Constance Marie Lopez is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Angelina "Angie" Lopez in '' George Lopez'' (2002–2007), and Marcela Quintanilla (mother of

Selena Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...

) in the film ''

'' (1997). She portrayed Regina Vasquez in the ABC Family/Freeform drama series '' Switched at Birth'' (2011–2017). She also portrayed Camila Diaz in the

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

drama series '' Undone'' (2019–2022).

Early life

Constance Marie was born and raised in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

. At age 19, Marie appeared as a dancer in the musical ''Cosmopolis'' by composer

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. When she returned to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, she was spotted at a club by Toni Basil, the dance choreographer for

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, and she was hired for the

Glass Spider Tour The Glass Spider Tour was a 1987 worldwide concert tour by the English musician David Bowie, launched in support of his album ''Never Let Me Down'' and named for that album's track "Glass Spider". It began in May 1987 and was preceded by a two ...

in 1987. She appeared on the 1988 concert video ''

Glass Spider ''Glass Spider'' is a concert film by English singer David Bowie. The release was sourced from eight shows during the first two weeks of November 1987 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Australia during the last month of the Glass Spider To ...

'', which captured performances from that tour.

Career

Marie began her acting career when she was in her teenage years. She landed a spot in the 1988 film '' Salsa''. Other television and film credits include '' Early Edition'', ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romance film, romantic drama film, drama Dance in film, dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tel ...

'', ''

Spin City ''Spin City'' is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996, to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a fictionalized version of the New York City mayor's off ...

'', and ''

Ally McBeal ''Ally McBeal'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series created by David E. Kelley that originally aired on Fox from September 8, 1997, to May 20, 2002. It revolves around Calista Flockhart in the title role as a lawyer working ...

''. Marie was chosen for the role of Angie Lopez in the ABC comedy series '' George Lopez''. In 2001, Marie starred in the comedy-drama film '' Tortilla Soup'' alongside

Héctor Elizondo Héctor Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American character actor. He is known for playing Phillip Watters in the television series '' Chicago Hope'' (1994–2000) and Ed Alzate in the television series '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021 ...

, Jacqueline Obradors, and

Elizabeth Peña Elizabeth Maria Peña (September 23, 1959 – October 14, 2014) was an American actress. Her film credits include '' Down and Out in Beverly Hills'' (1986), '' Batteries Not Included'', '' La Bamba'' (both 1987), ''Jacob's Ladder'' (1990) ...

. She also appeared 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 ...

drama series '' American Family''. In October 2007, she launched her own clothing line, "The Constance Marie Collection". In the same year, she appeared in an ad for

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

, encouraging people to spay and neuter their pets. From 2011 to 2017, Marie had a starring role in the ABC Family/Freeform drama series '' Switched at Birth'', portraying Regina Vasquez, the birth mother of one of the girls and legal mother of the other.

Personal life

Marie was in a 15-year relationship with yoga instructor Kent Katich, which ended in September 2015. They have a daughter born in 2009. Marie is a longtime

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and raised her child as a vegetarian.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Soap Opera Digest Awards ''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, was an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''Soap Opera Digest''. History 1977–1983 The Soapy Awards were an award presented ...

** 1991: Outstanding Female Newcomer (Daytime) – '' Santa Barbara'' (Nominated) *

ALMA Award The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and accurate portrayals of Latino ...

s ** 1998: Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – '' Union Square'' (Nominated) **

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

: Outstanding Actress (Television Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie) – '' George Lopez'' (Nominated) **

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

: Favorite TV Actress - Supporting Role – '' Switched at Birth'' (Nominated) **

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

: Favorite TV Actress - Supporting Role – ''Switched at Birth'' (Won) *

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

s **

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

: Most Popular Mom & Pop in a Television Series – '' George Lopez'' (Nominated) with George Lopez * Imagen Awards ** 2004: Best Actress in Television Drama – '' American Family'' (Nominated) ** 2004: Best Actress in Television Comedy – ''George Lopez'' (Won) ** 2005: Best Actress (Television) – ''George Lopez'' (Nominated) ** 2006: Best Actress (Television) – ''George Lopez'' (Nominated) ** 2007: Best Actress (Television) – ''George Lopez'' (Nominated)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marie, Constance Living people 21st-century American women Actresses from Los Angeles American female dancers American film actresses American actresses of Mexican descent American soap opera actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Dancers from California People from East Los Angeles, California Year of birth missing (living people)