Constance Marie started her career as a dancer on David Bowie's Glass Spider Tour. After arriving back from the tour, Marie was cast as a dancer in the movie Salsa. After that, the film's choreographer introduced her to Steve Tisch, who gave her first acting job. She played the role of Penny Rivera on the CBS television series version of Dirty Dancing. She later won the role of Nikki Alvarez on the now defunct NBC soap opera Santa Barbara. Marie later made her feature film debut in the Gregory Nava film My Family. She was featured in the 1997 biographical film Selena alongside Jennifer Lopez. In this film, Constance Marie played the pivotal role of Selena's mother, under heavy make-up. Even though Constance Marie is the same age as Jennifer Lopez, they made her look years older than Lopez. Her other film credits include Tortilla Soup, in which she played a divorced mother. In 1997 she was cast in the NBC sitcom Union Square. She has guest-starred on many television shows such as FOX