Carmen Zapata | |
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Zapata and Vito Scotti in Love, American Style in 1973
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Born |
Carmen Margarita Zapata July 15, 1927 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died | January 5, 2014 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
(aged 86)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1946–2002 |
Spouse(s) | Ron Friedman (1957-1963) (divorced) |
Carmen Margarita Zapata (July 15, 1927 – January 5, 2014) was an American actress. Zapata was born in New York City to Julio Zapata, a Mexican immigrant, and Ramona Roca, an Argentine.
Zapata made her Broadway debut in the chorus of Oklahoma! in 1946. She appeared 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. One of her longest-running roles was on the bilingual children's program Villa Alegre, where for nine years she played the lead character, "Doña Luz."
In 1972, Zapata co-founded the Screen Actors Guild Ethnic Minority Committee with actors Ricardo Montalban, Edith Diaz, and Henry Darrow. In 1973, she co-founded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts (BFA) with Cuban-born actress, playwright, and director Margarita Galban and Argentine-born award-winning set designer Estela Scarlata.
In 1976, Zapata joined Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., in starring roles in the 12-episode ABC situation comedy summer replacement series Viva Valdez, about a Mexican-American family living in East Los Angeles, California.
In 2003, Zapata received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.