Biography
So far, that fate has seemingly befallen the terrific Lupe Ontiveros, but gradually she is becoming known to a more mainstream audience. A native of Texas, the seemingly ageless actress did not originally set out to be a performer. After graduating from Texas Women's University, she relocated to Los Angeles and found employment as a social worker. By the late 1970s, though, she had begun her career, first as a founding member of the Latino …
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Lupe Ontiveros SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| Worked as a social worker in East Los Angeles and Compton, CA | ||
1977 | Earned early feature acting credit as a prostitute in the comedy "The World's Greatest Lover" | |
1978 | Appeared in "Zoot Suit" by Luis Valdez at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A.; transferred to Broadway in 1979 | |
1978 | Cast as a maid in both "California Suite" and "The Big Fix" | |
1981 | Appeared as the whorehouse madam in "The Border," starring Jack Nicholson | |
1982 | Landed featured role in "Seguin" (PBS) | |
1983 | Co-starred in "El Norte," directed by Gregory Nava | |
1985 | Played the maid Rosalita in Richard Donner's adventure comedy "The Goonies" | |
1987 | Cast in featured role in "Born in East L.A." | |
1988 | Supported Glenn Close and Keith Carradine in the CBS TV movie "Stones for Ibarra" | |
1990 | Acted in "A Show of Force" | |
1991 | Reteamed with Luis Valdez in "La Pastorela" (PBS) | |
1995 | Reunited with Gregory Nava, playing one of the Sanchez matriarchs in "My Family, Mi Familia" | |
1997 | Delivered memorable turn as a sweet-looking woman on the receiving end of a tirade from Jack Nicholson's character in "As Good As It Gets" | |
1997 | Offered superb portrayal of Yolanda Saldivar, the disturbed woman who murdered the famed Tejano singer in "Selena" | |
2000 | Delivered an excellent performance as Beverly, a theater employee who agrees to direct a play by Mike White's disturbed, childlike Buck in "Chuck & Buck" | |
2001 | Cast in recurring role on the Fox primetime serial "Pasadena," created and written by Mike White | |
2001 | Co-starred in "Storytelling," directed by Todd Solondz | |
2002 | Appeared opposite America Ferrara in "Real Women Have Curves" | |
2004 | Delivered Emmy-nominated recurring guest role on "Desperate Housewives" (ABC) as Mama Solis | |
2006 | Co-starred in the Lifetime biopic "A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story" | |
2010 | Reteamed with America Ferrara in the romantic comedy "Our Family Wedding" | |
2012 | Cast as the title character's Abuelita on CBS sitcom "Rob" | |
Awards
2000 | National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress in Chuck and Buck |
2001 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female in Chuck and Buck |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Desperate Housewives |