Elizabeth Maria Peña was a versatile film, TV, and stage actor, with a career spanning nearly 4 decades. Known for her performances in films such as ‘La Bamba,’ ‘Jacob’s Ladder,’ and ‘Lone Star,’ the Cuban–American actor performed drama and comedy roles with equal ease. Born into a family of creative artists, she was inclined toward a career in acting since childhood and thus was trained in the performing arts. Starting with the film ‘El Super,’ she worked in numerous films, such as ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills,’ ‘Rush Hour,’ ‘Tortilla Soup,’ and ‘Nothing Like Holidays.’ She also worked in TV series such as ‘I Married Dora,’ ‘Shannon’s Deal,’ and ‘Modern Family. Peña was also a voice actor and a stage performer and had toured with the play ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ She had won awards such as the ‘Independent Spirit Award,’ the ‘Bravo Award’ and the ‘ALMA Award.’ She was a founding member of the ‘Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.’ She had married twice and had two children. Peña died after a brief illness at the age of 55.
