The actress best known for playing the convicted murderer in the movie “Selena,” Lupe Ontiveros, has passed away at the age of 69. It was reported that Ontiveros was suffering from liver cancer. Ontiveros built a successful acting career by playing immigrant characters. She said back in 2009 that she had played the character of a maid over 150 times in sitcoms such as “Who’s The Boss,” “Reba” and “Charlie’s Angels.”
“You’ve got maids and you’ve got maids,” Ontiveros said in 2009 during an interview with NPR. “You got maids that have longevity beyond what you ever conceived of in your wildest dreams. I’ll give you an example — The Goonies. Those that got hooked — I have a whole following of 30-year-olds who got hooked. Oh my gosh, I’m a heroine to them.”
Ontiveros then said that after having played maids so many times during her career that, “I long to play a judge. I long to play a lesbian woman. I long to play a councilman, someone with some chutzpah.”
Ontiveros was also in “As Good As It Gets,” “Hill Street Blues” and “Desperate Housewives.” Ontiveros was nominated for an Emmy when working on “Desperate Housewives.” During her 2009 interview with NPR, Ontiveros discussed other Latina actresses such as Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez and America Ferrera.
“{America Ferrera} probably has already formulated the kinds of roles she will or will not accept. She doesn’t have to sacrifice her identity, her culture or her dignity to become a star,” she said.
Jacob Vargas, a co-star of Ontiveros in “Selena,” was at Ontiveros’ side when she passed on Thursday night. Vargas tweeted the following: “My friend Lupe Ontiveros just passed away. May you rest in peace. Thank you for your great contribution to film and TV. You will be missed.” Ontiveros leaves behind three grown children and her husband.