Carmen Zapata

Carmen Zapata
Born Carmen Margarita Zapata
July 15, 1927 (1927-07-15) (age 84)
New York City, New York, USA
Years active 1969–2002
Spouse Ron Friedman (1957-1963) (divorced)

Carmen Margarita Zapata (born July 15, 1927) is an American actress. Zapata was born in New York City to a Mexican father and an Argentine mother.[1] She has been in over one hundred movies and shows, including Batman: The Animated Series, Married... with Children, Sister Act, and she was Carmen Castillo in Santa Barbara. One of her longest-running roles was on the bilingual children's program Villa Alegre, where for nine years she played lead character "Doña Luz."[2][3]

In 1972, Zapata co-founded the Screen Actors Guild Ethnic Minority Committee with actors Ricardo Montalban, Edith Diaz and Henry Darrow.[4] The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts (BFA) was founded in 1973 by three prominent personalities in the world of theater: Mexican-American actress Carmen Zapata, Cuban-born actress, playwright, and director Margarita Galban, and Argentinean-born, award-winning set designer Estela Scarlata.

References

  1. ^ The Sacramento Bee, "PLAYING AGAINST TYPE LONG CAST IN STEREOTYPICAL MEXICAN ROLES, CARMEN ZAPATA HAS FOUND A PART THAT FILLS HER SOUL IN STC'S "DRIVING MISS DAISY'"(September 11, 1990, Page E1); "She had been christened so in New York City daughter of a Mexican father and an Argentine mother"
  2. ^ Lowe Kilmer. "Celebrities" (column), Watertown Daily Times (New York), October 7, 2003, Lifestyles & Leisure section, page B2.
  3. ^ Matt S. Meier, Conchita Franco Serri, and Richard A. Garcia. Notable Latino Americans: A Biographical Dictionary, Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 1997, page 410: "Most important, in her role of Doña Luz she was, for nine years, the heart and soul of the Public Broadcasting System's bilingual program, 'Villa Alegre.'"
  4. ^ "Actress Edith Diaz dies at 70; Credits include 'Sister Act' films and CBS' 'Popi' sitcom". Hollywood Reporter. 2010-02-08. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib96053a9e47796d757c159ec4834e12a. Retrieved 2010-03-18. 

External links