Elizabeth Maria Peña (September , â€" October , ) was an American
actress, writer, panelist and musician. Her work in films included
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 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. Peña also voiced Rosa Santos in Maya
and Miguel.Peña was born on September , 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.
She was of Cuban descent, and spent her early years in Cuba. At age ,
Peña and her family moved to New York City. In , she was a founding
member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. In , 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 "Jacob's Ladder", La Bamba and Resurrection Blvd.In ,
Peña made her film debut, El Super, a "moving and melancholy comedy
about a family of lower middle class Cuban refugees attempting to
adjust to life in Spanish Harlem". 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, 's
"Gridlock'd" as ER Admissions Person (under the name Elizabeth Anne
Dickinson), Vibes, and Rush Hour. In , she starred in Showtime's
Resurrection Blvd. as Tia Bibi Corrades in the episode "Justicia",
which she also directed. In , 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 th episode of season of Numbrs as Sonya Benavides, and in season
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 , as Dora Calderon, the title character. She also starred in
John Sayles' produced critically acclaimed but short-lived television
series Shannon's Deal (â€"). In , Sayles wrote and directed the
mystery film Lone Star and again cast her in a co-starring role, for
which she won the 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.
actress, writer, panelist and musician. Her work in films included
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 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. Peña also voiced Rosa Santos in Maya
and Miguel.Peña was born on September , 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.
She was of Cuban descent, and spent her early years in Cuba. At age ,
Peña and her family moved to New York City. In , she was a founding
member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. In , 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 "Jacob's Ladder", La Bamba and Resurrection Blvd.In ,
Peña made her film debut, El Super, a "moving and melancholy comedy
about a family of lower middle class Cuban refugees attempting to
adjust to life in Spanish Harlem". 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, 's
"Gridlock'd" as ER Admissions Person (under the name Elizabeth Anne
Dickinson), Vibes, and Rush Hour. In , she starred in Showtime's
Resurrection Blvd. as Tia Bibi Corrades in the episode "Justicia",
which she also directed. In , 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 th episode of season of Numbrs as Sonya Benavides, and in season
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 , as Dora Calderon, the title character. She also starred in
John Sayles' produced critically acclaimed but short-lived television
series Shannon's Deal (â€"). In , Sayles wrote and directed the
mystery film Lone Star and again cast her in a co-starring role, for
which she won the 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.
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