Mary Rivera , the Filipina actress who played Ned Leeds’ grandmother in Spider Man: No Way Home , died at 82 on April 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii, according to a report published August 4, 2026. TMZ reported that Rivera had suffered a stroke before her death. Rivera was born June 2, 1943, in Iloilo Province, Philippines, and earned an education degree from the University of San Agustin in 1964. She later worked for Kanlaon Broadcasting System, taught in Hawaii, and retired after serving as a church missionary; the timing of her move to the United States was not publicly clear. How Did Rivera Land the Marvel Role? Rivera was not a professional actor when she auditioned for No Way Home . Her daughter Angela Kelly spotted a Facebook casting notice seeking a Filipina performer between 50 and 90, and Rivera submitted a tape featuring lines from The Grapes of Wrath . Rivera appeared in only one sequence, but that scene carries serious Marvel and pop culture receipts. While playing Ned’s lola opposite Jacob Batalon and Zendaya , Rivera helped trigger the portal reveal that brought Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire into Tom Holland ’s Spider Man universe, while her Tagalog dialogue delivered a major moment of Filipino representation in a blockbuster. Rivera said director Jon Watts made her proud by allowing her to scold the Spider Men in her native language. Kelly later told Hawaii Public Radio that the role felt surreal for the family because Rivera was simply her mother at home, even as audiences embraced her as Ned’s Lola. To us, she’s just my mom. But to the rest of the world, she’s Ned’s Lola. Rivera is survived by her husband, according to the available report. Her brief Marvel appearance left behind a scene that combined a massive multiverse reveal with Filipino language and culture on a global screen.