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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
September 23, 1959
Died
October 14, 2014
Place of Birth
Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
Also Known As
- Elizabeth Pena
- Elizabeth Maria Peña
- Elizabeth Anne Dickinson
Elizabeth Peña
1.1 Popularity
Biography
Elizabeth Maria 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.
Known For
5.1
Marlena
The Song of Sway Lake
2019
6.5
Carla
Grandma
2015
5.1
Sra. Soto
Ana Maria in Novela Land
2015
5.8
Esther
Girl on the Edge
2015
5.5
Dr. Lopez
Plush
2013
2.7
Dona
Blaze You Out
2013
5.0
Dr. Weinette
In the Dark
2013
5.0
Warden Gloria Galvez
Charlie's Angels
2011
4.5
Christina Rayes
The Perfect Family
2011
3.5
Mrs. Castro
Down for Life
2010
Credits
The Song of Sway Lake
as Marlena
2019
5.1
Grandma
as Carla
2015
6.5
Ana Maria in Novela Land
as Sra. Soto
2015
5.1
Girl on the Edge
as Esther
2015
5.8
Plush
as Dr. Lopez
2013
5.5
Blaze You Out
as Dona
2013
2.7
In the Dark
as Dr. Weinette
2013
5.0
Charlie's Angels
as Warden Gloria Galvez
2011
5.0
The Perfect Family
as Christina Rayes
2011
4.5
Down for Life
as Mrs. Castro
2010
3.5
Mother and Child
as Lawyer
2009
6.6
Modern Family
as Pilar Ramírez
2009
7.9
Nothing Like the Holidays
as Anna Rodriguez
2008
6.3
A Single Woman
as Storyteller
2008
5.5
Racing for Time
as Flores
2008
5.8
Love Comes Lately
as Esperanza
2007
5.2
Dragon Wars: D-War
as Agent Linda Perez
2007
4.5
Goal II: Living the Dream
as Rosa Maria
2007
6.0
Adrift in Manhattan
as Isabel Parades
2007
5.5
Sueno
as Mirabela
2005
4.1
Ghost Whisperer
as Marla
2005
8.1
The Lost City
as Miliciana (Zoraida) Muñoz
2005
6.1
Keep Your Distance
as Holly
2005
3.9
Down in the Valley
as Gale
2005
5.9
Transamerica
as Margaret
2005
7.0
American Dad!
as Store Owner (voice)
2005
7.0
Numb3rs
as Sonya Benavides
2005
7.0
How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer
as Lolita
2005
5.0
The Incredibles
as Mirage (voice)
2004
7.7
Maya & Miguel
as Rosa Santos (voice)
2004
6.5
Suburban Madness
as Clara Harris
2004
5.0
The Hollywood Mom's Mystery
as Theresa Shoe
2004
7.5
Justice League Unlimited
as Paran-Dul (voice)
2004
8.3
Justice League: Starcrossed - The Movie
as Paran Dul (voice)
2004
8.1
NCIS
as Lina Reyes
2003
7.6
Without a Trace
as Rosie Diaz
2002
7.2
CSI: Miami
as Mercedes Escalante
2002
7.7
Ten Tiny Love Stories
2002
3.3
Zig Zag
as Ms. Tate
2002
5.7
Impostor
as Midwife (as Elizabeth Pena)
2001
6.1
Justice League
as Paran Dul (voice)
2001
8.2
On the Borderline
as Connie
2001
3.7
Things Behind the Sun
as Carmen
2001
6.0
Tortilla Soup
as Leticia Narnjo
2001
6.3
Boston Public
as Superintendent Elizabeth Vasquez
2000
7.6
Resurrection Blvd.
as Beatrice 'Bibi' Corrales
2000
8.0
Seven Girlfriends
as Martha
2000
4.2
A Piece of the Action: Behind the Scenes of Rush Hour
as Self
1999
0.0
Border Line
as Maria Rodriguez
1999
4.0
Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within
as Rosario Ames
1998
6.0
Strangeland
as Toni Gage
1998
5.0
Rush Hour
as Johnson
1998
7.1
The Pass
as Zeena
1998
6.8
The Second Civil War
as Christina Fernandez
1997
6.0
Dellaventura
as Simone
1997
0.0
Gridlock'd
as Admissions Person
1997
6.7
Contagious
as Det. Luisa Rojas
1997
4.3
Two
as Elizabeth Gaitan
1996
5.5
🎬
Recon
as Officer Santiago
1996
0.0
Lone Star
as Pilar Cruz
1996
7.0
It Came from Outer Space II
as Ellen Fields
1995
3.1
The Invaders
as Ellen Garza
1995
4.5
The Invaders
as Ellen Garza
1995
5.5
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home
as Kate Haley
1995
5.9
The Outer Limits
as Dr. Jennifer Martinez
1995
7.7
Across the Moon
as Carmen
1994
3.5
Roommates
as Lisa
1994
4.1
Dead Funny
as Viv Saunders
1994
4.0
The Waterdance
as Rosa
1992
5.9
Fugitive Among Us
as Flo Martin
1992
4.2
Building 'Jacob's Ladder'
as Self
1990
2.7
Jacob's Ladder
as Jezzie
1990
7.4
Dream On
as Debra
1990
6.9
Shannon's Deal
as Lucy Acosta
1990
8.0
Blue Steel
as Tracy Perez
1990
5.8
Drug Wars: The Camarena Story
as Mika Camarena
1990
6.1
Shannon's Deal
as Lucy Acosta
1989
0.0
Vibes
as Consuelo
1988
5.7
*batteries not included
as Marisa Esteval
1987
6.7
🎬
I Married Dora
as Dora Calderon
1987
5.0
La Bamba
as Rosie Morales
1987
7.3
L.A. Law
as Jinx Baldasseri
1986
7.0
🎬
Tough Cookies
1986
5.0
Down and Out in Beverly Hills
as Carmen
1986
5.9
🎬
Crossover Dreams
as Liz Garcia
1985
4.8
Cagney & Lacey
1982
7.0
T. J. Hooker
as Maria
1982
6.4
They All Laughed
as Rita
1981
5.8
Hill Street Blues
1981
7.6
Times Square
as Disco Hostess
1980
6.4
El Super
as Aurelita
1979
7.2