Who is Sylvia Villagran? Meet Oscars 2023 ceremony announcer
The 95th Academy Awards (Oscars 2023) will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Los Angeles, California-based Dolby Theater. Popular talk show anchor Jimmy Kimmel will host the coveted ceremony for the third time.
ABC will be televising the program live from 8 pm EDT, while viewers can also stream it on other platforms including ABC.com, the ABC app, and Hulu. Meanwhile, E! will air the red carpet event from 5 pm EDT.
In the significant Best Picture category, films such as All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick, Triangle of Sadness, and Women Talking are in contention at the Oscars 2023.
The Academy recently confirmed that Sylvia Villagran will be the announcer of the Oscars 2023. One of the most versatile voice-over artists in the world, Villagran has been the announcer for many other award shows in the past.
Oscars 2023 trivia: Sylvia Villagran is reportedly the first Latina announcer
On Thursday, March 9, the Academy took to social media to announce Villagran’s involvement with the Oscars 2023. Along with sharing a photo of her, they introduced her as the announcer.
For her part, Villagran expressed gratitude to the Academy and noted that she is the first Latina announcer for the Oscars. Tagging the organization, she wrote:
“Thank u so much for inviting me to be ur voice for the evening. It is a thrill and an honor to be the first Latina announcer for the Oscars. I am deeply grateful and humbled by the opportunity to #represent #RepresentationMatters #latina #mexicana”
Apart from her, Grey's Anatomy star and voice actor Janora McDuffie was the announcer at last year’s Oscars, becoming the first LGBTQI+ announcer for the event. Further, Randy Thomas, who has voiced at the Oscars as many as 10 times, holds the honor of being the first woman to be roped in as the Academy announcer. Her first stint came in 1993 at the 65th Academy Awards.
As for Sylvia Villagran's career, she is a known name in the vocal acting industry, having lent her smooth tone to numerous award ceremonies before the Oscars 2023, like the 20th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards (2015), 2014 Writers Guild Awards (2014), and the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards (2014).
She also served as the recording assistant on several TV series like The Real Ghostbusters (20 episodes), Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters (33 episodes), and Maxie’s World. The two-time Voice Arts Award winner currently provides her vocal cords for programs across NBC, CBS, TCM, the CW, and the Disney Channel.
Her voice can also be heard on the NFL halftime show, AFI tributes, Teen Choice Awards, and the historic 2012 and 2016 Democratic National Convention. This aside, Villagran was the narrator of numerous Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed shows on ABC, TBS, TNT, and AMC. As a voice actress, she was featured in video games like Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, Red Dead Redemption II, and Barbie Riding Club, among others.
The native Angelino, who could speak “only Spanish” in her home as per a strict rule, honed her English skills for years and with time, became one of the sought-after bilingual voice actresses.
The Oscars 2023 will be broadcast live on ABC at 8 pm EDT on March 12, 2023. One can also stream the event live on platforms including ABC.com, the ABC app, Hulu, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV.