Mary Rivera, the Filipina actress who portrayed Ned Leeds’ grandmother in Spider-Man: No Way Home, has died at the age of 82.
Rivera passed away on April 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii, after reportedly suffering a stroke.
Born on June 2, 1943, in Iloilo Province, Philippines, she graduated from the University of San Agustin in 1964 with a degree in education.
Before moving to the United States, she worked at Kanlaon Broadcasting System. She later settled in Hawaii, where she worked as a teacher and served as a church missionary before retiring.
Although she was not a professional actress, Rivera landed her role in Spider-Man: No Way Home after submitting an audition tape in response to a Facebook casting ad seeking a Filipina woman between the ages of 50 and 90.
Her daughter, Angela Kelly, encouraged her to audition after spotting the advertisement online.
Rivera appeared in a memorable scene as Ned’s grandmother, where Ned and MJ discover they can use Doctor Strange’s sling ring to create portals.
The scene became one of the film’s most iconic moments as it marked the surprise arrival of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Her appearance also represented a milestone for Filipino representation in Hollywood. Rivera delivered part of her dialogue in Tagalog, making it one of the first major Hollywood blockbusters to prominently feature the Filipino language. She later revealed that director Jon Watts encouraged her to speak in her native language during the scene.
Speaking about the experience, her daughter, Angela Kelly, said:
“It’s been an amazing adventure. To us, she’s just my mom. But to the rest of the world, she’s Ned’s Lola.”
She added:
“It’s humbling really, because never before in cinematic history really has there been a place for the Filipino language and culture. They did a really good job with paying attention to the details of our culture.”
Mary Rivera is survived by her husband, Alejandro Rivera, four children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
