Ontiveros appeared on Broadway in Zoot Suit, and was a founding member of the Latino Theatre Company in Los Angeles. As previously reported, Ontiveros is among the honorees for the sixth annual Los Angeles Theatre Center Gala, to be hosted by the Latino Theatre Company on August 11.

The actress is perhaps best known for her recurring role as Juanita Solis on Desperate Housewives, for which she received an Emmy nomination, and her role as convicted murderer Yolanda Saldivar in the 1997 film Selena.