Edith Diaz
Encyclopedia
Edith Diaz was a Puerto Rican
-born American
actress. Diaz, known for roles in film
, television
and stage
, co-founded the Screen Actors Guild
's Ethnic Minorities Committee in 1972.
Diaz was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
. She studied under noted acting teacher, Stella Adler
, and at the Actors Studio
in New York City
. Her film credits included Born on the Fourth of July
in 1989, Sister Act
in 1992, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
in 1993, Nick of Time
in 1995, First Watch in 2003 and Oh Baby! in 2008.
On television, Diaz appeared in the short-lived 1975-76 CBS
television series, Popi
, which starred Hector Elizondo
. Popi which aired on CBS for eleven episode
s, was one of the first television series on American network television to feature a Hispanic theme
and cast
. Her other television credits included guest roles on St. Elsewhere
, All in the Family
and The Twilight Zone. In 1991, she played Desi Arnaz
's mother, Dolores (Mother Arnaz), in the television movie
, Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, on CBS.
Diaz co-founded the Screen Actors Guild
Ethnic Minorities Committee in 1972 with Henry Darrow
, Carmen Zapata
and Ricardo Montalban
.
Edith Diaz died of heart failure on December 19, 2009, at a nursing home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
, at the age of 60. She was survived by her sister, Nilsa; brother, Arcadio Diaz Quinones; two nephews and four nieces. Actress Miluka Rivera, who serves on the SAG Ethnic Minorities Committee called Diaz a "gifted performer, a union Latino rights activist and a loving friend."
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. Diaz, known for roles in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, co-founded the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
's Ethnic Minorities Committee in 1972.
Diaz was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
. She studied under noted acting teacher, Stella Adler
Stella Adler
Stella Adler was an American actress and an acclaimed acting teacher, who founded the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and the The Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles with long-time protege Joanne Linville, who continues to teach and furthers Adler's legacy...
, and at the Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Her film credits included Born on the Fourth of July
Born on the Fourth of July (film)
Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 American film adaptation of the best selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise plays Kovic, in a performance that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, and also...
in 1989, Sister Act
Sister Act
Sister Act is a 1992 American comedy film released by Touchstone Pictures. Directed by Emile Ardolino, it features musical arrangements by Marc Shaiman and stars Whoopi Goldberg as a Reno lounge singer who has been put under protective custody in a San Francisco convent and has to pretend to be a...
in 1992, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit is a 1993 comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Directed by Bill Duke, and released by Touchstone Pictures, it is the sequel to the successful 1992 film Sister Act...
in 1993, Nick of Time
Nick of Time
Nick of Time may refer to:In literature:* The Nick of Time, a novel by Francis King, 2002* The Nick of Time, a collection of essays about haiku by Paul O...
in 1995, First Watch in 2003 and Oh Baby! in 2008.
On television, Diaz appeared in the short-lived 1975-76 CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series, Popi
Popi (TV series)
Popi was an American television series which aired on CBS during the 1975-76 television season. The show, which ran for eleven episodes, was one of the series on American network television to feature a Latino cast and theme. Popi starred actor Hector Elizondo as a Puerto Rican widower and Edith...
, which starred Hector Elizondo
Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
. Popi which aired on CBS for eleven episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s, was one of the first television series on American network television to feature a Hispanic theme
Theme (literature)
A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
and cast
Casting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
. Her other television credits included guest roles on St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
, All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
and The Twilight Zone. In 1991, she played Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
's mother, Dolores (Mother Arnaz), in the television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, on CBS.
Diaz co-founded the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
Ethnic Minorities Committee in 1972 with Henry Darrow
Henry Darrow
Henry Darrow is a prolific Puerto Rican-American character actor of stage and film. Darrow is probably best remembered for his role as Big John Cannon's teasing brother-in-law, and Buck Cannon's favorite ranch hand, and best friend, Manolito Montoya, in the 1960s television series The High...
, Carmen Zapata
Carmen Zapata
Carmen Margarita Zapata is an American actress. Zapata was born in New York City to a Mexican father and an Argentine mother. She has been in over one hundred movies and shows, including Batman: The Animated Series, Married... with Children, Sister Act, and she was Carmen Castillo in Santa Barbara...
and Ricardo Montalban
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
.
Edith Diaz died of heart failure on December 19, 2009, at a nursing home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
, at the age of 60. She was survived by her sister, Nilsa; brother, Arcadio Diaz Quinones; two nephews and four nieces. Actress Miluka Rivera, who serves on the SAG Ethnic Minorities Committee called Diaz a "gifted performer, a union Latino rights activist and a loving friend."