Elizabeth Peña
Elizabeth Peña | |
|---|---|
 Peña in 2009 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Maria Peña September 23, 1959 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | October 14, 2014 (aged 55) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1979–2014 |
| Spouses |
Hans Rolla (m. 1994) |
| Children | 2 |
Elizabeth Maria Peña (September 23, 1959 – October 14, 2014) was an American actress. Her work in films included Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Batteries Not Included, La Bamba (both 1987), Jacob's Ladder (1990), Rush Hour (1998), The Incredibles (2004), Nothing like the Holidays (2008), and Lone Star (1996), for which she won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film. She was also a founding member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA). Peña also voiced Rosa Santos in the animated television series Maya & Miguel.
Early life
[edit]Peña was born on September 23, 1959, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and raised by her Cuban immigrant parents. Her father, Mario, was a playwright, director, actor, and designer in their native Cuba, who opened up the Latin American Theatre Ensemble after establishing a life for him and his family in New York. In 1975, she was a founding member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. In 1977, she graduated from New York's High School of Performing Arts. Ving Rhames and Esai Morales were her classmates, who would later star with her in Jacob's Ladder, La Bamba, and Resurrection Blvd.[citation needed]
Career
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2021) |
In 1979, Peña made her film debut in El Super, a "moving and melancholy comedy about a family of lower middle class Cuban refugees attempting to adjust to life in Spanish Harlem".[1] She worked once again with director Leon Ichaso in his next feature, Crossover Dreams. She appeared in films such as Nothing like the Holidays, La Bamba, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Jacob's Ladder, Lone Star, *batteries not included, Blue Steel, 1997's Gridlock'd as ER Admissions Person (under the name Elizabeth Anne Dickinson), Vibes, and Rush Hour. In 2002, she starred in Showtime's Resurrection Blvd. as Tia Bibi Corrades in the episode "Justicia", which she also directed. In 2003, she appeared in and directed "It Was Fun While It Lasted", an episode of The Brothers Garcia. Peña also voiced Mirage in Pixar's animated film The Incredibles. She guest starred in the 18th episode of season 2 of Numb3rs as Sonya Benavides, and in season 4 of Modern Family as Pilar, the Colombian mother of Gloria Pritchett. Although she spoke Spanish, she did not dub her own voice for Spanish releases. Peña was also noted for having starred in I Married Dora, a sitcom in 1987, as Dora Calderon, the title character. She also starred in John Sayles's produced critically acclaimed but short-lived television series Shannon's Deal (1989–1991). In 1996, Sayles wrote and directed the mystery film Lone Star and again cast her in a co-starring role, for which she won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film from the National Council of La Raza.
Personal life and death
[edit]Peña married television producer William Stephan Kibler in 1988. Their marriage later ended in divorce. In 1994, Peña married Hans Rolla, with whom she had two children, Fiona and Kaelan.[2]
Peña died on October 14, 2014, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 55.[2][3][4] The cause of death listed on her death certificate was cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol, which caused acute gastrointestinal bleeding, cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest.[5][6]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | El Super | Aurelita | Debut role |
| 1980 | Times Square | Disco Hostess | |
| 1981 | They All Laughed | Rita | |
| 1985 | Crossover Dreams | Liz Garcia | |
| Cagney & Lacey | Adelita Carrena | Episode: "Ordinary Hero" | |
| T. J. Hooker | Maria | Episode: "Rip-off" | |
| 1986 | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | Carmen | |
| Hill Street Blues | Alice | Episode: "Come and Get It" | |
| Tough Cookies | Connie Rivera | 6 episodes | |
| 1987 | La Bamba | Rosie Morales | |
| *batteries not included | Marisa Esteval | ||
| 1987–1988 | I Married Dora | Dora Calderon | 13 episodes |
| 1988 | Vibes | Consuelo | |
| 1989 | Shannon's Deal | Lucy Acosta | Television film |
| 1990 | Blue Steel | Tracy Perez | |
| Drug Wars: The Camarena Story | Mika Camarena | Miniseries | |
| Jacob's Ladder | Jezzie | ||
| 1990–1991 | Shannon's Deal | Lucy Acosta | 11 episodes |
| 1992 | The Waterdance | Rosa | |
| Fugitive Among Us | Flo Martin | Television film | |
| 1993 | Dream On | Debra | Episode: "Super Freak" |
| 1993–1994 | L.A. Law | Jinx Baldasseri | 4 episodes |
| 1994 | Dead Funny | Viv Saunders | |
| Roommates | Lisa | Television film | |
| 1995 | Across the Moon | Carmen | |
| The Outer Limits | Dr. Jennifer Martinez | Episode: "Living Hell" | |
| Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | Kate Haley | ||
| The Invaders | Ellen Garza | Miniseries | |
| 1996 | It Came from Outer Space II | Ellen Fields | Television film |
| Lone Star | Pilar | ||
| Recon | Officer Santiago | ||
| Two | Elizabeth Gaitan | Unaired pilot | |
| 1997 | Contagious | Det. Luisa Rojas | Television film |
| Gridlock'd | Admissions Person | ||
| The Second Civil War | Christina | Television film | |
| Dead Man's Gun | Gisella | Episode: "Fortune Teller" | |
| 1998 | The Pass | Zeena | |
| Rush Hour | Detective Tania Johnson | ||
| The Eddie Files | Aunt Ida | Episode: "Charts & Graphs: The Dessert Derby" | |
| Strangeland | Toni Gage | ||
| Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within | Rosario Ames | Television film | |
| 1999 | Border Line | Maria Rodriguez | |
| Seven Girlfriends | Martha | ||
| 2000 | Ryan's Comedia | Mrs. Neuroplanet | Voice |
| 2001 | Things Behind the Sun | Carmen | |
| Tortilla Soup | Leticia Naranjo | ||
| Resurrection Blvd. | Beatriz "Bibi" Corrales | Episode: "Arriba Y Abajo" | |
| On the Borderline | Connie | ||
| Impostor | Midwife | ||
| 2002 | Zig Zag | Ms. Tate | |
| Ten Tiny Love Stories | Nine | ||
| Resurrection Blvd. | Director Episode: "Justicia" | ||
| 2002–2003 | Boston Public | Superintendent Elizabeth Vasquez | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | CSI: Miami | Mercedes Escalante | Episode: "Simple Man" |
| The Brothers García | Director Episode: "It Was Fun While It Lasted" | ||
| 2004 | The Hollywood Mom's Mystery | Theresa Shoe | Television film |
| Suburban Madness | Clara Harris | ||
| Maya & Miguel | Rosa Santos | Voice[7] | |
| The Incredibles | Mirage | Voice[7] | |
| NCIS | FBI Agent Lina Reyes | Episode: "Terminal Leave" | |
| Justice League | Paran Dul | Voice, episode: "Starcrossed"[7] | |
| 2005 | How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer | Lolita | |
| Without a Trace | Rosie Diaz | Episode: "Neither Rain Nor Sleet" | |
| Transamerica | Margaret | ||
| Down in the Valley | Gale | ||
| Sueño | Mirabela | ||
| Keep Your Distance | Holly | ||
| The Lost City | Miliciana Muñoz | ||
| Numb3rs | Sonya Benavides | Episode: "Assassin" | |
| Justice League Unlimited | Paran Dul | Voice, episode: "Hunter's Moon"[7] | |
| 2006 | Minoriteam | Maria / Gold Digger | Voice, episode: "Landon in Love" |
| 2007 | Adrift in Manhattan | Isabel Parades | |
| American Dad! | Store Owner | Voice, episode: "American Dream Factory" | |
| Goal II: Living the Dream | Rosa Maria | ||
| D-War | Agent Linda Perez | ||
| Love Comes Lately | Esperanza | ||
| 2008 | Racing for Time | Flores | Television film |
| A Single Woman | Storyteller | ||
| Nothing like the Holidays | Anna Rodriguez | ||
| 2009 | Ghost Whisperer | Marla | Episode: "This Joint's Haunted" |
| 2009 | Mother and Child | Amanda | |
| Becoming Eduardo | Leticia | ||
| Down for Life | Mrs. Castro | ||
| 2011 | Off the Map | Inez | Episode: "I'm Home" |
| The Perfect Family | Christina Reyes | ||
| 2013 | Major Crimes | Rosa Vega | Episode: "Under the Influence" |
| Modern Family | Pilar | 2 episodes | |
| Blaze You Out | Dona | ||
| Plush | Dr. Lopez | ||
| 2014 | Matador | Maritza Sandoval[8] | 7 episodes |
| 2015 | Grandma | Carla | Posthumous release |
| Girl on the Edge | Esther | ||
| Ana Maria in Novela Land | Sra Soto | ||
| 2018 | The Song of Sway Lake | Marlena | Final film role; Posthumous release |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Incredibles | Mirage | Voice |
| 2013 | Disney Infinity | Mirage | Voice |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Canby, Vincent (March 29, 1985). "'Crossover Dreams', with salsa beat". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ a b Woo, Elaine (October 16, 2014). "Elizabeth Peña dies at 55; actress in 'The Incredibles,' 'La Bamba'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ Robles, Mario-Francisco (October 15, 2014). "Breaking: Prolific Hispanic Actress Elizabeth Peña Has Passed Away". LatinoReview.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ Couch, Aaron; Barnes, Mike (October 15, 2014). "Actress Elizabeth Pena Dies at 55". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ Maria Puente (October 23, 2014). "Alcoholism was a cause in Elizabeth Pena's death". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
- ^ "Certificate of Death" (PDF). California. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Elizabeth Peña (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 27, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (April 3, 2014). "Tanc Sade, Elizabeth Pena & More Join Cast of El Rey's 'Matador'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
External links
[edit]
- 1959 births
- 2014 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actors from Elizabeth, New Jersey
- Actresses from New Jersey
- Alcohol-related deaths in California
- American entertainers of Cuban descent
- American film actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- American voice actresses
- Deaths from cirrhosis
- Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni
- Hispanic and Latino American actresses
- Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female winners