Lupe Ontiveros Has Passed Away

If there was ever a time to softly scream out “ayyyye, nooooo” while doing the slow wall slide, this is the time. Actress, activist and producer Lupe Ontiveros passed away last night in Los Angeles at the age of 69. Lupe was at the 2012 NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) a few months ago and many said she was in good spirits, so her passing is a shock to many. Examiner says that Lupe suffered from liver cancer.

Lupe (born name: Guadalupe Moreno) was born in El Paso, TX and got her degree in social work from Texas Women’s University. Lupe met and married her husband in Texas and they later moved to California so that he could start up an automotive business. Lupe wasn’t really into doing social work anymore and was about to go to school for nursing when she saw an ad in the paper asking for extras. Her acting career was born. One of Lupe’s first major jobs was playing Dolores in the musical Zoot Suit which eventually went to Broadway before it was made into a movie. From there, she went on to play Rosalita the maid in The Goonies and one of the daughters in My Family. In the late 90s, Lupe killed a pre-JLo Jennifer Lopez in Selena and again played a maid in As Good As It Gets.

Lupe should’ve won all the Oscars for her performance in Storytelling where she played Consuelo, the quiet, sad, tortured and depressed maid who (SPOILER ALERT) gassed the entire asshole family she worked for. (That kid Mickey came from Lucifer’s seed. True story.) Lupe also played Mama Solis in Desperate Housewives, Beverly in Chuck & Buck and America Ferrera’s not the one mom in Real Women Have Curves.

In 2002, Lupe talked to The New York Times about Hollywood’s narrow view of hispanics and how she’s played a maid at least 150 times. Lupe said this:

“I’m proud to represent those hands that labor in this country. I’ve given every maid I’ve ever portrayed soul and heart.”

Rest in peace, Lupe.