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Elizabeth Pe�a

Nothing Like the Holidays

Goal II: Living the Dream [Widescreen]

Vibes

Love Comes Lately [Widescreen]

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer

Adrift in Manhattan

Dragon Wars

They All Laughed

Born: 09/23/1961 Elizabeth, NJ

Decades Active:
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Biography: For some performers, the art of entertainment is discovered early on and tirelessly studied in an endless quest for perfection, and for others, a career on the stage and screen is a birthright that they are seemingly destined to fulfill. This isn't to say that they don't work just as hard to become the best they can be at their craft, but simply that actors such as the lovely and talented Elizabeth Pe�a have a distinct advantage in coming from a long line of talented entertainers. The daughter of a well-known Cuban-American writer/actor/director who founded the off-Broadway Latin American Theater Ensemble, Pe�a was born in New Jersey and raised in New York. By the tender age of eight, young Pe�a -- having been reared in a household of creativity and parental encouragement -- had realized without question that she wanted to dedicate her life to a career in the entertainment industry. Pe�a's education at New York's High School of the Performing Arts was complimented by a series of simultaneous roles in repertory theater and a handful of commercial appearances. At the age of 17, the rising starlet gained positive notice for her film debut as a rebellious teen in the award-winning independent movie El S�per. Subsequent roles in Times Square (1980), They All Laughed (1981) and Crossover Dreams (1985) may have done little to expose audiences to Pe�a's true dramatic abilities as an actress, but it was only a matter of time before a move Los Angeles found her star beginning to burn brighter than ever. Determined to make an impression in her new surroundings, Pe�a placed her demo tape and future fate as an actress in the hands of a security guard at a major studio -- and the gamble paid off more than she might have ever imagined. Not only did the guard stay true to his word and deliver the tape to the studio's casting director, but it was only 45 minutes until Pe�a received a phone call requesting that she return to the lot to meet director Paul Mazursky -- who was preparing to cast the role of lusty maid Carmen in the upcoming comedyDown and Out in Beverly Hills. Pe�a landed the part, and the rest is history. In the years that followed, Pe�a made quite an impression with parts in such high-profile features as La Bamba (1987) and Blue Steel (1990), and her role as the mysterious girlfriend of a haunted Vietnam veteran in Jacob's Ladder proved that Pe�a could skillfully alternate between tender and menacing within a single scene. Pe�a dabbled in television work with roles in I Married Dora and Shannon's Deal, and would continue to alternate between the large and small screens in the years that followed. As the 1990s rolled on, Pe�a landed an Independent Spirit Award for her role in John Sayles' Lone Star, cracked skulls opposite action superstar Jackie Chan in Rush Hour, and earned positive critical nods for her supporting performance in the Latino-themed television series Resurrection Blvd. In 2001, Pe�a charmed audiences as never before with her role as a well-fed daughter hungering for fulfillment in the romantic comedy drama Tortilla Soup. If roles in such big-budget movies as Imposter (2002) offered Pe�a the sort of exposure that independent films such as ZigZag (also 2002) and Sue�o (2004) could not, those smaller, more dramatic efforts offered her a chance to truly shine as an actress. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

DVDs that Elizabeth Pe�a appeared in...

Green links represent a title available on SwapaDVD. Dates shown are DVD release dates.

10/27/2009 - Nothing Like the Holidays
03/17/2009 - Goal II: Living the Dream [Widescreen]
02/03/2009 - Vibes
02/03/2009 - Love Comes Lately [Widescreen]
08/12/2008 - How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer
01/22/2008 - Adrift in Manhattan
01/08/2008 - Dragon Wars
10/17/2006 - They All Laughed
08/08/2006 - The Lost City
05/23/2006 - Transamerica