Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Colon began acting in high school and local plays until 1953 when she became the first Puerto Rican to enroll in the famed Actors Studio, founded by Elia Kazan.

During her early career, Colon appeared in television shows including “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and westerns such as “Gunsmoke,” and “Bonanza.” With several Broadway credits to her name, in the late 1960s she founded the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in Manhattan. Over the course of her decades-long career, Colon collected over 100 acting credits in film and television.

In September 2015 Colon received a National Medal of the Arts from then-President Barack Obama. Colon iscredited as a “trailblazer” who “helped open doors for generations of Hispanic actors.”