Miriam Colón - wikipedia Miriam Colón Míriam Colón Colón, 1962. Míriam Colón Valle ( 1936 - 08 - 20 ) 20 August 1936 Ponce, Puerto Rico 3 March 2017 ( 2017 - 03 - 03 ) ( aged 80 ) New York City, New York, U.S. Cause of death Complications from a pulmonary infection Occupation Actress Years active 1953 -- 2015 Known for Mama Montana -- Scarface Spouse ( s ) George Paul Edgar ( m. 1966 ; d. 1976 ) Fred Valle ( m. 1987 -- 2017 ) Míriam Colón ( born Míriam Colón Valle ; August 20, 1936 -- March 3, 2017 ) was a Puerto Rican actress. Colón was the founder and director of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York City. Beginning her career in the early 1950s, Colón started performing on Broadway ; later moving into television. Known for appearances on various television shows from 1960s through the 2010s, Colón was perhaps best known for her role as Mama Montana in the 1983 crime film Scarface. In 2014, Colón received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama. Colón died of complications from a pulmonary infection on March 3, 2017 at age 80. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Puerto Rican Traveling Theater 4 Awards 5 Personal life 6 Death 7 Filmography 8 Broadway 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links Early life Colón was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on August 20, 1936. She was a young girl in the 1940s when her recently divorced mother moved the family to a public housing project called Residencial Las Casas in San Juan. She attended the Román Baldorioty de Castro High School in Old San Juan, where she actively participated in the school 's plays. Her first drama teacher, Marcos Colón ( no relation ) believed that she was very talented ; with his help, she was permitted to observe the students in the drama department of the University of Puerto Rico. She was a good student in high school and was awarded scholarships that enabled her to enroll in the Dramatic Workshop and Technical Institute and also in The Lee Strasburg Acting Studio in New York City. Career External audio Colón 's debute in `` Los Peloteros '' on YouTube In 1953, Colón debuted as an actress in Los Peloteros ( The Baseball Players ), starring Ramón ( Diplo ) Rivero, a film produced in Puerto Rico, and in which she played a character called `` Lolita. '' That same year, Colón moved to New York City, where she was accepted by Actors Studio co-founder Elia Kazan after a single audition, thus becoming the Studio 's first Puerto Rican member. In New York, Colón worked in theater and later landed a role on the soap opera Guiding Light. On one occasion she attended a performance of René Marqués ' La Carreta ( The Oxcart ). That presentation motivated her to form the first Hispanic theater group, with the help of La Carreta 's producer, Roberto Rodríguez, called `` El Circuito Dramático ''. Colón and James Arness in Gunsmoke, 1970 In 1954 she appeared on stage in `` In The Summer House '' at the Play House in New York City. Between 1954 and 1974, Colón made guest appearances in television shows such as Peter Gunn and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She appeared mostly in westerns such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, and Have Gun, Will Travel. Colón appeared in the 1961 film One - eyed Jacks as `` the Redhead ''. In 1962, she was featured as the co-star in a teleplay written by Frank Gabrielsen, and produced for the TV series The DuPont Show of the Week. The title of the hour - long episode was `` The Richest Man in Bogota '', and it aired on 17 June 1962. It starred Lee Marvin as Juan de Núñez, and Miriam Colón as `` Marina '' ( not Medina - Saroté, as in the original H.G. Wells story, The Country of the Blind ). In 1979, she starred alongside fellow Puerto Rican actors José Ferrer, Raúl Juliá, and Henry Darrow in Life of Sin, a film in which she portrayed Isabel la Negra, a real - life Puerto Rican brothel owner. In 1983, she played the mother of Tony Montana ( played by Al Pacino ) in Scarface. She was also cast as `` María '' in the 1999 film Gloria, which starred Sharon Stone. In 2013, Colón was cast in the role of Ultima, a New Mexico Hispanic healer, in the movie `` Bless Me, Ultima '' based on the novel by Rudolfo Anaya. Puerto Rican Traveling Theater Puerto Rican Travelling Theater Main article : Puerto Rican Traveling Theater In the late 1960s, Colón founded The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater company on West 47th street in Manhattan, New York. The company presents Off - Broadway productions onsite and goes on tour. She was the director of the company and she has appeared in these PRTT productions : The Ox Cart ( 1966 -- 1967 ) The Boiler Room ( 1993 ) Simpson Street Señora Carrar 's Rifles The play The Ox Cart ( La Carreta ), written by Puerto Rican dramatist René Marqués, was first produced in 1953. It was directed by Roberto Rodríguez. starring Colón. The success of the play allowed Rodríguez and Colón to form the first permanent Hispanic theatrical group to have its own space, Teatro Arena, located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th street. Awards National Medal of Arts In 1993, Colón received an Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater. In 2000, she received the HOLA Raúl Juliá Founders Award, presented by the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors ( HOLA ). Colón 's biography, titled Míriam Colón : Actor and Theater Founder, was written by Mayra Fernandez in 1994. ( 9 ) ( 10 ) In 2014, President Barack Obama awraded Colón the National Medal of Arts for her contributions as an actress. The citation reads as follows : `` Ms. Colón has been a trailblazer in film, television, and theater, and helped open doors for generations of Hispanic actors. '' Personal life Colón was married to George Paul Edgar from 1966 until his death in 1976. Colón lived the final years of her life in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her second husband Fred Valle, whom she married in 1987. Death Colón died on March 3, 2017, at the age of 80, in New York City of complications from a pulmonary infection. Filmography Los Peloteros ( 1951 ) as Lolita Danger ( 1955, TV Series ) Star Tonight ( 1955, TV Series ) Crowded Paradise ( 1956 ) The Big Story ( 1957, TV Series ) as Esperanza Martinez Decoy ( 1958, TV Series ) as Maria Studio One ( 1956 - 1958, TV Series ) as Mrs. Talavera / Rosie Lux Playhouse ( 1959, TV Series ) as Mrs. Flores State Trooper ( 1959, TV Series ) as Francesca The Hand - One Step Beyond ( 1959 ) as Alma Rodriguez Markham ( 1959, TV Series ) as Esperanza Mike Hammer ( 1959, TV Series ) as Tarano The Outsider ( 1961 ) as Anita Battle at Bloody Beach ( 1961 ) as Nahni One - eyed Jacks ( 1961 ) as `` Redhead '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents : Episode - Strange Miracle ( 1962, TV Series ) The Defenders ( 1962, TV Series ) Doctor Kildare ( 1962, TV Series ) The New Breed ( 1962, TV Series ) The Richest Man in Bogota on The DuPont Show of the Week ( 1962, TV Series ) as Marina The Dick Van Dyke Show ( 1963, TV Series ) The Great Adventure ( 1963, TV Series ) Ben Casey ( 1963, TV Series ) Gunsmoke : Episode - Shona ( 1963, TV Series ) as Shona Death Valley Days ( 1963, TV Series ) Laramie ( 1963, TV Series ) Have Gun - Will Travel ( 1963, TV Series ) Thunder Island ( 1963 ) as Anita Chavez Harbor Lights ( 1963 ) as Gina Rosario Slattery 's People ( 1964, TV Series ) The Nurses ( 1964, TV Series ) The Legend of Jesse James ( 1966, TV Series ) The Appaloosa ( 1966 ) as Ana Christmas in the Marketplace ( TV film 1967 ) The Virginian ( 1967, TV Series ) The Fugitive ( 1967, TV Series ) N.Y.P.D. ( 1967, TV Series ) Gunsmoke : Episode -- Zavala ( 1968, TV Series ) as Amelita Avila The High Chaparral ( 1968, TV Series ) One Life to Live ( TV soap opera 1968 ) Desperate Mission ( TV film 1969 ) Bonanza ( 1969, TV Series ) Gunsmoke : Episode - Charlie Moon ( TV 1969 ) as `` The Woman ''. All My Children ( TV soap opera 1970 ) Gunsmoke : Episode - Chato ( TV 1970 ) as Mora They Call It Murder ( 1971 ) Gunsmoke ( TV, Episode 2, Season 18 ) `` The River '' ( 1972 ) as `` Paulette ''. The Possession of Joel Delaney ( 1972 ) as Veronica Sanford & Son : Episode - Julio and Sister and Nephew ( TV 1974 ) as Carlotta Dr. Max ( TV 1974 ) The Hemingway Play ( TV film 1976 ) A Life of Sin ( 1979 ) The Edge of Night ( TV soap opera 1979 ) as Dr. Marie Santos ABC Afterschool Specials ( TV 1981 ) Back Roads ( 1981 ) as Angel Scarface ( 1983 ) as Mama Montana Best Kept Secrets ( TV film 1984 ) Lady Blue ( TV 1985 ) Kay O'Brien ( TV 1986 ) Highway to Heaven ( TV 1987 ) Deadline : Madrid ( TV film 1988 ) Lightning Field ( TV film 1991 ) Law and Order ( TV 1991 ) L.A. Law ( TV 1991 ) City of Hope ( 1991 ) as Mrs. Ramirez Murder, She Wrote : Episode - `` Day of the Dead '' ( season 8.19 ) ( 1992 ) as Consuela Montejano The House of the Spirits ( 1993 ) as Nana NYPD Blue ( TV 1994 ) The Cosby Mysteries ( TV 1994 ) Streets of Laredo ( TV mini-series 1995 ) Sabrina ( 1995 ) as Rosa Lone Star ( 1996 ) as Mercedes Cruz Cosby ( TV 1996 ) Mistrial ( TV film 1996 ) Edipo alcalde ( 1996 ) Gloria ( 1999 ) as María All the Pretty Horses ( 2000 ) as Doña Alfonsa For Love or Country : The Arturo Sandoval Story ( TV film 2000 ) Almost a Woman ( 2001 ) Third Watch ( TV 2001 ) The Blue Diner ( 2001 ) as Meche Guiding Light ( TV soap opera 2001 ) Goal ! ( 2005 ) as Mercedes Jonny Zero ( TV 2005 ) Goal ! 2 : Living the Dream... ( 2007 ) The Cry ( 2007 ) Goal ! 3 : Taking on the World ( 2009 ) Law & Order : Special Victims Unit ( TV 2009 ) How to Make It in America ( TV 2010 - 2011 ) Foreverland ( 2011 ) Hawthorne ( TV 2011 ) Gun Hill Road ( 2011 ) The Bay ( 2012 ) The Girl Is in Trouble ( 2012 ) Unhallowed ( in production 2013 ) Bless Me, Ultima ( 2013 ) On Painted Wings ( not distributed 2014 ) The Southside ( 2014 ) Top Five ( 2014 ) as Chelsea 's Grandmother Better Call Saul ( 2015 ) ( TV ; 2 episodes ) Broadway In The Summer House ( 1954 ) The Innkeepers ( 1956 ) The Wrong Way Lightbulb ( 1969 ) See also Puerto Rico portal Biography portal List of Puerto Ricans History of women in Puerto Rico Notes Jump up ^ This name uses Spanish naming customs : the first or paternal family name is Colón and the second or maternal family name is Valle. References Jump up ^ Arts. Gov - Míriam Colón ^ Jump up to : Kelley, Seth ( March 4, 2017 ). `` Miriam Colon, Latina Film and Theater Pioneer Known for ' Scarface, ' Dies at 80 ''. Varitey. United States : Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 7, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Miriam Colón ''. Jump up ^ Bosworth 1971, p. D5. Jump up ^ Garfield 1980, p. 277. Jump up ^ Moreno 1989, p. 30. Jump up ^ `` Danny en ' Coincidencias '... y en San Juan ''. 31 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` Miriam Colon Biography ( 1945 - ) ''. Film Reference Library. Toronto : TIFF Bell Lightbox. Retrieved March 7, 2017. Jump up ^ `` The Richest Man in Bogota ''. TV Guide. 10 ( 24 ). June 16 -- 22, 1962. Jump up ^ Associated Press ( March 3, 2017 ). `` Miriam Colon, iconic U.S. Latina movie, theater actress, dies at 80 ''. Daily News. New York City : Daily News, L.P. Retrieved March 7, 2017. Jump up ^ The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater Jump up ^ The Ox Cart at the Internet Off - Broadway Database Jump up ^ The Boiler Room at the Internet Off - Broadway Database Jump up ^ Kanellos, Nicolás ( 2003 ). Hispanic Literature of the United States : A Comprehensive Reference. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 273. access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ National Endowments for the Arts Jump up ^ Gates, Anita ( March 5, 2017 ). `` Miriam Colón, 80, Actress and Founder of Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, Dies ''. The New York Times. New York City : The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 7, 2017. Jump up ^ Contreras, Russell ( March 3, 2017 ). `` U.S. News : Miriam Colón, Iconic US Latina Movie, Theater Actress, Dies ''. U.S. News & World Report. Washington, D.C. : U.S. News & World Report, L.P. Associated Press. Retrieved March 3, 2017. External links Bosworth, Patricia ( September 12, 1971 ). `` ' Look, Let 's Have Justice Around Here ' ''. The New York Times. New York City : The New York Times Company. p. D5. Retrieved December 13, 2012. Garfield, David ( 1980 ). `` Appendix : Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980 ''. A Player 's Place : The Story of The Actors Studio. New York City : MacMillan. p. 277. ISBN 978 - 0025426504. Moreno, Sylvia ( June 13, 1989 ). `` Lessons Feature Hispanic ` Heroes ' ''. Newsday. Melville, New York : Patrick & Charles Dolan and Altice USA. p. 30. Retrieved December 13, 2012. Míriam Colón on IMDb Míriam Colón at AllMovie Míriam Colón at the Internet Broadway Database Miriam Colón bio at the Internet Off - Broadway Database The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater Miriam Colon 's Interview on NBC Latino Miriam Colon Interview at the WNYC Archives United States portal Puerto Rico portal Biography portal Film portal Television portal Theatre portal GND : 1061906256 ISNI : 0000 0004 0850 5599 VIAF : 301156081 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title= Míriam_Colón&oldid = 842964750 '' Categories : 1936 births 2017 deaths Obie Award recipients Puerto Rican film actresses Puerto Rican television actresses Puerto Rican soap opera actresses Puerto Rican stage actresses Actresses from Ponce, Puerto Rico Western ( genre ) television actors United States National Medal of Arts recipients Hidden categories : Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Articles with hCards Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata Articles with IBDb links Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia Magyar Nederlands Polski Português Simple English Türkçe 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 25 May 2018, at 22 : 04. 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Question: who played tony montana's mother in scarface
Answer: Míriam Colón