Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Maria Peña (September 23, 1959 – October 14, 2014) was an American actress known for her work in films including Nothing Like The Holidays, Batteries Not Included, La Bamba, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Jacob's Ladder, Rush Hour, The Incredibles, and Lone Star, 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.
== Early life ==
Peña was born on September 23, 1959[1] in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where she was raised, the daughter of Mario Peña, an actor, director, and writer who co-founded the Latin American Theatre Ensemble, and Estella Margarita (Toirac) Peña, an arts administrator and producer.[1][2] She was of Cuban descent, and spent her early years in Cuba.[3] At age 8, Peña and her family moved to New York City. 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. Her classmates were Ving Rhames and Esai Morales, whom she would later star with in La Bamba and Resurrection Blvd.
== Career ==
In 1979, Peña made her film debut, El Super, and described as a "moving and melancholy comedy about a family of lower middle class Cuban refugees attempting to adjust to life in Spanish Harlem".[4] 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, 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' 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 ==
Peña married 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.[5]
Peña died on October 14, 2014 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California at the age of 55.[5][6][7] 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.[8][9]
== Filmography ==
Film and Television
1979 	El Super 	Aurelita 	
1980 	Times Square 	Disco Hostess 	
1981 	They All Laughed 	Rita 	
1985 	Crossover Dreams 	Liz Garcia 	
1985 	Cagney & Lacey 	Adelita Carrena 	Episode: "Ordinary Hero"
1985 	T.J. Hooker 	Maria 	Episode: "Rip-off"
1986 	Down and Out in Beverly Hills 	Carmen 	
1986 	Hill Street Blues 	Alice 	Episode: "Come and Get It"
1986 	Tough Cookies 	Connie Rivera 	6 episodes
1987 	La Bamba 	Rosie Morales 	
1987 	*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
1989 	Blue Steel 	Tracy Perez 	
1990 	Drug Wars: The Camarena Story 	Mika Camarena 	Miniseries
1990 	Jacob's Ladder 	Jezzie 	
1990–1991	Shannon's Deal 	Lucy Acosta 	11 episodes
1992 	The Waterdance 	Rosa 	
1992 	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 	
1994 	Roommates 	Lisa 	Television film
1995 	Across the Moon 	Carmen 	
1995 	The Outer Limits 	Dr. Jennifer Martinez 	Episode: "Living Hell"
1995 	Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home 	Kate Haley 	
1995 	The Invaders 	Ellen Garza 	Miniseries
1996 	It Came from Outer Space II 	Ellen Fields 	Television film
1996 	Lone Star 	Pilar 	
1996 	Recon 	Officer Santiago 	
1996 	Two 	Elizabeth Gaitan 	Unaired pilot
1997 	Contagious 	Det. Luisa Rojas 	Television film
1997 	Gridlock'd 	Admissions Person 	
1997 	The Second Civil War 	Christina 	Television film
1997 	Dead Man's Gun 	Gisella 	Episode: "Fortune Teller"
1998 	The Pass 	Zeena 	
1998 	Rush Hour 	Detective Tania Johnson 	
1998 	The Eddie Files 	Aunt Ida 	Episode: "Charts & Graphs: The Dessert Derby"
1998 	Strangeland 	Toni Gage 	
1998 	Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within 	Rosario Ames 	Television film
1999 	Border Line 	Maria Rodriguez 	Television film
1999 	Seven Girlfriends 	Martha 	
2000 	Ryan's Comedia 	Mrs. Neuroplanet 	Voice
2001 	Things Behind the Sun 	Carmen 	
2001 	Tortilla Soup 	Leticia Naranjo 	
2001 	Resurrection Blvd. 	Beatriz "Bibi" Corrales 	Episode: "Arriba Y Abajo"
2001 	On the Borderline 	Connie 	
2002 	Impostor 	Midwife 	
2002 	ZigZag 	Ms. Tate 	
2002 	Ten Tiny Love Stories 	Nine 	
2002 	Resurrection Blvd. 	 	Director
Episode: "Justicia"
2002–2003	Boston Public 	Superintendent Elizabeth Vasquez	2 episodes
2003 	CSI: Miami 	Mercedes Escalante 	Episode: "Simple Man"
2003 	The Brothers Garcia 	 	Director
Episode: "It Was Fun While It Lasted"
2004 	The Hollywood Mom's Mystery 	Theresa Shoe 	Television film
2004 	Suburban Madness 	Clara Harris 	Television film
2004 	Maya & Miguel 	Rosa Santos 	Voice
2004 	The Incredibles 	Mirage 	Voice
2004 	NCIS 	FBI Agent Lina Reyes 	Episode: "Terminal Leave"
2004–2005	Justice League 	Paran Dul 	Voice
4 episodes
2005 	How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer	Lolita 	
2005 	Without a Trace 	Rosie Diaz 	Episode: "Neither Rain Nor Sleet"
2005 	Transamerica 	Margaret 	
2005 	Down in the Valley 	Gale 	
2005 	Sueño 	Mirabela 	
2005 	Keep Your Distance 	Holly 	
2005 	The Lost City 	Miliciana Muñoz 	
2005 	Numb3rs 	Sonya Benavides 	Episode: "Assassin"
2006 	Minoriteam 	Maria / Gold Digger 	Voice
Episode: "Landon in Love"
2007 	Adrift in Manhattan 	Isabel Parades 	
2007 	American Dad! 	Store Owner 	Voice
Episode: "American Dream Factory"
2007 	Goal II: Living the Dream 	Rosa Maria 	
2007 	D-War 	Agent Linda Perez 	
2007 	Love Comes Lately 	Esperanza 	
2008 	Racing for Time 	Flores 	Television film
2008 	A Single Woman 	Storyteller 	
2008 	Nothing like the Holidays 	Anna Rodriguez 	
2009 	Ghost Whisperer 	Marla 	Episode: "This Joint's Haunted"
2009 	Mother and Child 	Amanda 	
2009 	Becoming Eduardo 	Leticia 	
2009 	Down for Life 	Mrs. Castro 	
2011 	Off the Map 	Inez 	Episode: "I'm Home"
2011 	The Perfect Family 	Christina Reyes 	
2013 	Major Crimes 	Rosa Vega 	Episode: "Under the Influence"
2013 	Modern Family 	Pilar 	2 episodes
2013 	Blaze You Out 	Dona 	
2013 	Plush 	Dr. Lopez 	
2014 	Matador 	Maritza Sandoval[10] 	7 episodes
2015 	Grandma 	Carla 	
2015 	Girl on the Edge 	Esther 	
2015 	Ana Maria in Novela Land 	Sra Soto 	
2017 	The Song of Sway Lake 	Marlena 	(final film role)