Elizabeth Peña Biography

Fast Facts

• Won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her part in "Lone Star" in 1997
• Went to New York's High School of Performing Arts with several classmates she would later co-star with, including Ving Rhames and Esai Morales
• Made her screen acting debut as Aurelita in the film "El Super" in 1979
• Quote: "I love acting․ When I'm acting I feel like I'm on vacation․ I'm just having a wonderful time․ The nightmare is just getting the work to happen․"
• Quote: "(On "Jacob's Ladder"): "I worked very hard to get [it]․․․Adrian [Lyne] and I were just taken with each other․ I auditioned for six months, twice a week․ The reason I kept going back was because Adrian was literally fighting for me to get the role․""
• Has turned down parts because she feels they propagate Latin stereotypes
• Helped found the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actresses
• Best known for her role as Pilar in "Lone Star" and as Jezzie in "Jacob's Ladder․"
• Met artist Dale Chihuly in his Seattle loft in 2001
• Got her role in "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" by bribing a security guard at Disney Studios to let her in to see the casting director after she was told by an agent that wasn't attractive enough for the part
• Was the voice of Mirage in the 2004 Pixar film "The Incredibles․"