'Selena' actress Ontiveros dies at 69

LOS ANGELES -- Veteran actress Lupe Ontiveros, who appeared in scores of TV shows and movies, including "Desperate Housewives," "Selena" and "As Good As It Gets," has died. She was 69.

Ontiveros died Thursday at a hospital in Whittier, Calif., after a brief battle with liver cancer, according to longtime friend and family spokesman Jerry Velasco.

She was perhaps best known for her role in "Selena," the 1997 biopic based on the life story of the Tejano pop star. Ontiveros played Yolanda Saldivar, who in real life was convicted of killing Selena Quintanilla, played in the film by Jennifer Lopez.

Ontiveros worked steadily in TV and film for more than 35 years.

Her credits include "Real Women Have Curves," TV's "Desperate Housewives" and -- as in "The Goonies" -- many, many turns as a housekeeper. She once estimated she played a maid more than 300 times on the stage and screen. -- AP