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Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Peña

Birthday: 1959-09-23 | Place of Birth: Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA

Elizabeth Peña (September 23, 1961 - October 14, 2014) was an American actress, and the daughter of a theater-company co-founder, who has also compiled experience as a television director in her own right. Peña was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, daughter of Estella Margarita (née Toirac), an arts administrator and producer, and Mario Peña, the Cuban-born actor, writer, and director who jointly founded the Latin American Theatre Ensemble. It is unknown whether Peña was named after the town of her birth. Peña graduated from New York's High School of Performing Arts in 1977. Her classmates included Ving Rhames, alongside whom she would later co-star in Jacob's Ladder, and Esai Morales, alongside whom she would later co-star in La Bamba. She is also a founding member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. In 1979, Peña appeared in her first film, El Super, "an exceptionally moving and melancholy comedy about a family of lower-middle-class Cuban refugees attempting to adjust to life in Spanish Harlem.", New York City. Peña worked once again with film director, Leon Ichaso in his next feature Crossover Dreams opposite Ruben Blades. Peña has appeared in movies such as La Bamba, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Lone Star, 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. During the next year, 2003, she appeared in and directed "It Was Fun While It Lasted," an episode of The Brothers Garcia. She also provided the voice of the character Mirage in Pixar's animated film The Incredibles. She guest starred in the 18th episode of Numb3rs, Season Two, as Sonya Benavides. Although the actress does speak Spanish, she does not dub her own voice for Spanish releases. Peña is also noted for having starred in I Married Dora, a sitcom that lasted only 13 episodes in 1987, as Dora Calderon, the "Dora" of the show's title. In the final show, the cast broke the "fourth wall" of suspended disbelief by announcing their cancellation on-camera and taking a curtain call. Writer-director John Sayles produced the critically acclaimed but short-lived television series Shannon's Deal (1989–1991) co-starring Peña alongside series lead Jamey Sheridan. In 1996 Sayles wrote and directed the mystery film Lone Star and again cast her in a co-starring role. Peña died on October 14, 2014 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California at the age of 55.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2019
The Song of Sway Lake

as    Marlena

2015
Grandma

as    Carla

2015
Girl on the Edge

as    Esther

2015
Ana Maria in Novela Land

as    Sra. Soto

2013
Blaze You Out

as    Dona

2013
Plush

as    Dr. Lopez

2013
In the Dark

as    Dr. Weinette

2011
The Perfect Family

as    Christina Rayes

2008
Nothing Like the Holidays

as    Anna Rodriguez

2007
Dragon Wars: D-War

as    Agent Linda Perez

2007
Love Comes Lately

as    Esperanza

2007
Goal II: Living the Dream

as    Rosa Maria

2005
Down in the Valley

as    Gale

2005
Keep Your Distance

as    Holly

2005
Transamerica

as    Margaret

2005
Sueno

as    Mirabela

2004
The Incredibles

as    Mirage (voice)

2004
Maya & Miguel

as    Rosa Santos (voice)

2002
Zig Zag

as    Ms. Tate

2001
Things Behind the Sun

as    Carmen

2001
On the Borderline

as    Connie

2001
Tortilla Soup

as    Leticia Narnjo

2000
Resurrection Blvd.

as    Beatrice 'Bibi' Corrales

2000
Seven Girlfriends

as    Martha

1998
Strangeland

as    Toni Gage

1998
The Pass

as    Zeena

1997
The Second Civil War

as    Christina Fernandez