Miriam Colon, an icon in U.S. Latino theater who starred in films alongside Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, has died. She was 80.
Her husband, Fred Valle, told the Associated Press that Colon died early Friday due to complications from a pulmonary infection.
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Colon came to Los Angeles in the 1950s to study at the Actors Studio before earning roles in various films. She eventually founded the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York, where she helped cultivate young Latino actors and writers.
Colon is widely known as the mother of Tony Montana, played by Pacino, in the 1983 movie Scarface.
Colon also earned acclaim for her role as the New Mexico Hispanic healer Ultima in the 2013 movie Bless Me, Ultima, based on the novel by Rudolfo Anaya.
