Carmen Margarita Zapata (July 15, 1927 – January 5, 2014) often referred to as "The First Lady of the Hispanic Theater" was an American actress best known for her role in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

bilingual children's program ''Villa Alegre''. Zapata was also the co-founder and director of the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in Los Angeles. Zapata took an active part in the Chicano movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Zapata was born in

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to Julio Zapata, a Mexican immigrant, and Ramona Roca, an Argentine immigrant.

Acting career

Zapata made her Broadway debut in the chorus of

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

in 1946. She appeared in over three hundred movies and shows, including '' Batman: The Animated Series'', '' Married... with Children'', ''

Sister Act ''Sister Act'' is a 1992 American musical crime comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (billed as Joseph Howard). It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to hide in a convent after being placed in a witn ...

'', 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."Lowe Kilmer. "Celebrities" (column), ''Watertown Daily Times'' (New York), October 7, 2003, Lifestyles & Leisure section, page B2. Matt S. Meier, Conchita Franco Serri, and Richard A. Garcia. ''Notable Latino Americans: A Biographical Dictionary'', Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 1997, page 410: ''"Most important, in her role of Doña Luz she was, for nine years, the heart and soul of the Public Broadcasting System's bilingual program, 'Villa Alegre.'"'' In 1972, Zapata co-founded the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

Ethnic Minority Committee with actors

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG ( ; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became widely known for performances ...

, Edith Diaz, and Henry Darrow. She was also one of the original members of the Hispanic actors organization "Nosotros," which was begun by

. In 1973, she co-founded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts (BFA) with

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n-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

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summer replacement series '' Viva Valdez'', about a

Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

family living in

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. In 1986, she and her writing partner, Michael Dewell, published translations for

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

's dramatic trilogy. The title was published by

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and was part of her effort to bring Spanish language literature to English speakers.

Awards

In 1983, Zapata was honored with the Humanitarian Crystal Award from Women in Film. Zapata was also honored with a Hispanic Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 for her career trajectory in the arts and for her work with the BFA. Zapata was nominated for an Emmy twice in her career, once as Best Supporting Actress for her role in a segment of Medical Center and once for her role in the film Carola. In 1981, Zapata was part of a group of greater Los Angeles women honored by the Young Women's Christian Association with the Silver Achievement Award. In 1983, Zapata was given the Ruben Salazar Award by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). In 1985, Zapata was named Woman of the Year by the Hispanic Women's Council. In 1986, Zapata was the recipient of the Best Translation Award from the journal ''Dramalogue''. Granted an honorary doctorate in human services from Sierra University. In 1991, she was among nine Californian artists, arts organizations, and patrons to receive the Governor's Award for the Arts. In 1999, Zapata was knighted by His Majesty Juan Carlos I, King of Spain and received ''El Lazo de Dama del Orden del Mérito Civil'', the Civil Order of Merit. In 2003, Zapata received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

Philanthropy

Throughout her life, Zapata was involved in various charitable events including sitting on the board of the

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, the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, the KCET Community Advisory Board, the

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, the

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, the National Repertory Theatre Foundation, and member of the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Committee on the Arts, the California Arts Council's Ethnic Advisory Minority Panel, and many other organizations. She has also served as a panel member of the Expansion Arts Program of the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, the Los Angeles

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Events Committee, and other programs. Zapata was a practicing

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and a registered Democrat.''An Interview With Carmen Zapata'', Skip E. Lowe, 1992

Death

Zapata died in

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on January 5, 2014, from heart disease; she was 86 years old.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zapata, Carmen 1927 births 2014 deaths American film actresses American television actresses American actresses of Mexican descent American people of Argentine descent Actresses from New York City Singers from New York City 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers American Roman Catholics 21st-century American women