Liza Colón-Zayas (born July 15, 1972) is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for playing Tina Marrero on thecomedy-drama seriesThe Bear, for which she won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in2024, becoming the first Latina to win aPrimetime Emmy in that category.^[1]

Liza Colón-Zayas was born as Liza Colón in 1972 inthe Bronx borough of New York City.^[2] She is ofPuerto Rican descent.^[3]

She earned her bachelor's degree in theater fromSUNY Albany.^[2]

Colón-Zayas began her careeroff-Broadway. She broke into mainstream theatre when she wrote, produced, and starred in a one-woman show titledSistah Supreme, a semi-autobiographical play in which she chronicles growing up as a Latina woman in New York during the 1970s and 1980s.^[2]

Colón-Zayas has been a member of theLAByrinth Theatre Company, a New York-based traveling actors' group, since its founding in 1992.^[4] On stage, she originated the role of Norca in theoff-Broadway productions ofOur Lady of 121st Street and the role of Haiku Mom inQuiara Alegría HudesPulitzer winner,Water by the Spoonful.^[5] In 1999, she appeared in thePhilip Seymour Hoffman directed play,In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings.^[6][7]

One of Colón-Zayas' most memorable roles to theatergoers was the "Church Lady" inStephen Adly Guirgis's Pulitzer Prize-winning dramaBetween Riverside and Crazy which played theAtlantic Theater Company in 2014 and thenSecond Stage Theater in 2015. Colón-Zayas earned aLucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress for her portrayal. She went on to play the role once more in 2022 onBroadway atSecond Stage'sHayes Theater.^[8]

In 2021, she was honored at theDramatists 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.^[6]

On the big screen, she's appeared inUnited 93 (2006),Righteous Kill (2008), and the 2016 action horror filmThe Purge: Election Year.^[9]

Colón-Zayas has also appeared in television series such asSex 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-livedOWN drama,David Makes Man, and in 2021, she joined the cast of theEmmy-winning drama,In Treatment, as Rita.^[10][2]

In 2022, Colón-Zayas rose to significant fame after starring inHulu's critically acclaimed drama comedy seriesThe Bear as Tina Marrero. She has received critical praise for her portrayal, including aScreen Actors Guild Award and anImagen Award.^{[11][12][13][14][15][16]}

She starred inJohn Krasinski'slive action animatedfantasy comedy featureIF released in 2024.^[17]

Her win of thePrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in2024^[16] made her the first Latina to win a Primetime Emmy in that category.^[18]

In May 2025, Colón-Zayas was announced to have joined the cast ofSpider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).^[19]

Colón-Zayas is married to actorDavid Zayas, known for his role asAngel Batista onShowtime'sDexter.^[11]

In 2024, she made history as the first Latina to win an Emmy forOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series forThe Bear. In 2025, she was nominated again for an Emmy forOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series forThe Bear.^[27]

• List of Puerto Ricans

• Liza Colón-Zayas atIMDb 
• Liza Colón-Zayas at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived)

• 1972 births
• Actresses from the Bronx
• American actresses of Puerto Rican descent
• American film actresses
• American stage actresses
• American television actresses
• Drama Desk Award winners
• Living people
• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners

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