American actress
Born: September 23, 1959
Died: October 14, 2014
Elizabeth Peña (1959–2014) was an accomplished American actress with a career spanning over three decades. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Cuban immigrant parents, Peña grew up in a bilingual environment that would later contribute to her versatile acting skills. She graduated from New York’s High School of Performing Arts in 1977, where she studied acting alongside future stars like Ving Rhames and Esai Morales.
Peña made her film debut in El Super (1979), a movie about Cuban exiles in New York, which reflected her own cultural background. Her breakthrough role came in La Bamba (1987), in which she played Rosie Morales. Known for her strong, charismatic performances, she starred in a variety of genres, from dramas like Lone Star (1996) to action films such as Rush Hour (1998), where she played LAPD detective Tania Johnson.
Peña also had a significant voice role as Mirage in Pixar’s The Incredibles (2004). Her television work included appearances in shows like Modern Family, Resurrection Blvd., and Matador. A trailblazer for Latino actors in Hollywood, Elizabeth Peña left a lasting legacy with her depth, talent, and dedication to her craft before her untimely death in 2014 at the age of 55.
Elizabeth Peña’s 5 most popular quotes
- I believe the director is the one that sets the mood and if you have this hysterical director it’s a domino effect. I would work for him forever, for nothing. Don’t tell my agent that.
- I love acting. When I’m acting I feel like I’m on vacation. I’m just having a wonderful time. The nightmare is just getting the work to happen.
- When I got Jacob’s Latter, I was nervous because I felt I wasn’t allowed to fail. I felt that they were waiting for one little failure and that would prove them right and I’d be, ‘out of there.’
- Sayles could pull a performance out of a dog. I’m serious. He was just amazing. The world could fall apart and he remained on neutral.
- It was a lot of pressure, but I loved working with Tim and I loved working with Adrian.
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