Actress Elizabeth Peña died Tuesday at the age of 55. Her nephew, Latino Review writer Mario-Francisco Robles, confirmed the news in an obituary posted on the site.
"The actress, with a professional career spanning nearly 40 years, left us on the night of October 14 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles," he wrote. Peña is believed to have died of natural causes after a brief illness.
Peña earned plenty of fans for her roles on both the big and small screen.
After graduating from the High School of Performing Arts in New York City, Peña began her career in 1978 with León Ichaso's El Super. By the end of the '80s, she had a large resume that included roles in La Bamba, Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Blue Steel. The list only grew when she starred in fan-favorites like The Incredibles, Lone Star and Jacob's Ladder. Most recently, the actress played Sofía Vergara's mother on ABC's Emmy-winning series Modern Family. She also just wrapped work on the first season of the El Rey Network's action series, Matador, where she secured the role of mother, Maritza.
