Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Peña (born September 23, 1959 – October 14, 2014) was an American actress. She portrayed Tania Johnson in Rush Hour.

Early life and career
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and raised in New York, her parents, who opened off-Broadway's "Latin American Theatre Ensemble", were more than encouraging. Elizabeth attended NY's "High School of the Performing Arts" and found occasional work in repertory theatre and in television commercials.

She made her first film debut in El Super (1979) and worked with director Leon Ichaso again in his next film Crossover Dreams (1985). She appeared in other films such as Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), La Bamba (1987), Batteries Not Included (1987), Jacob's Ladder (1990), Vibes (1988), Lone Star (1996) and Rush Hour (1998).

Death
On October 14, 2014, Peña died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California at the age of 55. The cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol, acute gastrointestinal bleeding, cardiogenic shock, and cardiopulmonary arrest.