Peña, Elizabeth

Peña was born in Elizabeth , New Jersey . Her parents are theater workers, her father is a native of Cuba . She graduated from the New York Higher Theater School, where she studied with Irving Reims and Esay Morales . Together with Raul, Julia was one of the founders of the Organization of Hispanic American Actors in the United States (HOLA).

Peña’s career began with episodic roles in films such as Times Square and They All Laughed , as well as in the TV series Kagney and Lacy and TJ Hooker . Her first significant role was the appearance in 1986 in the film " Penniless in Beverly Hills ", and in 1987 she starred in the film " Batteries are not included ." From 1987 to 1988, Peña starred in the sitcom " I am Married to Dora ."

In 1990, Peña starred in the thriller Blue Steel and starred in the horror film Jacob 's Ladder . In 1992, she appeared in the drama " Dance on the Water " and the television movie "The Fugitive Among Us ." In 1995, Peña appeared in the episode of the television series “ Beyond the Possible ” and starred in the movie “ Free Willy 2: A New Adventure, ” and in 1996, in the movie “ The Sheriff's Star ”.

In 1998, Peña appeared in the comedy Rush Hour with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan . Later, in 2001, she starred in one of the main roles in the comedy " Tortoise Soup " and appeared in a cameo role in the film " Alien ". In 2002, Peña appeared in episodes of TV shows such as Boston School and CSI: The Miami Crime Scene , and starred in the television movie The Secret of Hollywood Mom .

In 2004, Pena voiced the characters in the animated film The Incredibles and the animated series Justice League , and also played in the episode of the series Marine Police: Special Division . In 2005, she appeared in the movie Transamerica with Felicity Huffman in the title role, and starred in an episode of the series 4isla .

In 2007, Pena played immediately in two significant films, “ Goal 2: Life as a Dream ” and “ The Dinosaur War ”. After she appeared in episodes of the series “ Talking with Ghosts ”, “ Without Coordinates ”, “ Charlie's Angels ” and “ Principal Suspect ”. In 2011, she starred in the movie "The Perfect Family " with Kathleen Turner in the title role. In 2013, Peña appeared in episodes of the television series “ Particularly Serious Crimes ” and “ American Family ”, as well as in the film “ Light Me Up ”.

The last role of Pena was the role of Maritsa Sandoval, the mother of the main character, in the television series " Matador " in 2014.

In 1988, Peña married William Stephen Kibler. Their marriage later ended in divorce. ^[3] In 1994, Peña made a second marriage to Hans Roll, from whom two children were born.

Pena died on October 14, 2014 at the Los Angeles Hospital at the age of 55 ^{[4] [5]} . The cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver as a result of exposure to alcohol, acute gastrointestinal bleeding, cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest ^[6] .