| Elizabeth Peña | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 23, 1961 [1] Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Other names | Elizabeth Anne Dickinson Elizabeth Pena |
| Occupation | Actress/Director |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse | William Kibler (1988) Hans Rolla (1994-present) 2 children |
Elizabeth Peña (born September 23, 1961)[1] is 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.
Contents |
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.[1] 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.",[2] 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's first marriage, to William Kibler, ended in divorce in 1988. She then married a carpenter, Hans, in 1994. They have two children: one daughter, Fiona, and one son, Kaelan.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | El Super | Aurelita | |
| 1980 | Times Square | Disco Hostess | |
| 1981 | They All Laughed | Rita | |
| 1985 | Crossover Dreams | Liz Garcia | |
| Cagney & Lacey | Adelita Carrena | 1 episode: "Ordinary Hero" | |
| T.J. Hooker | Maria | 1 episode: "Rip-off" | |
| 1986 | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | Carmen | |
| Hill Street Blues | Alice | 1 episode: "Come and Get It" | |
| 1987 | La Bamba | Rosie Morales | |
| *batteries not included | Marisa Esteval | ||
| I Married Dora | Dora Calderon | 13 episodes (1987–1988) | |
| 1988 | Vibes | Consuelo | |
| 1989 | Blue Steel | Tracy Perez | |
| Shannon's Deal | Lucy Acosta | television film | |
| 1990 | 11 episodes (1990–1991) | ||
| Drug Wars: The Camarena Story | Mika Camarena | TV mini-series | |
| Jacob's Ladder | Jezzie | ||
| 1992 | The Waterdance | Rosa | |
| Fugitive Among Us | Flo Martin | television film | |
| 1993 | Dream On | Debra | 1 episode: "Super Freak" |
| L.A. Law | Jinx Baldasseri | 4 episodes (1993–1994) | |
| 1994 | Dead Funny | Viv Saunders | |
| Roommates | Lisa | television films | |
| 1995 | Two | Elizabeth Gaitan | |
| Across the Moon | Carmen | ||
| The Outer Limits | Dr. Jennifer Martinez | 1 episode: "Living Hell" | |
| Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | Kate Haley | ||
| The Invaders | Ellen Garza | television films | |
| 1996 | It Came from Outer Space II | Ellen Fields | |
| Lone Star | Pilar | ||
| Recon | |||
| 1997 | Contagious | Det. Luisa Rojas | television films |
| The Second Civil War | Christina | ||
| Gridlock'd | Admissions Person | ||
| Dead Man's Gun | Gisella | 1 episode: "Fortune Teller" | |
| 1998 | The Pass | Zeena | |
| Rush Hour | Detective Tania Johnson | ||
| The Eddie Files | Aunt Ida | 1 episode: "Charts & Graphs: The Dessert Derby" | |
| Strangeland | Toni Gage | ||
| Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within | Rosario Ames | television films | |
| 1999 | Border Line | Maria Rodriguez | |
| Seven Girlfriends | Martha | ||
| 2001 | Ten Tiny Love Stories | ||
| Things Behind the Sun | Carmen | ||
| Tortilla Soup | Leticia Naranjo | ||
| Resurrection Blvd. | Beatriz 'Bibi' Corrales | 1 episode: "Arriba Y Abajo" | |
| On the Borderline | Connie | ||
| 2002 | Impostor | Midwife | |
| ZigZag | Ms. Tate | ||
| Boston Public | Superintendent Elizabeth Vasquez | 1 episode: "Chapter Forty-Seven" | |
| 2003 | 1 episode: "Chapter Fifty-Four" | ||
| CSI: Miami | Mercedes Escalante | 1 episode: "Simple Man" | |
| 2004 | The Hollywood Mom's Mystery | Theresa Shoe | television films |
| Suburban Madness | Clara Harris | ||
| Maya & Miguel | Rosa Santos (voice) | 1 episode: "Rhymes with Gato" | |
| The Incredibles | Mirage (voice) | ||
| NCIS | FBI Agent Lina Reyes | 1 episode: "Terminal Leave" | |
| Justice League/Justice League Unlimited | Paran Dul (voice) | 4 episodes (2004–2005) | |
| 2005 | How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer | Lolita | |
| Without a Trace | Rosie Diaz | 1 episode: "Neither Rain Nor Sleet" | |
| Transamerica | Margaret | ||
| Down in the Valley | Gale | ||
| Keep Your Distance | Holly | ||
| The Lost City | Miliciana Muñoz | ||
| Sueño | Mirabela | ||
| Numb3rs | Sonya Benavides | 1 episode: "Assassin" | |
| 2006 | Minoriteam | Maria / Gold Digger (voice) | 1 episode: "Landon in Love" |
| 2007 | Adrift in Manhattan | Isabel Parades | |
| American Dad! | Store Owner (voice) | 1 episode: "American Dream Factory" | |
| D-War | Agent Linda Perez | ||
| Goal II: Living the Dream | Rosa Maria | ||
| Love Comes Lately | Esperanza | ||
| 2008 | Racing for Time | Flores | television film |
| Nothing Like the Holidays | Anna Rodriguez | ||
| 2009 | Ghost Whisperer | Marla | 1 episode: "This Joint's Haunted" |
| Down For Life | Mrs. Castro | ||
| Becoming Eduardo | Leticia | ||
| A Single Woman | Storyteller | ||
| 2011 | Off the Map | Inez | 1 episode: "I'm Home" |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Resurrection Blvd." | Justica TV episode |
| 2003 | "The Brothers Garcia" | It Was Fun While It Lasted TV episode |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| co-producer |