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Elizabeth Peña‌

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1959-09-23

Popularity

star2.8

Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA

Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1959-09-23

Popularity

star2.8

Biography

Elizabeth Peña (September 23, 1961 - 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.

Movie Credits

Transamerica

Transamerica‌
star7.0
calendar 2005

Rush Hour

Rush Hour‌
star7.0
calendar 1998

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder‌
star7.4
calendar 1990

Dragon Wars: D-War

Dragon Wars: D-War‌
star4.6
calendar 2007

Mother and Child

Mother and Child‌
star6.6
calendar 2009

*batteries not included

*batteries not included‌
star6.6
calendar 1987

Down in the Valley

Down in the Valley‌
star5.9
calendar 2005

Blue Steel

Blue Steel‌
star5.8
calendar 1990

Nothing Like the Holidays

Nothing Like the Holidays‌
star6.4
calendar 2008

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer‌
star5.4
calendar 2005

Goal II: Living the Dream

Goal II: Living the Dream‌
star6.0
calendar 2007

Lone Star

Lone Star‌
star7.0
calendar 1996

Strangeland

Strangeland‌
star5.0
calendar 1998

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup‌
star6.2
calendar 2001

Racing for Time

Racing for Time‌
star5.8
calendar 2008

Down for Life

Down for Life‌
star4.3
calendar 2010

The Waterdance

The Waterdance‌
star6.1
calendar 1992

La Bamba

La Bamba‌
star7.2
calendar 1987

The Hollywood Mom's Mystery

The Hollywood Mom's Mystery‌
star7.5
calendar 2004

The Invaders

The Invaders‌
star4.5
calendar 1995

The Perfect Family

The Perfect Family‌
star4.8
calendar 2011

Love Comes Lately

Love Comes Lately‌
star5.2
calendar 2007

Shannon's Deal

Shannon's Deal‌
star0.0
calendar 1989

Sueno

Sueno‌
star4.6
calendar 2005

On the Borderline

On the Borderline‌
star5.0
calendar 2001

The Pass

The Pass‌
star6.0
calendar 1998

Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within

Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within‌
star5.7
calendar 1998

Contagious

Contagious‌
star4.7
calendar 1997

Suburban Madness

Suburban Madness‌
star5.0
calendar 2004

In the Dark

In the Dark‌
star5.0
calendar 2013

Blaze You Out

Blaze You Out‌
star2.7
calendar 2013

Across the Moon

Across the Moon‌
star3.9
calendar 1995

Roommates

Roommates‌
star4.0
calendar 1994

El Super

El Super‌
star7.2
calendar 1979

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home‌
star5.9
calendar 1995

The Second Civil War

The Second Civil War‌
star6.2
calendar 1997

Down and Out in Beverly Hills

Down and Out in Beverly Hills‌
star5.9
calendar 1986

Crossover Dreams

Crossover Dreams‌
star5.7
calendar 1985

Dead Funny

Dead Funny‌
star5.0
calendar 1994

Ana Maria in Novela Land

Ana Maria in Novela Land‌
star5.5
calendar 2015

Adrift in Manhattan

Adrift in Manhattan‌
star5.8
calendar 2007

Grandma

Grandma‌
star6.4
calendar 2015

Keep Your Distance

Keep Your Distance‌
star4.4
calendar 2005

It Came from Outer Space II

It Came from Outer Space II‌
star3.3
calendar 1995

The Incredibles

The Incredibles‌
star7.7
calendar 2004

Justice League: Starcrossed - The Movie

Justice League: Starcrossed - The Movie‌
star8.0
calendar 2004

Girl on the Edge

Girl on the Edge‌
star6.0
calendar 2015

Things Behind the Sun

Things Behind the Sun‌
star6.1
calendar 2001

Plush

Plush‌
star5.6
calendar 2013

Times Square

Times Square‌
star6.7
calendar 1980

Vibes

Vibes‌
star5.7
calendar 1988

Fugitive Among Us

Fugitive Among Us‌
star4.2
calendar 1992

Border Line

Border Line‌
star4.0
calendar 1999

A Single Woman

A Single Woman‌
star7.0
calendar 2008

Zig Zag

Zig Zag‌
star5.9
calendar 2002

Ten Tiny Love Stories

Ten Tiny Love Stories‌
star4.2
calendar 2002

Seven Girlfriends

Seven Girlfriends‌
star4.6
calendar 2000

The Song of Sway Lake

The Song of Sway Lake‌
star5.3
calendar 2019

Impostor

Impostor‌
star6.1
calendar 2001

They All Laughed

They All Laughed‌
star5.8
calendar 1981

Building 'Jacob's Ladder'

Building 'Jacob's Ladder'‌
star2.7
calendar 1990

Tv Credits

L.A. Law

L.A. Law‌
star7.0
calendar 1986

Boston Public

Boston Public‌
star7.7
calendar 2000

Numb3rs

Numb3rs‌
star7.0
calendar 2005

American Dad!

American Dad!‌
star7.0
calendar 2005

T. J. Hooker

T. J. Hooker‌
star6.3
calendar 1982

Ghost Whisperer

Ghost Whisperer‌
star8.1
calendar 2005

Maya & Miguel

Maya & Miguel‌
star7.0
calendar 2004

Hill Street Blues

Hill Street Blues‌
star7.6
calendar 1981

Without a Trace

Without a Trace‌
star7.3
calendar 2002

Cagney & Lacey

Cagney & Lacey‌
star6.9
calendar 1982

NCIS

NCIS‌
star7.6
calendar 2003

I Married Dora

I Married Dora‌
star5.0
calendar 1987

Resurrection Blvd.

Resurrection Blvd.‌
star6.0
calendar 2000

Shannon's Deal

Shannon's Deal‌
star8.0
calendar 1990

The Outer Limits

The Outer Limits‌
star7.7
calendar 1995

Tough Cookies

Tough Cookies‌
star5.0
calendar 1986

Charlie's Angels

Charlie's Angels‌
star5.1
calendar 2011

Justice League

Justice League‌
star8.1
calendar 2001

Justice League Unlimited

Justice League Unlimited‌
star8.3
calendar 2004

Drug Wars: The Camarena Story

Drug Wars: The Camarena Story‌
star6.1
calendar 1990

CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami‌
star7.7
calendar 2002

The Invaders

The Invaders‌
star5.5
calendar 1995

Modern Family

Modern Family‌
star7.9
calendar 2009

Two

Two‌
star5.5
calendar 1996

Dream On

Dream On‌
star6.9
calendar 1990

Dellaventura

Dellaventura‌
star0.0
calendar 1997

The Second Civil War

The Second Civil War‌
star6.0
calendar 1997