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! “I don’t think you can actually replicate Gloria Estefan—you can only do your best to tell her story and be true to the music. I grew up performing her music at talent shows, ‘Reach’ was the first song I ever sang in public when I was 9 years old. That’s what we would jam to on our way to school.” Villafañe made her Broadway debut in the role on October 5, 2015, ahead of the show's official opening night at the Marquis Theatre on November 5, 2015. Both she and the show received rave reviews, and Villafañe was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s top "Broadway Breakout Stars of the Year" and nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League Award and Astaire Award.
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[1] set in her native Miami, and the female lead in the superhero feature film Max Steel (Mattel).