Liza Colón-Zayas

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Liza Colón-Zayas (born July 15, 1972) is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for playing Tina Marrero on the comedy-drama series The Bear, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2024.

Early life and education

Liza Colón-Zayas was born as Liza Colón in 1972 in the Bronx borough of New York City.[1] She is of Puerto Rican descent.[2]

She earned her bachelor's degree in theater from SUNY Albany.[1]

Career

Colón-Zayas began her career off-Broadway. She broke into mainstream theatre when she wrote, produced, and starred in a one-woman show titled Sistah Supreme, a semi-autobiographical play in which she chronicles growing up as a Latina woman in New York during the 1970s and 1980s.[1]

Colón-Zayas has been a member of the LAByrinth Theatre Company, a New York-based traveling actors' group, since its founding in 1992.[3] On stage, she originated the role of Norca in the off-Broadway productions of Our Lady of 121st Street and the role of Haiku Mom in Quiara Alegría Hudes Pulitzer winner, Water by the Spoonful.[4] In 1999, she appeared in the Philip Seymour Hoffman directed play, In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings.[5][6]

One of Colón-Zayas' most memorable roles to theatergoers was the "Church Lady" in Stephen Adly Guirgis's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Between Riverside and Crazy which played the Atlantic Theater Company in 2014 and then Second Stage Theater in 2015. Colón-Zayas earned a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress for her portrayal. She went on to play the role once more in 2022 on Broadway at Second Stage's Hayes Theatre.[7]

In 2021, she was honored at the Dramatists Guild Foundation with the Madge Evans and Sidnet Kingsley Award. DGF’s longest-running award honors a mid-career dramatist and stage actresses for excellence in the theatre.[5]

On the big screen, she's appeared in United 93 (2006), Righteous Kill (2008), and the 2016 action horror film The Purge: Election Year.[8]

Colón-Zayas has also appeared in television series such as Sex and the City, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Blue Bloods, Dexter, and many more. In 2019, she got her first recurring role on the short-lived OWN drama, David Makes Man, and in 2021, she joined the cast of the Emmy-winning drama, In Treatment, as Rita.[9][1]

In 2022, Colón-Zayas rose to significant fame after starring in Hulu's critically acclaimed drama comedy series The Bear as Tina Marrero. She has received critical praise for her portrayal, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Imagen Award.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

She starred in John Krasinski's live action animated fantasy comedy feature IF released in 2024.[16]

Her win of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2024[15] made her the first Latina to win a Primetime Emmy in that category.[17]

In May 2025, Colón-Zayas was announced to have joined the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).[18]

Personal life

Colón-Zayas is married to actor David Zayas, known for his role as Angel Batista on Showtime's Dexter.[10]

Acting credits

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1995 The Keeper C.O. Melendez
2002 Unfaithful Grumpy teacher
Apartment #5C Yolanda
2004 Keane 1st Ticket Agent
2005 Heights Ana
2006 Freedomland Bea
United 93 Waleska Martinez [19]
2007 Goodbye Baby Host
2008 Righteous Kill Judge Angel Rodriguez
2011 Margaret Nurse
2012 Won't Back Down Yvonne [20]
2013 All Is Bright Mother of Six
2015 The Stockroom April
2016 The Purge: Election Year Dawn
All at Once Linda Ramirez
Collateral Beauty Trevor's Mom
2017 Lost Cat Corona Jasmine
2018 Breaking Brooklyn Ms. Cruz
2020 Before/During/After Juanita
2021 Naked Singularity Liszt [21][22]
2022 Allswell in New York Ida [23]
2023 Cat Person Officer Elaine
2024 IF Janet
2026 Spider-Man: Brand New Day TBA

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994 New York Undercover Speaker Episode: "Los Macheteros"
2000 Deadline Social Worker Episode: "Daniel in the Lion's Den"
2001 Third Watch Maria Episode: "Adam 55-3"
2002–2022 Law & Order Luisa / Sherry Velez / Lara Vega 3 episodes
2004 Sex and the City Melita Episode: "Splat!"
Hope & Faith Rusti Episode: "Queer as Hope"
2004–2015 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dolores Rodriguez / Cyndi 3 episodes
2005 Jonny Zero Lucia Episode: "La Familia"
2006 Conviction M.E. Muldoon Episode: "Breakup"
The Bedford Diaries Dr. Stern Episode: "Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"
2007 Rescue Me Sarah Episode: "Balance"
2008 House Maria Episode: "Emancipation"
2009 Taking Chance Ticketing Agent Television film
Nurse Jackie Mrs. Armando Episode: "School Nurse"
2010 How to Make It in America Gloria Episode: "Big in Japan"
Dexter Paloma Aragon Episode: "Take It!"
2011 Louie Miss Hernandez 2 episodes
Hung Gloria Episode: "The Whole Beefalo"
2013 Assistance Dorothy Television film
2015 Get Some! Mickie Martell Episode: "Chopped"
2016 Unforgettable Laura Barton Episode: "Bad Company"
Blue Bloods Ana Baez Episode: "Stomping Grounds"
The Pearl Eileen Rosado Television film
2017 Bull ADA Jessica Goodman Episode: "Already Gone"
2018 Titans Detective Jessica Perez 2 episodes
2019 Proven Innocent Lucia Rincon Episode: "Pilot"
David Makes Man Principal Fallow 6 episodes
2021 In Treatment Rita Ortiz
2022–present The Bear Tina Marrero Main role, 35 episodes[24][11][12]

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
1995 ¡Olé! Liza (Sistah Supreme) Off-Broadway; Playwright
1999 In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings Daisy Original Off-Broadway cast
2003 Our Lady of 121st Street Norca Off-Broadway
Living Out Zoila Tezo Off-Broadway
2005 The Last Days of Judas Iscariot Gloria / Mother Teresa Off-Broadway
2007 A View From 151st Street Lea Off-Broadway
2008 The Little Flower of East Orange Magnolia / Nurse 1 / Pope John XXIII Off-Broadway
2009 Othello Emilia Off-Broadway
2012 Water by the Spoonful Haiku Mom Second Stage Theater Production
2014 Between Riverside and Crazy Church Lady Atlantic Theater Production
2015 Second Stage Theater Production
2017 Mary Jane Sherrie New York Theatre Workshop Production
The Blameless Amanda Garcia Regional
2019 Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Sarge Atlantic Theatre's Off-Broadway World Premiere
2022 Between Riverside and Crazy Church Lady Original Broadway Production

Awards and nominations

Film and television

Year Association Category Project Result Ref.
2023 Imagen Awards Best Supporting Actress – Comedy (Television) The Bear Won [13]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated [25]
2024 Won [26]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Won [27]
Imagen Awards Best Supporting Actress – Comedy (Television) Won [28]
2025 Golden Globes Awards Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television Nominated [29]

Theatre

Year Association Category Project Result Ref.
2004 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Featured Actress Living Out Nominated [30]
2015 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Between Riverside and Crazy Won [30]
2018 Mary Jane Nominated [30]
2020 Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Won [30]
Obie Awards Performance Award Won [30]
Drama League Awards Distinguished Performance Award Nominated [30]
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Actress in a Play Won [30]
2021 Dramatists Guild Foundation Madge Evans and Sidney Kingsley Award Won [5]

See also

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References

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External links

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