I particularly hate having to write this one, because it's far too soon, and the circumstances are so sad, and I admired Elizabeth Pena.
As offensive as the premise of I Married Dora sounds from the description below, the show did take a serious turn when Pena's character made reference to the civil war in El Salvador.
[url]http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/elizabeth-pena-cause-of-death-1201336835/[/url]
[url]http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/10/elizabeth_pentilde_appreciation_an_actress_who_didnt_get_the_credit_or_roles_she_deserved.html#incart_story_package[/url]
A Cuban-American who studied at New York City's High School for the Performing Arts, Peña displayed a curious mixture of sensuality and tenderness in almost every part: That's what enabled her to play both alluring troublemakers (see "Down and Out in " and her voice work in "The Incredibles"
and warm-hearted matrons (see "Tortilla Soup" and "Nothing Like the Holidays" . In arguably her best role, as a widow rekindling things with her onetime boyfriend (Chris Cooper) in John Sayles' "Lone Star," those seeming contradictions played beautifully off one another.
"Liz Peña was an incredible actress and a great person," John Sayles told The Star-Ledger's film critic Stephen Whitty. "It was a joy to work with her on `Lone Star' and we'll all miss her."
Alas, the great parts proved few and far between. Some of this may have been because she was ahead of her time: She emerged on the scene a decade or so before American audiences were ready to embrace complex portraits of Latina characters. In 1987, Pena landed the co-starring role in an ABC sitcom called "I Married Dora." The premise was retrograde and racist — man marries his Salvadoran housekeeper to keep her from being deported; hijinks ensue — and the show lasted only a half-season.
Credits:
[url]http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001615/[/url]
With Chris Cooper in Lone Star
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