Ada Maris as Aurelia Rivera - who is she?

June 29, 6:18 PMOne Life to Live ExaminerJennifer Snelling

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Ernesto and Aurelia Rivera, Photo Courtesy of ABC

Markko Rivera has mentioned his mother frequently since we first noticed him in Llanview in 2007, but it wasn’t until two years later that we actually met his parents, Ernesto and Aurelia Rivera, at his high school graduation. As strict and religious as he had previously mentioned, it wasn’t long until controversy brewed over Markko’s relationship with Langston and the behavior of Langston’s family – specifically her adoptive mother – Dorian Lord Buchanan.

Fulfilling the role of Aurelia Rivera is Ada Maris – a sunny actress who we’ve seen on our television screens many times since the mid-80s when she appeared in The Cosby Show. She is married to award-winning actor Tony Plana, who is currently recognized as Betty Suarez's father on the ABC show Ugly Betty.

Ada Maris is not only known as an actress – many would more likely consider her an inspirational speaker or a comedienne. Outreach.com, a website offering resources for Christian communication and outreach, categorizes her as a “comedy musician” in their list of performers for outreach events. At events, she sings, dances, acts, inspires and offers personal testimony. She has also appeared in the Latino Laugh Festival.

Maris was easily recognized as funny Gina Cuevas from NBC’s Nurses for many years. The show was a spin-off of the popular Empty Nest, taking place in the same hospital where Empty Nest’s Dr. Harry Weston practiced. That show itself was a spin-off of the timeless show The Golden Girls, who were neighbors with Dr. Weston. The three shows often intersected with guest appearances by each other’s casts. Nurses was on air from 1991 to 1994.

Maris also appeared in an emotional television movie, Miracle on Interstate 880, based on tragic and heroic events that occurred at the Cypress Viaduct on Interstate 880 following the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989. She played Petra Beruman. The movie aired in 1993.

Other recognizable movies include The Eggplant Lady, an inspirational/Christian movie in which she played Laura Vecino, and The Princess and the Barrio Boy, a modern-day love story based on the traditional tale of The Little Mermaid, in which she played the mother of young heroine Sirena.

More recently Ada Maris has been busy as Sonia Garcia in the popular series The Brothers Garcia and in her appearances on Star Trek: Enterprise as Captain Erika Hernandez, who was a once-and-again romantic interest of Captain Archer and a skilled captain in her own right. She played Melinda Martinez in the mockumentary film about get-rich-quick schemes, Change Your Life!, this year.

With the recent developments concerning the relationship of Langston and Markko on One Life to Live, there is a lot of potential for the character of Aurelia and for the citizens of Llanview to interact more with Markko’s family. (Markko’s father has already been acquainted with Moe, Shaun, Charlie and Viki while Aurelia has begun to forge an understanding with Dorian and Langston.) We will no doubt see more of Ada Maris soon, as Dorian tries to patch up the damage that has been done to her reputation and her daughter’s relationship.