Mexican-American Actress Lupe Ontiveros, with a three decade career on the industry of television and motion pictures in the United States passed away today at 69, informed actor Jacob Vargas, who worked with her in the movie "Selena".

"My friend Lupe Ontiveros has just passed away. May you rest in peace. Thanks for your great contribution to the cinema and to television. We will miss you", he posted on his Twitter account.

Vargas explained that the actress was "seriously ill" while celebrity website TMZ states that Ontiveros suffered from liver cancer.

Ontiveros appeared on dozens of movies and TV shows, although she is most likely to be remembered by her role on the "Desperate Housewives" series in which she played the unbearable Hispanic mother in law who constantly fought with her wealthy and manipulative daughter in law, Gabrielle (Eva Longoria).

The actress, born in El Paso, TX, received an Emmy nomination for that role during the show's first season.

Ontiveros, who was a social worker for 15 years prior to becoming an actress, participated with Steven Spielberg and Jack Nicholson in the course of her 30 year-long versatile career.

The Hispanic performer worked in comedies like "As Good as It Gets" (1997) and the youth adventure film "The Goonies" (1985) as well as in independent hits like "Storytelling" (2001).

But three Latin films marked her career: "Selena" (1997), where she played the singer's admirer who ends up murdering the young performer played by Jennifer López; "Real Women Have Curves" (2002) as the mother of actress América Ferrera and Gregory Naya's "The North" (1983), whose script was nominated to the Oscars.

In her extensive cinematographic career, she appeared in movies and successful series like "Hill Street Blues", "Weeds", "Fame", "Universal Soldier" (1992) and "Our Family Wedding" (2010).

Her movie "On the Run" is to be released in the near future, the actress was to perform in two other films: "Land of the Free" and "Aztec Warrior".

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Translation by Karen Balderas