Portrait of Elizabeth Peña

Birthday profile

Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Peña, American actress (died 2014)

Born
September 23, 1959
Died
October 14, 2014
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1959

About Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Maria Peña was an American actress. Her film credits include Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Batteries Not Included, La Bamba, Jacob's Ladder (1990), Rush Hour (1998), and Nothing like the Holidays (2008). Peña won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for her work in Lone Star (1996). She also voiced Rosa Santos in the animated television series Maya & Miguel (2004-2007) and Mirage in the animated film The Incredibles (2004). Peña's parents founded the Theatre Ensemble. Peña co-founded the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Elizabeth Peña was born

Elizabeth Peña was born in 1959. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1959

  • #1 song"Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin
  • Top movieBen-Hur
  • Top TV showGunsmoke
  • Best-selling bookGoldfinger – Ian Fleming

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentIngemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson for heavyweight title
  • Top headlineAlaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th US states
  • Technology milestoneMicrochip (integrated circuit) invented
  • Defining fadBarbie dolls
  • Notable inventionBarbie doll
  • World population2.98 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population177.1M

1959 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Elizabeth Peña's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19592026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,400$435,000
Average income$7,000$67,500
Minimum wage$1.00$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population177.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.