Ana Villafañe
| Ana Villafañe | |
|---|---|
Villafañe in 2013
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| Born |
Ana Teresa Villafañe June 5, 1989 Miami, Florida, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Our Lady of Lourdes Academy Catholic School |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
Ana Villafañe (pronounced: VEE-yuh-FAHN-yay; born June 5, 1989) is an American actress and singer from Miami, Florida, best known for her portrayal of pop icon Gloria Estefan in the Broadway musical On Your Feet!
She was born on June 5, 1989 in Miami, Florida. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. She is of Cuban and Salvadoran descent.
Villafañe's film and television credits include: the award-winning Magic City Memoirs (executive producer Andy Garcia), “Los Americans” created by Dennis Leoni (“Resurrection Boulevard”), Hiding (Anchor Bay), the Hulu Original Series South Beach set in her native Miami, and the female lead in the superhero feature film Max Steel (Mattel).
In the fall of 2014, Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan—alongside the producers and creative team of their biographical musical On Your Feet!—launched an international casting search, dubbed "Reach Gloria" (#ReachGloria) which offered performers around the world a chance to audition for the cast of the musical. Thousands of Broadway hopefuls—from Los Angeles, to Australia, to Colombia, to Singapore—auditioned for roles by submitting videos online, or attending one of two open casting calls held in New York City and the Estefans’ home-city of Miami, Florida. A lifelong fan of Gloria Estefan – who even attended the same Miami High School as the pop star – Villafañe learned of the Miami open casting call and, although she was unable to attend, sent the casting office a video audition. Within three days, she was called to audition for the show's director, Jerry Mitchell, and the Estefans. On April 13, 2015, Villafañe and Josh Segarra were announced on NBC's "Today Show" as the stars of the Broadway-bound musical.
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