Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Peña

Biography: 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 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.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: September 23, 1959

Deathday: October 14, 2014

Popularity:

9.491

Known For

Transamerica
Transamerica

2005-02-14

Rush Hour
Rush Hour

1998-09-18

Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder

1990-11-02

Dragon Wars: D-War
Dragon Wars: D-War

2007-08-01

Mother and Child
Mother and Child

2009-11-07

*batteries not included
*batteries not included

1987-12-18

Down in the Valley
Down in the Valley

2005-05-13

Blue Steel
Blue Steel

1990-03-16

Nothing Like the Holidays
Nothing Like the Holidays

2008-12-12

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer
How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer

2005-01-23

Goal II: Living the Dream
Goal II: Living the Dream

2007-02-09

Lone Star
Lone Star

1996-06-21

Strangeland
Strangeland

1998-10-02

Tortilla Soup
Tortilla Soup

2001-08-24

Racing for Time
Racing for Time

2008-02-16

The Waterdance
The Waterdance

1992-05-13

Down for Life
Down for Life

2010-10-01

La Bamba
La Bamba

1987-07-24

The Hollywood Mom's Mystery
The Hollywood Mom's Mystery

2004-08-08

The Invaders
The Invaders

1995-11-12

The Perfect Family
The Perfect Family

2011-04-30

Love Comes Lately
Love Comes Lately

2007-09-09

Shannon's Deal
Shannon's Deal

1989-06-04

Sueno
Sueno

2005-09-30

On the Borderline
On the Borderline

2001-10-23

The Pass
The Pass

1998-05-07

Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within
Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within

1998-11-29

Contagious
Contagious

1997-01-22

Suburban Madness
Suburban Madness

2004-10-04

In the Dark
In the Dark

2013-01-12

Blaze You Out
Blaze You Out

2013-07-30

Across the Moon
Across the Moon

1995-03-28

Roommates
Roommates

1994-05-30

El Super
El Super

1979-04-28

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

1995-07-19

The Second Civil War
The Second Civil War

1997-12-04

Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Down and Out in Beverly Hills

1986-01-31

Crossover Dreams
Crossover Dreams

1985-08-23

Dead Funny
Dead Funny

1994-05-21

Ana Maria in Novela Land
Ana Maria in Novela Land

2015-02-27

Adrift in Manhattan
Adrift in Manhattan

2007-01-10

Grandma
Grandma

2015-06-04

Keep Your Distance
Keep Your Distance

2005-09-02

It Came from Outer Space II
It Came from Outer Space II

1995-12-31

The Incredibles
The Incredibles

2004-10-27

Justice League: Starcrossed - The Movie
Justice League: Starcrossed - The Movie

2004-07-13

Girl on the Edge
Girl on the Edge

2015-02-23

Things Behind the Sun
Things Behind the Sun

2001-10-12

Plush
Plush

2013-09-13

Times Square
Times Square

1980-10-17

Vibes
Vibes

1988-08-05

Fugitive Among Us
Fugitive Among Us

1992-02-04

Border Line
Border Line

1999-02-22

A Single Woman
A Single Woman

2008-09-21

Zig Zag
Zig Zag

2002-06-14

Ten Tiny Love Stories
Ten Tiny Love Stories

2002-08-10

Seven Girlfriends
Seven Girlfriends

2000-04-21

The Song of Sway Lake
The Song of Sway Lake

2019-06-07

Impostor
Impostor

2001-12-03

They All Laughed
They All Laughed

1981-11-20

Building 'Jacob's Ladder'
Building 'Jacob's Ladder'

1990-12-01