Ticotin (pronounced tick-oh-tin) was born in the Bronx, New York City, the daughter of Iris Torres, a Puerto Rican educator, and Abe Ticotin, a Russian-Jewish used car salesman. Ticotin grew up, and received her primary and secondary education, in the Bronx, which has a large Puerto Rican community.
She has appeared in films such as Fort Apache, The Bronx. Total Recall and Con Air. She has appeared in the National Broadcasting Company legal drama Law & Order: Los Angeles as Lieutenant
Arleen Gonzales.
Her sister, Nancy Ticotin, is also an actress. Her brother Daniel, now known as Sahaj, is a musician and lead singer for the rock group Ra. Her parents enrolled her in the Ballet Hispanico of New York where she took ballet lessons.
In 1978, Ticotin made her film debut as a dancer in the film King of the Gypsies.
She also acted in the Office-Broadway production of Miguel Piñero"s The Sun Always Shines for the Cool. During this period, she received an onscreen cr as a production assistant on Brian De Palma"s Dressed to Kill.
That same year, she was listed as one of 12 promising New Actors in John Willis Screen World Volume(s).33. In 1983, she landed a regular role on National Broadcasting Company"s television drama Love and Honor.
Other television series in which she has appeared include: Ohara (1987), Women on the Inside (1991), Crime & Punishment (1993), and Disney"s Gargoyles (1994).
Ticotin"s film work includes: Critical Condition (1987) as Rachel Atwood, Where the Day Takes You (1992) as Officer Landers, Falling Down (1993) as Detective Sandra Torres, Total Recall (1990) as Melina alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone, First Time Felon (1997) as Mcbride alongside Omar Epps, and Con Air (1997) alongside Nicolas Cage, in which she earned an American Latino Media Arts Award for her role as prison guard Sally Bishop. In 1995, she played the role of Doña Inez, the Mexican mother of Don Juan in the tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, with Johnny Depp playing the title role. Ticotin has participated in over 40 films and television series, appearing in Manitoba on Fire (2004) as Mariana and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005).
Ticotin was cast as Vangie Gonzalez Taylor in the second season of Public Broadcasting Service"s television series American Family alongside Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales, Raquel Welch and Kate del Castillo.
Ticotin also appeared on television in season two of the popular American Broadcasting Company series Lost as Captain Teresa Cortez, mother of Michelle Rodriguez"s character Ana Lucia Cortez. In September 2010, she joined that cast of the National Broadcasting Company legal drama Law & Order: Los Angeles as Lieutenant
Arleen Gonzales in place of Wanda De Jesus, who originally portrayed the role. Ticotin reshot the scenes originally by De Jesus.
American Latino Media Arts Awards 1998: Nominated, “Outstanding Actress in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series” – First Time Felon 1998: Nominated, “Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film” – Con Air Saturn Award 1991: Nominated, “Best Supporting Actress” – Total Recall Blockbuster Entertainment Award 1998: Nominated, “Favorite Supporting Actress in an Action/Adventure Film” – Con Air.
