Biography
Best-known for her stage work in "West Side Story," "In The Heights" and "Hamilton," Tony Award-winning actress Karen Olivo also enjoyed recurring roles in "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-2016) and "Harry's Law" (NBC, 2011-12). Born in Manhattan, NY in 1976 but raised in Florida, Olivo studied at the Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts and the University of Cincinnati - College-Conservatory of Music before making her Broadway debut as depressed mother Faith in the play-within-a-play of "Brooklyn" in 2004. A year later she appeared on screen for the first time in an episode of "All My Children" (ABC, 1970-2011), and made the first of several guest spots in the "Law and Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) franchise. Following a two-episode stint in "Conviction" (NBC, 2006), Olivo ventured onto the big screen in indie dramas "Adrift in Manhattan" (2007) and "The New 20" (2008), and returned to the stage to star as Vanessa opposite long-time friend Lin-Manuel Miranda in his first hit musical, "In the Heights." Olivo picked up a Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award in 2009 for her portrayal of Anita in the Broadway revival of "West Side Story," but she continued to pursue TV and film roles, landing supporting parts in human trafficking tale "Shanghai Hotel" (2011), horror "The Orphan Killer" (2011) and existential drama "Generation Um" (2012), and recurring gigs as hotshot lawyer Cassie Reynolds in short-lived legal drama "Harry's Law" (NBC, 2011-12) and wealthy law student Giada Cabrini in "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-2016). After playing Garrett Clayton's stepmother in festive movie "Holiday Spin" (2012), Olivo announced that she was taking a break from acting, and moved from New York to Madison with sound technician husband Jim Uphoff, where she taught musical theater performance at the University of Wisconsin, recorded an album and worked on several projects with the Theatre LILA. Olivo made her showbiz comeback just twelve months later when she was cast as dance tutor Susan in Jonathan Larson's autobiographical musical, "Tick, Tick...Boom!" In 2016, she added another Lin-Manuel Miranda project to her resume when she starred as the eldest Schuyler sister, Angelica, in the Chicago production of his award-winning hip-hop historical musical, "Hamilton."
