June 12, 1963 – December 24, 2018
By Luis Reyes
She was the beautiful senorita the Three Amigos could not say no to; the ethereal girl Tom Selleck fell for in Magnum P.I.; and Vicoria, the innkeeper who aided Zorro in his new adventures.
That was actress Patrice Martinez who sadly passed away unexpectedly on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018 at her home in Burbank, California after a long illness and at the young age of 55.
The first time I saw Patrice Martinez was in 1986 on the big screen in the now iconic slapstick comedy spoof film Three Amigos. I was awestruck by her beauty, grace, and presence in her starring role as Carmen who seeks help to free her defenseless village from a rampaging bandit gang. Her skillfully rounded portrayal of Carmen, rooted in the classic Commedia dell’arte was a foil and in sharp contrast to the past senorita screen stereotypes.
Patrice held her own on screen opposite a trio of comedians (no easy task for a young actress in her first major film). Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short played Hollywood silent screen cowboy heroes who under the mistaken assumption of a personal appearance, find themselves rescuing a real life South of the border Mexican village from the grips of bandidos.
A tremendous hit when first released, Three Amigos has for more than thirty years entertained several generations of kids growing up through repeated viewings on television, cassette tapes, DVD, Blu-ray, cable and streaming services, becoming a perennial family favorite and Patrice’s best known film role. Millions of young men and boys were smitten and young girls and women emulated her strength and humor becoming instant fans. She would be recognized by fans on the street more from this film than anything else she was to do.
Patrice was also featured as the after-life receptionist Miss Argentina in Tim Burton’s horror comedy Beetlejuice (1988) opposite Michael Keaton.
Her classic training was put to good use as the spirited Victoria Escalante starring opposite Duncan Regher and Henry Darrow for four seasons (1990-1993) on New World’s syndicated TV series, the 18th century swashbuckling Zorro which was filmed in Spain.
On the original Magnum P.I. TV series starring Selleck Patrice played Linda Lee Ellison, Magnum’s Eurasian love interest in a two part episode. You could see why Magnum would fall for her. She also played a Native-American girl opposite James Arness’ Matt Dillon in a television film based on the classic long running western TV series Gunsmoke titled Gunsmoke Return to Dodge. Her other television credits include guest starring on such series as Miami vice and Air America.
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on June 12, 1963 to a family of theater, her mother Margarita Martinez founded the La Compania de Teatro de Albuquerque and later managed the Ricardo Montalban theatre in Hollywood. Her father was a musician. Patrice’s brother Benito Martinez is a respected actor (How to Get Away With Murder, The Shield) and her sister Benita Andre, is also an actress.
Patrice was discovered as a teenager by legendary director Sam Peckinpah who gave her a bit part in his film Convoy (1978) filmed in Albuquerque.
After high school, Patrice was one of the few American students (along with her future Three Amigos co-star Tony Plana), accepted into the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England where she honed her acting skills. Her time in the school provided classic stage training and experience.
Upon finishing her classical studies, she returned to the US pursue her acting career in Los Angeles, landed her first acting job in an independent film called A Walk on the Moon that was released later in 1987.
Off screen, Patrice was known by her friends and colleagues to be a “sweetheart of a human being,” a kind and gentle woman who did not take herself seriously but took her acting profession seriously, remained largely a private person.
Actress Dyana Ortelli remembers first meeting Patrice on location in the Mexican town, the film set of Santo Poco when they were working on Three Amigos. “Everything I had heard about her was true! She was a stunning beauty, who was also kind, generous, gracious, funny and amazingly talented,” Ortelli recalled. “She was proud of her Latina roots and passionate about giving back to our community. From that day forward Patrice became one of my dearest friends and will forever hold a place in my heart.”
In recent years Martinez sought other life and career interests and worked in real estate and management.
Her real life dignity, natural elegance and acting talent illuminated every role she undertook and every facet of her life. In a youth obsessed Hollywood where opportunities are limited for Latinos and actresses become a disposable commodity as they age, Patrice didn’t find more of the great leading roles again, for she was capable of giving so much more. For me and film fans the world over, the luminous Patrice Martinez will forever live on the blazing technicolor screen as Carmen, the perfect senorita of Three Amigos.
