Born in Stuttgart, Germany. Wife of writer/director Gregory Nava. They won critical acclaim for their first two features, which were produced on minimal budgets and co-written by the couple: THE CONFESSIONS OF AMANS (1976), a medieval drama, won the best first feature award at the Chicago International Film Festival; and EL NORTE (1983), a gripping account of Guatemalan émigrés struggling to survive in Southern California, earned an Oscar® nomination for best screenplay. Other notable screenwriting credits include THE HAUNTING OF M (1980, also producer, director & editor), THE END OF AUGUST (1982), A TIME OF DESTINY (1988, also producer), MY FAMILY, MI FAMILIA (1995, also producer) and FRIDA (2002).  Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1984: EL NORTE (w. Gregory Nava) 1 nomination