Guadalupe "Lupe" Ontiveros (née Moreno; September , â€" July , ) was
an American actress best known for portraying Yolanda SaldÃvar in the
film Selena. She acted in numerous films and television shows, often
playing a maid or, near the end of her career, an all-knowing
grandmother. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on
Desperate Housewives and received critical acclaim for her role in
Chuck & Buck, for which she won the National Board of Review award for
Best Supporting Actress, and was also nominated for an Independent
Spirit Award.Ontiveros was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Luz
"Lucita" Castañón and Juan Moreno, middle-class Mexican immigrants
who overcame a lack of formal education to become owners of a tortilla
factory and two restaurants in El Paso. She graduated from El Paso
High School and went on to study at Texas Woman's University in
Denton, Texas, where she received a bachelor's degree in social work.
She was raised Roman Catholic.After her marriage, she and her husband
moved to California to realize his dream of starting an automotive
business. During a period of dissatisfaction with her career as a
social worker, Ontiveros was trying to decide whether to go back to
school for a nursing degree when she saw an article about a need for
local film extras. With her husband's encouragement, she took the job
and parlayed it into a long stage and screen career. Prior to acting,
she had worked for years as a social worker, and she continued as an
activist with many of the same causes with which she worked in that
profession, such as domestic violence prevention and AIDS awareness
and prevention.Ontiveros once estimated that she had played a maid at
least times on stage and screen; she wanted to see more diverse roles
available to Latina actors, noting "I'm proud to represent those hands
that labor in this country. I've given every maid I've ever portrayed
soul and heart." In part because of her history in this role, she was
chosen as the narrator for the documentary Maid in America.
an American actress best known for portraying Yolanda SaldÃvar in the
film Selena. She acted in numerous films and television shows, often
playing a maid or, near the end of her career, an all-knowing
grandmother. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on
Desperate Housewives and received critical acclaim for her role in
Chuck & Buck, for which she won the National Board of Review award for
Best Supporting Actress, and was also nominated for an Independent
Spirit Award.Ontiveros was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Luz
"Lucita" Castañón and Juan Moreno, middle-class Mexican immigrants
who overcame a lack of formal education to become owners of a tortilla
factory and two restaurants in El Paso. She graduated from El Paso
High School and went on to study at Texas Woman's University in
Denton, Texas, where she received a bachelor's degree in social work.
She was raised Roman Catholic.After her marriage, she and her husband
moved to California to realize his dream of starting an automotive
business. During a period of dissatisfaction with her career as a
social worker, Ontiveros was trying to decide whether to go back to
school for a nursing degree when she saw an article about a need for
local film extras. With her husband's encouragement, she took the job
and parlayed it into a long stage and screen career. Prior to acting,
she had worked for years as a social worker, and she continued as an
activist with many of the same causes with which she worked in that
profession, such as domestic violence prevention and AIDS awareness
and prevention.Ontiveros once estimated that she had played a maid at
least times on stage and screen; she wanted to see more diverse roles
available to Latina actors, noting "I'm proud to represent those hands
that labor in this country. I've given every maid I've ever portrayed
soul and heart." In part because of her history in this role, she was
chosen as the narrator for the documentary Maid in America.
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