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Elizabeth Peña
Elizabeth Peña, a striking, stage-trained Latina, first gained recognition as the maid-turned-revolutionary in Paul Mazursky's "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986). Born in the US to Cuban immigant parents, Peña was raised in Cuba and moved back to Manhattan at the age of eight. She was acting professionally two years later and subsequently attended the famed High School of Performing Arts. Peña went on to appear in more than 20 off-Broadway shows and toured for two years as Shakespeare's Juliet. She also worked with such renowned theater companies as Joseph Papp's Public Theater, La Mama, and San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater before moving behind the camera as a director. Elizabeth Peña died at the age of 55 on October 14, 2014.