Liza_Colón-Zayas
Liza Colón-Zayas
American actress (born 1972)
Liza Colón-Zayas (born 1972) is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for playing Tina Marrero on the comedy-drama series The Bear.[1][2][3]
Liza Colón-Zayas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Liza Colón 1972 (age 51–52) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, playwright |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | David Zayas |
She was born as Liza Colón in 1972 in The Bronx borough of New York City. She earned her bachelor's degree in theater from SUNY Albany.[4]
Colón-Zayas began her career off-Broadway. She broke into mainstream theatre when she wrote, produced, and starred in a one-woman show titled Sistah Supreme, a semi-autobiographical play in which she chronicles growing up as a Latina woman in New York during the 1970s and 1980s.[4]
Colón-Zayas has been a member of the LAByrinth Theatre Company, a New York-based traveling actors' group, since its founding in 1992.[5] On stage, she originated the role of Norca in the off-Broadway productions of Our Lady of 121st Street and the role of Haiku Mom in Quiara Alegría Hudes Pulitzer winner, Water By The Spoonful.[6] In 1999, she appeared in the Philip Seymour Hoffman directed play, In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings.[7][8]
One of Colón-Zayas most memorable role to theatergoers was as the "Church Lady" in Stephen Adly Guirgis's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Between Riverside and Crazy which played the Atlantic Theater Company in 2014 and then Second Stage Theater in 2015. Colón-Zayas earned a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress for her portrayal. She went on to play the role once more in 2022 on Broadway at Second Stage's Hayes Theatre.[9]
In 2021, she was honored at the Dramatists Guild Foundation with the Madge Evans and Sidnet Kingsley Award. DGF’s longest-running award honors a mid-career dramatist and stage actresses for excellence in the theatre.[7]
On the big screen, she's appeared in United 93 (2006), Righteous Kill (2008), and the 2016 action horror film The Purge: Election Year.[10]
Colón-Zayas has also appeared in television series such as Sex and the City, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Blue Bloods, Dexter, and many more. In 2019, she got her first recurring role on the short-lived OWN drama, David Makes Man, and in 2021, she joined the cast of the Emmy-winning drama, In Treatment, as Rita.[11][4]
In 2022, Colón-Zayas rose to significant fame after starring in Hulu's critically acclaimed drama comedy series The Bear as Tina Marrero. She has received critical praise for her portrayal, including a Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination and an Imagen Awards win.[1][12][13]
She is set to star in John Krasinski's live action animated fantasy comedy feature IF in 2024.[14]
Colón-Zayas is married to actor David Zayas, known for his role as Angel Batista on Showtime's Dexter.[1]
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Keeper | C.O. Melendez | |
| 2002 | Unfaithful | Grumpy teacher | |
| Apartment #5C | Yolanda | ||
| 2004 | Keane | 1st Ticket Agent | |
| 2005 | Heights | Ana | |
| 2006 | Freedomland | Bea | |
| United 93 | Waleska Martinez | [15] | |
| 2007 | Goodbye Baby | Host | |
| 2008 | Righteous Kill | Judge Angel Rodriguez | |
| 2011 | Margaret | Nurse | |
| 2012 | Won't Back Down | Yvonne | [16] |
| 2013 | All Is Bright | Mother of Six | |
| 2015 | The Stockroom | April | |
| 2016 | The Purge: Election Year | Dawn | |
| All at Once | Linda Ramirez | ||
| Collateral Beauty | Trevor's Mom | ||
| 2017 | Lost Cat Corona | Jasmine | |
| 2018 | Breaking Brooklyn | Ms. Cruz | |
| 2020 | Before/During/After | Juanita | |
| 2021 | Naked Singularity | Liszt | [17][18] |
| 2022 | Allswell | Daisy | [19] |
| 2023 | Cat Person | Officer Elaine | |
| 2024 | IF | Janet |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | New York Undercover | Speaker | Episode: "Los Macheteros" |
| 2000 | Deadline | Social Worker | Episode: "Daniel in the Lion's Den" |
| 2001 | Third Watch | Maria | Episode: "Adam 55-3" |
| 2002 - 2022 |
Law & Order | Luisa / Sherry Velez / Lara Vega | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | Sex and the City | Melita | Episode: "Splat!" |
| Hope & Faith | Rusti | Episode: "Queer as Hope" | |
| 2004 - 2015 | Law & Order: SVU | Dolores Rodriguez / Cyndi | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | Jonny Zero | Lucia | Episode: "La Familia" |
| 2006 | Conviction | M.E. Muldoon | Episode: "Breakup" |
| The Bedford Diaries | Dr. Stern | Episode: "Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" | |
| 2007 | Rescue Me | Sarah | Episode: "Balance" |
| 2008 | House | Maria | Episode: "Emancipation" |
| 2009 | Taking Chance | Ticketing Agent | Television film |
| Nurse Jackie | Mrs. Armando | Episode: "School Nurse" | |
| 2010 | How to Make It in America | Gloria | Episode: "Big in Japan" |
| Dexter | Paloma Aragon | Episode: "Take It!" | |
| 2011 | Louie | Miss Hernandez | 2 episodes |
| Hung | Gloria | Episode: "The Whole Beefalo" | |
| 2013 | Assistance | Dorothy | Television film |
| 2015 | Get Some! | Mickie Martell | Episode: "Chopped" |
| 2016 | Unforgettable | Laura Barton | Episode: "Bad Company" |
| Blue Bloods | Ana Baez | Episode: "Stomping Grounds" | |
| The Pearl | Eileen Rosado | Television film | |
| 2017 | Bull | ADA Jessica Goodman | Episode: "Already Gone" |
| 2018 | Titans | Detective Jessica Perez | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Proven Innocent | Lucia Rincon | Episode: "Pilot" |
| David Makes Man | Principal Fallow | 6 episodes | |
| 2021 | In Treatment | Rita Ortiz | |
| 2022–present | The Bear | Tina | Main role, 18 episodes [20][2][3] |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | ¡Olé! | Liza (Sistah Supreme) | Off-Broadway; Playwright |
| 1999 | In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings | Original Off-Broadway cast | |
| 2003 | Our Lady of 121st Street | Norca | Off-Broadway |
| Living Out | Zoila Tezo | Off-Broadway | |
| 2005 | The Last Days of Judas Iscariot | Gloria / Mother Teresa | Off-Broadway |
| 2007 | A View From 151st Street | Lea | Off-Broadway |
| 2008 | The Little Flower of East Orange | Magnolia / Nurse 1 / Pope John XXIII | Off-Broadway |
| 2009 | Othello | Emilia | Off-Broadway |
| 2012 | Water by the Spoonful | Haiku Mom | Second Stage Theater Production |
| 2014 | Between Riverside and Crazy | Church Lady | Atlantic Theater Production |
| 2015 | Second Stage Theater Production | ||
| 2017 | Mary Jane | Sherrie | New York Theatre Workshop Production |
| The Blameless | Regional | ||
| 2019 | Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven | Sarge | Atlantic Theatre's Off-Broadway World Premiere |
| 2022 | Between Riverside and Crazy | Church Lady | Original Broadway Production |
Film and Television
| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Imagen Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Comedy (Television) | The Bear | Won | [12] |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | [21] | ||
| 2024 | Won | [22] |
Theatre
| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress | Living Out | Nominated | [23] |
| 2015 | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Between Riverside and Crazy | Won | [23] | |
| 2018 | Mary Jane | Nominated | [23] | ||
| 2020 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven | Won | [23] |
| Obie Awards | Performance Award | Won | [23] | ||
| Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Nominated | [23] | ||
| Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Won | [23] | ||
| 2021 | Dramatists Guild Foundation | Madge Evans and Sidney Kingsley Award | Won | [7] | |
- Bahr, Sarah (2022-11-21). "Liza Colón-Zayas Swears by Brené Brown, 'Hacks' and Hugs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- "The Making of The Bear's Showstopper Monologue: "It's a Love Letter"". Vanity Fair. 2022-06-29. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- "Between Riverside And Crazy". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- "'The Bear' Star Liza Colón-Zayas Pinches Herself Daily". Shondaland. 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- "Company Members". LAByrinth Theatre Company. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
- "Liza Colón-Zayas Biography | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com". www.broadway.com. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- Gans, Andrew (September 10, 2021). "Stephen Adly Guirgis, Elizabeth Canavan, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Elizabeth Rodriguez Honored by Dramatists Guild Foundation". Playbill. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- "Interview: Liza Colón-Zayas Is Between "The Bear" and "Riverside" and "Crazy" on Broadway". 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- Roche, Barbara (2024-01-12). "Stewart Talent celebrates two SAG Award noms". Reel Chicago News. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- Petski, Denise (2020-11-17). "'In Treatment': Liza Colón-Zayas, John Benjamin Hickey & Quintessa Swindell To Recur In HBO Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- "Flamin' Hot Takes Home Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor at 38th Annual Imagen Awards". Imagen Foundation. December 3, 2023. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- Journal, Kathleen Squires / Photographs by Laura Murray for The Wall Street. "How Liza Colón-Zayas, Everyone's Favorite Line Cook From 'The Bear,' Cooks at Home". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- Petski, Denise (2023-10-31). "'The Bear's Liza Colón-Zayas Signs With Liebman Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- "United 93 review". the Guardian. 2006-06-02. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- Rooney, David (2012-09-26). "Won't Back Down: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- Rooney, David (2021-04-10). "'Naked Singularity': Film Review | San Francisco 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- Catsoulis, Jeannette (2021-08-05). "'Naked Singularity' Review: Injustice For All". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- Song, Katie (2021-11-13). "'Allswell,' Starring Elizabeth Rodriguez, Liza Colón-Zayas and Daphne Rubin-Vega, Wraps Production". Variety. Archived from the original on 2022-10-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- Jr, Richie Ramirez (2022-11-22). "How an up-and-coming comic broke big with the drama 'The Bear'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- Hipes, Patrick (January 11, 2023). "SAG Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. January 10, 2024. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- "Liza Colon-Zayas: Credits, Bio, News & More | Broadway World". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
