‘I didn't come in with the looks or the body. I literally pounded the pavement. The indignities that I suffered as a woman, as a Latina, were incredible’

Craziness and the need for a job. She was between social worker jobs and raising three young boys with her husband, Elias. “One day I opened the newspaper and saw an ad seeking movie extras. Elias said, ‘Go, if you wish,’ and that was the beginning of the end. I bet he regrets it to this day,” she says wryly.

Ontiveros was hooked after working as an extra on various movies. She decided to pursue an acting career at considerable personal sacrifice to herself and her family. “I used to work an eight-hour job as a social worker in Compton, drive home, feed my children, and then do theater in the evenings at Nosotros,” recalls Ontiveros. Nosotros is a Latino community theater in Los Angeles.

At Nosotros, Ontiveros gained a peer group she could learn her craft with and also discovered a knack for making people laugh. Most important, she found the encouragement to stick to her newly chosen profession.

Ontiveros’s face, which so easily bursts into laughter, becomes somber. “It wasn’t made easy for me—no way in hell. I didn’t come in with the looks or the body. I literally pounded the pavement. The indignities that I suffered as a woman, as a Latina, were incredible,” she recalls.

Still, Ontiveros thinks “it was worth it.”

Her big break came in 1978, when she was cast as Dolores in Luis Valdez’s landmark play, Zoot Suit. Ontiveros later took the role to New York as part of the first Mexican American theatrical production on Broadway. When the show folded after a few months, she went back to work at a medical clinic and debated whether to give up on show business.

Fortunately, she decided to persevere. “At first, I was curious. Then my curiosity turned into anger. I was determined to make Hollywood take notice of us [Hispanics],” Ontiveros says. Gradually, Hollywood did take notice. She landed guest appearances on television shows and small parts in films. More often than not, she was cast as a maid.

She reprised the role of Dolores in the 1982 film version of Zoot Suit. A part in the Oscar-nominated El Norte (1983) followed, as did roles in Born in East L.A. (1987), Mi Familia (1995), and Selena (1997), in which she played the Tejano singer’s killer, Yolanda Saldivar. Ontiveros appeared with Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets (1997), and acted under the direction of Johnny Depp in The Brave (1997).

The actress has garnered accolades, as well as a diverse fan base, through the years. She earned a Best Dramatic Actress award at the Sundance Film Festival for her role as Carmen Garcia in Real Women Have Curves (2002). A performance in the quirky, independent film, Chuck & Buck (2000), earned her the National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress award and a Special Acting Award from the Sundance Film Festival. “I have a big cult following in the gay community for that film,” Ontiveros notes.

Twentysomethings frequently recognize Ontiveros on the street, especially for her role as Rosalita in Steven Spielberg’s Goonies (1985). It’s a role she almost didn’t take. “Steven Spielberg had seen El Norte, and of course I played a maid in El Norte. He sent my agent a script, and I was tired of doing maids. I told my agent that I wasn’t interested, but he talked me into it. It was Spielberg, after all.”

Though she never set out to be famous, Ontiveros is flattered when people recognize her. “The most beautiful thing that people do is to give me their blessings. It makes the struggle seem worthwhile,” she says.

Now Ontiveros is in a position to help others with their struggles. “I mentor young filmmakers. That’s my way of giving back. Nobody mentored me,” she says. She also devotes her time to social causes that are important to her, such as promoting AIDS awareness in the Latino community and working for victims of domestic violence. “I guess the social worker is still in me,” she says.

One cause particularly close to her heart is advocacy for the deaf. Her second son was born clinically deaf and now works as a counselor for emotionally disturbed deaf students.

After 30 years in the business, Ontiveros feels she is in her prime. “I have so much more to give than when I was younger,” she observes. She is particularly proud of the invitations she has received to be a judge at film festivals around the world. “I’ve been to Cuba, to Toulouse, France; Quebec City; Santo Domingo. It makes me feel very fulfilled on so many different levels; as a woman, as a Mexican American, as an artist and colleague,” she notes.

The success of Desperate Housewives is bringing many new roles her way, but Ontiveros remains a realist.

“Things are very good right now, but nothing says that the next role offered to me won’t be a maid again. I am not putting those ladies down. As long as I am allowed to develop those characters as human beings beyond the negative stereotypes, I will do them as long as I live and do them with pride.”

She adds, “Let me tell you something. I’m no lady. I’m an old broad, and that allows me to have a lot of fun. I’m satisfied and grateful for what I’ve achieved. If I can do it, the whole world can do it.”

And with that, she savors the last bite of her chocolate soufflé.