Elizabeth Pena | Actress, 55

Elizabeth Pena, 55, the versatile actress who shifted between dramatic roles in such films as

Lone Star

and comedic parts in TV shows like

Modern Family

, has died.

Ms. Pena's manager, Gina Rugolo, said Wednesday the Cuban American actress died Tuesday in Los Angeles of natural causes after a brief illness. No other details were provided.

Born in Elizabeth, N.J., Ms. Pena had a Hollywood career that spanned four decades and included roles in such movies as La Bamba, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Jacob's Ladder, and Rush Hour. In filmmaker John Sayles' Lone Star, she memorably portrayed a history teacher who rekindles a romance with an old flame, played by Chris Cooper.

Ms. Pena appeared on such TV shows as L.A. Law, Dream On, Resurrection Blvd., and Modern Family, where she played the mother of Sofia Vergara's character, Gloria.

She starred in the 1980s sitcom I Married Dora in the title role as a housekeeper from El Salvador who weds her employer to avoid deportation.

Ms. Pena also provided her voice to Disney-Pixar's The Incredibles, the Justice League cartoon series and Seth MacFarlane's American Dad.

Ms. Pena most recently appeared on the El Rey Network drama Matador.

She is survived by her husband, two children, mother, and sister. - AP