Leon Ichaso, who directed the Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony-starrer El Cantante in 2006 and dozens of high-profile TV series, has died of a massive heart attack, according to his sister Mari Rodriguez Ichaso. He was 74.
Ichaso also directed the acclaimed Piñero in 2001, starring Benjamin Bratt and his breakthrough, indie El Super, starring Elizabeth Peña in 1979.
Throughout his big screen career, Ichaso also directed on some of TV’s biggest shows, including multiple episodes of SNL, Crime Story, Miami Vice, Medium, The Cleaner, Criminal Minds and, most recently, Queen of the South.
His sister, a journalist who is a longtime contributor to the Spanish-language staple Vandiades as well as CNN Español Style announced his passing early this morning in a series of tweets, the first of which is translated below.
My beloved brother Leon Ichaso died today of an unexpected “massive heart attack” in Los Angeles. Brilliant, full of life,...
Ichaso also directed the acclaimed Piñero in 2001, starring Benjamin Bratt and his breakthrough, indie El Super, starring Elizabeth Peña in 1979.
Throughout his big screen career, Ichaso also directed on some of TV’s biggest shows, including multiple episodes of SNL, Crime Story, Miami Vice, Medium, The Cleaner, Criminal Minds and, most recently, Queen of the South.
His sister, a journalist who is a longtime contributor to the Spanish-language staple Vandiades as well as CNN Español Style announced his passing early this morning in a series of tweets, the first of which is translated below.
My beloved brother Leon Ichaso died today of an unexpected “massive heart attack” in Los Angeles. Brilliant, full of life,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Read More: Attention, Filmmakers: Here's the 12-Step Guide to Co-Directing In our increasingly digital world, where analog film preservation has become all but endangered, let the struggles of acclaimed Cuban filmmaker Leon Ichaso be a call to arms to preserve your negative prints. An honoree at the Queens World Film Festival this week, Ichaso's esteemed career has run the gamut from Cuban indies specializing in urban realism ("El Super") to cable television miniseries on ShowTime ("Sleeper Cell") and A&E ("The Cleaner"). Unfortunately for the 67-year-old director, not even success could guarantee the preservation of his films' analog prints. As discussed in a recent New York Times article entitled "Filmmaker Won’t Weep for the Cuba He Left Behind," a handful of Ichaso's indies from the past three decades are no longer available due to a lack of preservation and archiving. This fate has met both his 1979 breakthrough debut...
- 3/20/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Hollywood actress Elizabeth Peña had died, aged 55.
Peña's nephew Mario-Francisco Robles confirmed that she passed away on Tuesday (October 14) in an obituary for Latino Review.
In a career spanning almost 40 years, Peña appeared in a number of movies and television roles after her big break in Spanish-language film El Super.
She went on to star in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, La Bamba and Blue Steel in the '80s, before making noteworthy appearances in Rush Hour, Jacob's Ladder, Resurrection Blvd and also voicing Mirage in The Incredibles.
More recently, Peña played Gloria's (Sofia Vergara) mother in Modern Family and finished up work on El Rey Network's action series Matador.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague, Elizabeth Peña," the El Rey Network said in a statement.
"She was a role model, a truly extraordinary performer and an inspiration in every sense of the word.
Peña's nephew Mario-Francisco Robles confirmed that she passed away on Tuesday (October 14) in an obituary for Latino Review.
In a career spanning almost 40 years, Peña appeared in a number of movies and television roles after her big break in Spanish-language film El Super.
She went on to star in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, La Bamba and Blue Steel in the '80s, before making noteworthy appearances in Rush Hour, Jacob's Ladder, Resurrection Blvd and also voicing Mirage in The Incredibles.
More recently, Peña played Gloria's (Sofia Vergara) mother in Modern Family and finished up work on El Rey Network's action series Matador.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague, Elizabeth Peña," the El Rey Network said in a statement.
"She was a role model, a truly extraordinary performer and an inspiration in every sense of the word.
- 10/16/2014
- Digital Spy
Prolific actress Elizabeth Peña, whose acting career spanned nearly 40 years, has died at age 55. Peña died Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, her nephew Mario-Francisco Robles told the Latino Review. Her cause of death was not immediately available. Also read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2014 (Photos) Peña was raised by Cuban immigrant parents in her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey. She started in theater and debuted in her first film in 1978 — director León Ichaso's “El Super.” Most recently, she wrapped up filming seven episodes of El Rey Network's “Matador.” “We are deeply saddened by the passing of our.
- 10/16/2014
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
Hollywood has lost another talented star. 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. No cause of death was immediately available. 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...
- 10/16/2014
- E! Online
Elizabeth Peña has passed away. 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. She had recently wrapped work on the first season of the El Rey Network's action series, Matador, where she played the title character's mother Maritza.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and raised by her Cuban immigrant parents, Peña was destined for a career in the arts. Her father, Mario, was a playwright, director, actor, and designer in their native Cuba, who opened up the Latin American Theatre Ensemble after establishing a life for he and his family in New York. As a teen, Peña began making a name for herself as a formidable young actress in the New York theatre scene. She attended, and graduated from, the High School of Performing Arts and began her professional film career in 1978 with León Ichaso's El Super.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and raised by her Cuban immigrant parents, Peña was destined for a career in the arts. Her father, Mario, was a playwright, director, actor, and designer in their native Cuba, who opened up the Latin American Theatre Ensemble after establishing a life for he and his family in New York. As a teen, Peña began making a name for herself as a formidable young actress in the New York theatre scene. She attended, and graduated from, the High School of Performing Arts and began her professional film career in 1978 with León Ichaso's El Super.
- 10/15/2014
- by Mario-Francisco Robles
- LRMonline.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.