 |
 |
After playing background characters for two decades, Lupe Ontiveros has arrived with a bang. The new millennium finds her in starring roles - REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, "Chuck and Buck" and the hip, young grandma of an imminent new television series, "Greetings From Tucson."
2001's surprise indie hit "Chuck and Buck" also allowed her to play a major character without reference to race or ethnicity. "The instant I heard the character's name was Beverly, I got excited," she recalls. "I can't escape being Latino and don't try to, but my job, after all, is to create illusion. No matter who I play, I try to find the universal core of my characters because we first of all are human beings."
Her portrayal of a savvy theatre manager who comes to Buck's rescue won Ontiveros the National Board of Review's Best Supporting Actress award as well as an Independent Spirit award nomination. More recently, at this year's Sundance Film Festival, the actress shared with America Ferrera a Special Acting Award. The film also won the Dramatic Audience Award.
Ontiveros was the subject of a feature article in the New York Times (May 16, 2002) about the numerous maids she has played during her career---more than 150 by her own estimate. But it was steady work and she did not regret it, she told the Times. "I'm proud to represent those hands that labor in this country. I've given every maid...soul and heart." She recently narrated the documentary "Maid in America."
Right from the start, Ontiveros had the knack of making history. She was in the original cast of Luis Valdez's ground-breaking play, "Zoot Suit," the first Mexican-American play to play the Great White Way. She repeated her role for the film. She also had a major role in Gregory Nava's 1983 film, "El Norte," among the 100 films selected for preservation by the Library of Congress.
A founding member of LA's Latino Theatre Company, Ontiveros has helped to change the stereotypic image of Latinos in entertainment. Through original works such as August 29th, How Else Am I Supposed to Know I'm Still Alive, Stone Wedding and Luminarias, LTC has traced the evolution of Spanish-speaking people in the United States. Among her many rewards are the Nosotros Golden Eagle and the ALMA Award
Born in El Paso, Texas to parents who were successful business people, Lupe Ontiveros graduated from Texas Woman's University where she majored in social work and psychology.
After moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, she worked for 15 years as a social worker and activist on issues confronting women and education. She produced "Una Vez Al Ano Para Toda Una Vida," an award-winning educational film in Spanish, focusing on the need for awareness regarding breast cancer in Latinas.
Among the actresses' recent films are Dan Ireland's "Passionada," Todd Solontz's "Storytelling"- in which she plays an abused maid; Alfonso Arau's "Picking Up the Pieces" with Woody Allen; James R. Brooks' "As Good as it Gets" which starred Jack Nicolson and Helen Hunt; Johnny Depp's "The Brave" and Nava's "Mi Familia." She swears she is best known to the Latino community as the "killer" of Selena in the movie of the same title which starred Jennifer Lopez.
Among Ontiveros' notable television appearances are "Leap of Faith," "Pasadena" and "Veronica's Closet" in which she was a recurring guest star. She appeared in Nickelodeon's "Brothers Garcia" and Showtime's "Resurrection Boulevard."
She and her husband Elias are the parents of three sons, two of whom are hearing impaired. She also has two granddaughters. "I welcome the challenges life has put in front of me, all the more so, I think, because I am a woman."
|
|
|
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
