Lupe Ontiveros

Ontiveros was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Luz "Lucita" Castañón and Juan Moreno, middle-class Mexican immigrants who overcame a lack of formal education to become owners of a tortilla factory and two restaurants in El Paso. She graduated from El Paso High School and went on to study at Texas Woman\'s University in Denton, Texas, where she received a bachelor\'s degree in social work. She was raised Roman Catholic.\n', '

After her marriage, she and her husband moved to California to realize his dream of starting an automotive business. During a period of dissatisfaction with her career as a social worker, Ontiveros was trying to decide whether to go back to school for a nursing degree when she saw an article about a need for local film extras. With her husband\'s encouragement, she took the job and parlayed it into a long stage and screen career. Prior to acting, she had wor…