performance as Anita in a revival of West Side Story. She is the first and only actor to win a Tony Award for a performance in West Side Story. From 2016 to 2017, Olivo portrayed the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Chicago production of Hamilton.^[2][3] In 2019, Olivo originated the lead role of Satine in the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge! on Broadway, earning a nomination for the 2020 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Early life[]

Olivo was born on August 7, 1976 in the South Bronx, New York City.^[4] Olivo's father is of Puerto Rican and Native American descent, and her mother is of Dominican and Chinese descent. They were raised in Bartow, Florida. She attended the Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in nearby Lakeland, Florida, and later the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music. She left school before her final year to join the original Broadway production of Rent.^[4][5]

Career[]

1997–2006: Early career and Broadway debut[]

Olivo began her professional career in 1997 when she joined the original Broadway production of Rent. She joined as a replacement swing, also understudying the roles of Mimi and Maureen. The following year she joined the first national tour of Rent, dubbed the "Angel Tour," as a replacement swing once again. In late 1998, Olvio began playing Mimi on the tour, which she did until she left the show in January 1999. She moved back to New York City in 1999,^[4] but did not receive any roles outside of a small part in As the World Turns before joining the regional try-out of the musical Brooklyn in 2003.^[6][7] Before Brooklyn transferred to Broadway the following Fall, Olivo took part of a regional staging of Children of Eden and filmed guest roles for All My Children and Law & Order.^[8] The musical Brooklyn open on Broadway in October 2004 and closed in June 2005.^[9] Following its closure, Olivo joined the cast of the Brazilian-themed off-Broadway musical Miracle Brothers, which closed in October 2005.^[10] The following year she had small roles in NBC's Conviction and the independent film Adrift in Manhattan, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.

2007–2012: Prominence on Broadway[]

In the Heights[]

In 2008, In the Heights opened on Broadway. Olivo starred as Vanessa, opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda.

West Side Story[]

In 2009, Olivo received a Tony Award for her performance as Anita in the Broadway revival of West Side Story.^[11] She was also nominated for both a Drama Desk and an Outer Critic's Circle Award for her critically acclaimed performance as Anita. She earned her second Astaire Award nomination for Best Female Dancer for her performance in West Side Story, after previously winning the same award in 2008 for their performance in In the Heights. She was contracted with West Side Story at the Palace through 2010.^[12] During the May 8, 2010, matinee performance of West Side Story, Olivo broke their foot.^[13] Anita standby Natalie Cortez performed the role until the show's closure.^[14]

Olivo then took part in the world premiere of By The Way, Meet Vera Stark at off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, the play "draws upon the screwball films of the 1930s to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood."^[15]

Film and television[]

Olivo had a recurring role in The Good Wife on CBS. She played fabulously wealthy law student Giada Cabrini, a potential love interest of firm partner Will Gardner (Josh Charles). Olivo was a series regular in the second season of NBC's Harry's Law, playing "hot shot lawyer" Cassie Reynolds hired by Kathy Bates' character.^[16]

Olivo also appeared as Isabelle Perez, a woman who was unknowingly sterilized in the Law & Order episode "Birthright." She also appear in the spin-off series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Jennifer Benitez in an episode titled "Loophole". They later appeared in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Yelina Muñoz in an episode titled "October Sunrise".

Olivo has had several roles in movies, including Make Yourself at Home, The New Twenty, Shanghai Hotel, and The Orphan Killer.

2013–present: Break from acting and return to theater[]

On March 18, 2013, Olivo announced on her website that she was taking a break from acting, saying "with this knowledge I start a new chapter. I leave behind the actor and I start learning how to be me."^[17][18][19] During this period she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where they taught classes for the UW-Madison theater department and became involved in the local theater scene, which included opening a private studio to coach young performers.^[20]

She returned to professional acting the following year with New York City Center's Encores! production of the Jonathan Larson musical tick, tick... BOOM! alongside fellow Hamilton alumni Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. in June 2014 off-Broadway.^[21][22]

On July 13, 2016, it was announced that Olivo would star as Angelica Schuyler in the Chicago production of Hamilton.^[23] She was part of the cast from October 19, 2016, until August 6, 2017. She stated she intended to pursue teaching after leaving the production, stating that "I'm leaving the spotlight to make sure others find theirs". In February 2018, Olivo played Florence Vassy in the Kennedy Center's revival of the musical Chess.

On July 25, 2019, Olivo starred in the premiere of the Broadway production of "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" in New York City. She continued to perform her role in the show at the Al Hirschfeld Theater for an open-ended run.^[24] On October 15, 2020, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.^[25] On April 14, 2021, Olivo announced she would not return to the show once it reopens in protest of the industry's silence on the allegations against producer Scott Rudin. In an Instagram video, Olivo stated, "Social justice is more important than being the sparkling diamond."^[26]

Personal life[]

Olivo is married to Jim Uphoff, with whom she has two step-children. Olivo and Uphoff, a marketing manager and former New York theater sound technician, married in September 2014.^[20][4] Until 2012, Olivo was married to Broadway actor Matt Caplan.

In 2013, while taking a break from acting, Olivo moved to Madison, Wisconsin where she and Uphoff share a home she calls their "home base".^[4] Both she and her husband have family in Madison.^[27] She has previously lived in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles.^[4][20][22]

Theatre credits[]

Awards and nominations[]

References[]

External links[]

• Karen on "The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales"
• Karen on "And the Tony Goes To...." Podcast
• Broadway.com Star Profile
• Broadwayworld.com Profile
• Karen Olivo at IMDb
• Karen Olivo at the Internet Broadway Database
• Diva Talk: Karen Olivo