Miriam Colon, 80, Latina actress . By Russell Contreras Associated
Press . ALBUQUERQUE - Miriam Colon, a pioneering Latina actress in New
York theater who co-starred in films alongside Marlon Brando and Al
Pacino, died Friday. Her husband, Fred Valle, said Ms. Colon died early
Friday in a New York hospital because of complications from a pulmonary
infection. She was 80 years old. Ms. Colon's image appeared on posters
throughout the American Southwest for her role in the 2013 movie
adaptation of quintessential Chicano novel "Bless Me, Ultima," which is
set in New Mexico. She had been active as late as 2015 with a cameo
appearance on the AMC TV series "Better Call Saul. Born in Ponce,
Puerto Rico, Ms. Colon participated in the theater during her school
years and was allowed to audit classes in the drama department at the
University of Puerto Rico before she graduated from high school. She
came to New York City in the 1950s to study at the Actors Studio and
later moved to Los Angeles where she earned small roles in various
television shows and films, Valle said. Her roles included appearances
in "One-Eyed Jacks" with Brando and in "The Outsider" with Tony Curtis.
In 1967, she founded the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York,
where she helped cultivate young Latino actors and writers and staged
work that would later be read in Latino Studies classes across the
Americas. During her career, she appeared in more than 90 films and
more than 250 television episodes on programs that included "Bronco,"
"Bonanza," and "Law & Order. But Ms. Colon is widely known for
portraying the Cuban-American mother of Tony Montana, played by Al
Pacino, in the 1983 movie "Scarface. Her voice later appeared in
underground hip-hop songs as her character chided Pacino for his role
in the drug trade. Ms. Colon would go on to star as Tejana restaurateur
Mercedes Cruz in the 1996 film "Lone Star. In that film, she played a
former immigrant living in the country illegally who lived near the Rio
Grande and was quick to call federal immigration authorities on
immigrants crossing the border. Ms. Colon earned wide acclaim for her
role as the New Mexico Hispanic healer Ultima in the movie "Bless Me,
Ultima," based on the novel by Rudolfo Anaya. Her character mentored a
young boy and taught him about traditional methods of healing and the
New Mexico desert. When the movie finally was screened in Albuquerque,
audiences were heard crying in reaction to one of the film's final
scenes as the film's young boy asked Ms. Colon, "Bless me, Ultima.
"That was her most beautiful role, in my opinion," Valle said. "I saw
the movie three times. She was la gran madre in the film. In 2015,
President Barack Obama presented the National Medal of Art to Ms. Colon
for her work as an actress and theater founder. It was an honor she
cherished, Valle said. "We were married more than 40 years," Valle
said. "I was so proud of everything she accomplished.
