Carmen Zapata

In a career spanning six decades plus, the ever-vital and ever-versatile 'Carmen Zapata' (qv) stands as one of the most respected and diversified Hispanic-American figures in the performing arts. The much-admired veteran actress has worn many hats over the years: teacher, producer, translator, lecturer and narrator.Born in New York City on July 15, 1927, the daughter of a Mexican father and Argentine mother, she started entertaining on the musical stage. Making her Broadway debut in the chorus of "Oklahoma" in 1946, she continued in the same vein with regional and summer stock roles in "Bloomer Girl", Bells Are Ringing", "Guys and Dolls" "Carnival" (with 'Liza Minnelli' (qv)), "Bye Bye Birdie", "No Strings" and "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off". In 1956 she appeared on Broadway in the Jose Quintero-directed dramatic piece "The Innkeepers" starring 'Geraldine Page' (qv), but it closed within a few days. For years Carmen was active on the stand-up comedy circuit performing in clubs and hotels across the country while billing herself as "Marge Cameron" in order to encourage non-discriminatory employment.She returned late to acting in the early 1960s (as 'Carmen Zapata' (qv)) and the subsequent search for ethnic support roles proved both difficult and unfulfilling. It was impossible to steer clear of the severe stereotypes imposed on her, yet she managed to establish a name for herself on 1970s TV. As a series regular, she had supporting duties alongside Mayor 'Anthony Quinn' (qv) in the drama _The Man and the City (1971)_ (qv); played matriarch Sophia Valdez in the ethnic family sitcom _Viva Valdez (1976)_ (qv) opposite 'Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.' (qv); appeared as 'Arthur Hill' (qv)'s housekeeper in the detective drama _Hagen (1980)_ (qv) starring 'Chad Everett' (qv); and had flavorful recurring roles in _The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971)_ (qv) and _Flamingo Road (1980)_ (qv). Unfortunately, the series' run of all these shows was too short-lived to earn top TV stardom for herself.Always striving for dignity, intelligence and positiveness in her work, she was often defeated by token appearances that underused her vast talents. When afforded the opportunity she could be quite touching and heartfelt. Dramatic and comedic performances included roles in such popular shows as "The Bold Ones", "Bonanza", "Marcus Welby, M.D.", "Owen Marshall", "Medical Center", "Adam 12", "Mod Squad", "The Rookies", "Love, American Style", "Wonder Women", "The Streets of San Francisco", "McMillan and Wife", "Trapper John, M.D.", "Chico and the Man", "Matt Houston", "Falcon Crest", "Married with Children", "The Trials of Rosie O'Neil", "L.A. Law", "Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman", and many, many others. She was seen sporadically in the late 1980s and early 1990s on the daytime soap _Santa Barbara (1984)_ (qv) as Carmen Castillo. Less visible on film, negligible roles included _Sol Madrid (1968)_ (qv), _Hail, Hero! (1969)_ (qv), _Portnoy's Complaint (1972)_ (qv), _Rabbit Test (1978)_ (qv), _Boulevard Nights (1979)_ (qv), _How to Beat the High Cost of Living (1980)_ (qv), the campy horror flick _Vultures (1984)_ (qv), and, more recently as one of the choir nuns in the box-office bonanza _Sister Act (1992)_ (qv) and its sequel.More significantly, Ms. Zapata established herself as a prominent benefactor to the Los Angeles-area performing arts. In 1973 she co-founded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts (BFA), a resident theater company and organization dedicated to bringing the Hispanic experience and culture to the Southern California community via the medium of bilingual stage productions. Serving as its president and producing director, many honors have been bestowed upon her for her selfless contributions. Establishing a durable relationship with the Los Angeles Unified School District to bring the works of great Hispanic authors to public school students, she has produced over 80 plays on BFA's mainstage. On TV, she starred as the town mayor for nine seasons on the PBS' bilingual children's television show _Villa Alegre (1973)_ (qv).As a teacher of drama, Carmen has offered her talents and services to the Academy of Stage and Cinema Arts and the East Los Angeles College Theatre Arts, among others venues. Moreover, a BFA facility was set up as an extension of UCLA. Since 1976, Carmen has been co-translating the groundbreaking plays and poems of such renowned Hispanic figures as 'Federico Garcia Lorca'. These important translations have included Garcia Lorca's "Blood Wedding", "The House of Bernarda Alba" and "Yerma" (the last work mentioned won a Dramalogue Award in 1980). In return, she portrayed the small role of Garcia Lorca's mother in the film _Death in Granada (1996)_ (qv) starring 'Andy Garcia' (qv) as the maverick Spanish poet and playwright who was executed by firing squad for his political stoicism.A narrator for the Oscar-nominated documentary _The Mothers of the Plaza of Mayo (1985)_ (qv), Carmen's later focus has been as a lecturer at universities and theater conferences across the country. At age 80, Ms. Zapata's unwavering dedication in preserving Hispanic-American culture continues to be a source of pride to the Los Angeles community and her profound influence has extended itself nationwide. At various times, she has been the recipient of several L.A. industry awards as well, including the "Ovation", the Dramalogue and Nosotros 'Awards' (qv) for her excellence in theatre.In 2003, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her final millennium film roles included _The Egg Plant Lady (2000)_ (qv) and _The Sleepy Time Gal (2001)_ (qv) while on TV she made a brief appearance in the TV movie _Fidel (2002)_ (qv). She died of heart failure on January 5, 2014, in Van Nuys, CA.::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]