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INGRID OLIU ("Estela")
A character comedienne with a colorful personal history, Ingrid Oliu plays the good, hard-working sister in REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. Far from ordinary, however, her deft interpretation makes Estela not only admirable but charming and memorable.
The film is one of a mere handful of features Oliu has made, among them the 1987 hit, Stand and Deliver. She has worked more frequently in theatre and television, and has vast experience in Spanish-speaking advertising and voice overs. As the voice of Sears for three years, Oliu undoubtedly helped make the Latino community of Los Angeles its most loyal customer.
The daughter of Nicaraguan parents, Oliu was born in Los Angeles - in Boyle Heights - but returned to Nicaragua in 1972, after the earthquake. For the next six years, she lived a paradisiacal existence on a large fruit and coffee plantation. When the Sandinastas came to power, her family lost the property and returned to the United States - the lucky possessors of American passports. New laws may soon permit them to reclaim their land.
An only child until age 9, Ms. Oliu describes herself as "always a ham." She became involved with Nosotros, an organization for Spanish-speaking entertainers with a great workshop for children. "Someone from Nosotros went to various institutions saying 'come see our kids' - the result being her appearance in several short films for directors studying at the American Film Institute.
Oliu also trained at the Los Angeles Actors Theatre (now L.A. Theatre Center) and appeared in several plays under the aegis of the Latino Theatre Lab, Boyd Street Theatre and Padua Playwrights Festival.
Ms. Oliu's television credits include the "Tracy Ullman Show," "Middle Ages" and "Hunter" as well as two movies of the week for NBC, "Stranger in Town" and "A Time to Heal."
Following the untimely death of her husband, Ingrid Oliu withdrew from acting for a considerable period. She lives in a pistachio-colored house in East Los Angeles with her mother, brother and 9-year-old daughter, Amanda.
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