Elizabeth Peña (September 23, 1959 - 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 ad ... ministrator 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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| Organization | Category | Movie |
|---|
Maya & Miguel
as Rosa Santos (voice)
Episodes: 70
First Aired: Oct 11, 2004
Resurrection Blvd.
as Beatrice 'Bibi' Corrales
Episodes: 53
First Aired: Jun 26, 2000
Shannon's Deal
as Lucy Acosta
Episodes: 14
First Aired: Apr 16, 1990
L.A. Law
as Jinx Baldasseri
Episodes: 4
First Aired: Sep 15, 1986
Justice League
as Paran Dul (voice)
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Nov 17, 2001
Drug Wars: The Camarena Story
as Mika Camarena
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Jan 07, 1990
Boston Public
as Superintendent Elizabeth Vasquez
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Oct 23, 2000
The Invaders
as Ellen Garza
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Nov 12, 1995
Modern Family
as Pilar Ramírez
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 23, 2009
Numb3rs
as Sonya Benavides
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 23, 2005
American Dad!
as Store Owner (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 06, 2005
Ghost Whisperer
as Marla
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 23, 2005
Without a Trace
as Rosie Diaz
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 26, 2002
NCIS
as Lina Reyes
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 23, 2003
The Outer Limits
as Dr. Jennifer Martinez
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 26, 1995
Charlie's Angels
as Warden Gloria Galvez
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 22, 2011
Justice League Unlimited
as Paran-Dul (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 31, 2004
CSI: Miami
as Mercedes Escalante
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 23, 2002
Two
as Elizabeth Gaitan
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 12, 1996
Dream On
as Debra
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 08, 1990
Dellaventura
as Simone
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 23, 1997
The Second Civil War
as Christina
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 15, 1997
I Married Dora
Episodes: 13
First Aired: Sep 22, 1987
Tough Cookies
Episodes: 8
First Aired: Mar 05, 1986
T. J. Hooker
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 13, 1982
Hill Street Blues
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 15, 1981
Cagney & Lacey
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 25, 1982
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