'Matador,' 'Modern Family' Actress Elizabeth Peña Dies at 55; Cause of Dead Undisclosed

'Matador,' 'Modern Family' Actress Elizabeth Peña Dies at 55; Cause of Dead Undisclosed 

Elizabeth Peña, a talented actress who's worked with brilliant film directors, John Sayles and Leon Ichaso, died at 55, Tuesday. The sad news was released by her nephew Mario Robles in one of Latino Review's posts. Gina Rugol, Peña's manager, confirmed her death also; although, both the nephew and the manager chose not to elaborate the cause of her death.

Peña of Cuban origins, was born in New Jersey, but grew up in the "Big Apple" where her father established "LATE" or Latin American Theater Ensemble. After attending high school in New York's Performing Arts, the actress immediately became one of the founding members of "Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors".
Her film debut was Ichaso's piece "El Super"- a Spanish drama that revolved around a Cuban immigrant's experience, in 1979. Six years later, she found herself in another Ichaso masterpiece "Crossover Dreams" sharing the limelight with Ruben Blades.

In 1987, the same director included her in the cast of the musical "La Bamba". Pauline Kael, a writer in "The New Yorker", wrote that though Peña scarcely had any dialogue in the musical, you'd still want to applaud the superb performance.

Peña's other movie roles included a housemaid in 1986's movie "Down and Out in Beverly Hills"; an ill-fated best friend in 1990's "Blue Steel"; and an alternate girlfriend in 1990's "Jacob's Ladder".

In the year 1996, her biggest role came when she was picked for "Lone Star". During an interview with Dallas Morning News back then, she explained that she's more than prepared to portray the role of a woman in Texas-Mexico border. She's even revealed that she chose to cross the border just to be able to gather pertinent information relevant for her role.

Peña's other famous credits include 1990's "Drug Wars: The Camarena Story "; 1992's "The Waterdance"; 1998's "Rush Hour" and "Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within"; 2001's "Things Behind the Sun"; 2004's "The Incredibles"; 2005's "Transamerica", "Down In The Valley", and "The Lost City"; and 2009's "Mother and Child".

In the recent years, she's appeared in the "Modern Family" as Sofia Vergara's mother. She, also, was part of the series "Matador", though her role was recurring in nature.

 

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