Karen Olivo Biography

Fast Facts

• The recipient of numerous Astaire Award nominations, she walked away with the prize in 2008 for her work on In the Heights
• Became the first actor to win a Tony Award for work in a stage production of West Side Story
• After studying at the Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, she would go on to continue her education at the University of Cincinnati's College of Music
• Her father comes from a Puerto Rican and Native American heritage, while her mother is of Chinese and Dominican descent
• Quote: "The business is so hard and you get dealt a lot of tough breaks and you sort of push them aside and dust yourself off and keep trudging along․"
• Best known for her starring role in the Broadway production of In the Heights
• Took a hiatus from theater in 2013 and relocated to Wisconsin to enjoy a slower pace of life