Mary Rivera, 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Actress, Dies at 82

Mary Rivera, who played Ned's grandmother in the 2021 blockbuster 'Spider-Man: No Way Home,' has died at age 82. According to TMZ, Rivera passed away on April 15 after suffering a stroke and being removed from life support following a discouraging prognosis from her doctor. Her granddaughter, Angie Kelly, revealed in a May 2022 interview with Hawaii Public Radio's 'The Conversation' that Rivera landed the role through a Facebook casting call seeking a local Hawaiʻi Filipina grandmother aged 50 to 90. Kelly expressed pride in Rivera's achievement, noting that it was the first time Filipino language and culture were represented in cinematic history. Rivera's only screen appearance was in 'Spider-Man: No Way Home,' which grossed $1.9 billion worldwide despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In the film, Rivera's character appears in a comedic scene where she asks Spider-Man to remove a cobweb, and later requests both Spider-Men to clean up their webs before going to bed. Rivera is survived by her husband Alejandro, her children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. The follow-up film, 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day,' starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, and Jon Bernthal, was released over the weekend and set a new domestic opening record with $360 million in North American ticket sales, and $932 million globally in its first weekend.