Carlos Acosta: 1973—: Dancer. In one of the last, largely un-integrated bastions of high culture, Carlos Acosta has been hailed as ballet's next major star. The Cuban-born dancer, of mixed Spanish and African heritage, came to prominence in the early 1990s while still in his teens, and esteemed dance companies in both North America and Europe began offering him lead romantic role…
Angeles Alvariño: 1916—: Marine biologist, oceanographer. Dr. Angeles Alvariño, also known by her married name of Angeles Alvariño de Leira, is an expert on marine zooplankton. These are nonphotosynthetic, primarily microscopic organisms that drift in the upper layers of salt water and form the base of the marine food chain. Much of Alvariño's research…
Reinaldo Arenas: 1943-1990: Cuban writer. Viciously oppressed in his native Cuba for both his literary attacks on Fidel Castro's revolution and his open homosexuality, Reinaldo Arenas became a literary star by smuggling his books overseas. His extraordinary novels, flush with magical realism and sensual detail, won several prestigious awards abroad. Interview magazine wrote, "[Ar…
The defection of María Celeste Arrarás from Univision, North America's largest Spanish-language network, to the rival Telemundo broadcasting group in 2002 roused industry attention and was heralded as the start of a new era for Hispanic media. Arrarás was given a plum spot at Telemundo, and her arrival coincided with news that the National Broadcasting Company (NBC)�…
Polly Baca-Barragán: 1941—: Politician, media relations specialist. Polly Baca-Barragán (known also as Polly Baca) was the first Hispanic woman to win a state senate election in Colorado. She was elected to the state house of representatives in 1974 and the state senate in 1984. Baca's life has been marked by a passion for public service. As a young woman she worked…
Lourdes G. Baird: 1935—: Judge. Lourdes G. Baird became one of the highest-ranking Hispanic women in the U.S. Justice Department when she was appointed U.S. attorney for the Central District of California in 1990. The post involved supervising cases in a jurisdiction that was the largest in the United States at the time, comprised of seven counties with more than 12 million citizens. Du…
Elsa Benitez: 1977—: Model. Mexican-born model Elsa Benitez graced the cover of Sports Illustrated's famous swimsuit issue in 2001. Her career seemed off to a promising start, but she took a break from the fast-paced fashion world to study acting and become a mother. She and her husband, former Miami Heat player Rony Seikaly, became parents to daughter Mila in 2003. Born in 1977,…
Big Punisher: 1971-2000: Rapper. Puerto Rican rapper Big Punisher, also known as Big Pun, was the first Latin-American hip-hop star. He brought Latino rap—popular before only in his South Bronx neigh-borhood—into the hip-hop mainstream, which has typically been dominated by African-American artists. His first hit single, "I'm Not a Player," set the stage for …
A member of "The Miami Generation" of Cuban-born artists who relocated to the United States after Cuba's communist revolution, Maria Brito has won acclaim for paintings and sculptures that evoke themes of displacement, loss, and the search for identity. Her work, praised for its intuitive appeal and its densely symbolic qualities, has earned national attention and is included …
Cruz M. Bustamante is a Democrat who became the first Latino to hold a statewide office in California in over 100 years when he was elected lieutenant governor in 1998. Prior to that position, Bustamante served as a California assemblyman and he was the first Latino speaker of the state assembly. Throughout his career Bustamante has supported the agricultural and immigrant communities of Californi…
Cantinflas: 1911-1993: Actor, comedian. The comedic Mexican actor Cantinflas was one of Latin-America's most popular cinematic figures. Using both physical and verbal comedy, Cantinflas embodied the everyday Mexican. His half-century career included 49 films, including the American films Around the World in Eighty Days and Pepe. His comedic journey began in 1930 as a performer in the ca…
Lynda Carter: 1951—: Actress. Lynda Carter became famous in the 1970s for her starring role in the television series Wonder Woman. The five-foot-nine-inch Carter won thousands of fans as the super-powered Wonder Woman, dressed in her shiny red boots, star-spangled hot pants, golden breastplate, headband, and bracelets, completed with a golden lasso that, when wrapped around evildoers, f…
Richard E. Cavazos: 1929—: U.S. Army general. In 1976 Mexican American Richard E. Cavazos made military history by becoming the first Hispanic to attain the rank of brigadier general in the United States Army. Less than 20 years later, the native Texan would again make history by being appointed the Army's first Hispanic four-star general. It was a long way from Cavazos' d…
Orlando Cepeda: 1937—: Baseball player. The life of Orlando Cepeda was played out in two very different places. One was on the baseball field where he demolished the competition, hitting a career average .297 consisting of 2,351 hits. He racked up 417 doubles, 27 triples, and 379 home runs all contributing to an outstanding 1,131 runs and 1,365 Runs Batted In (RBI). He was known to many…
Linda Chavez: 1947—: Civil rights advocate, columnist, commentator. Bowed but far from broken by the 2001 derailment of her nomination to serve as labor secretary in the administration of George W. Bush, Linda Chavez remains as outspoken as ever in support of the conservative ideals she champions. At one time almost as passionate about liberal causes, Chavez—like thousands of oth…
Growing up among the dusty desert ranchlands of the Southwest, Nick Chávez developed an early obsession with animals—horses in particular. As a youngster Chávez filled his days trimming and grooming his horses to perfection, earning piles of awards when he presented them at horse shows. Most people thought Chávez would grow up to be a horse trainer. Instead, Cháv…
Over the course of his lifetime, Marc Cisneros has navigated a lot of terrain. Cisneros began life among the cowhands in the dusty ranchlands of South Texas, knuckled his way through the jungles of Vietnam, became an Army general, and ended up establishing policy among the halls of academia. His accomplishments have made Cisneros a favorite South Texas son. On the outskirts of his hometown of Prem…
Donna de Varona: 1947—: Olympic swimmer, sportscaster, activist. Olympic swimmer Donna de Varona has had a rich and varied career. She won two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics, and was one of the first women hired as a sports reporter for a major television network. A dedicated activist on behalf of women in sports, de Varona helped found the Women's Sports Foundation and has tes…
As a well-educated young adult in Cuba, Remedios Díaz-Oliver hoped to become a college professor, but Fidel Castro and his communist regime undercut her plans and caused her and her new family to go into exile in the United States. In southern Florida, Díaz-Oliver stumbled upon a greater use of her talents: international sales and entrepreneurial executive positions. She would succee…
Huey Dunbar: 1974—: Singer. Hailed by many critics as the future of salsa music, Huey Dunbar helped to revitalize the genre and introduce it to a new generation during his stint as the lead singer of Dark Latin Groove (DLG). The group's three albums gained DLG a large following not only among salsa music fans but listeners across the musical spectrum as well. After winning two Bi…
When Clarissa Pinkola Estés went on a journey of self-discovery, she never intended to make a living telling the stories that made up her personal identity as woman and an individual. Yet with the publication of Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, Estés directed the field of women's studies toward the study of the self through storytel…
Erik Estrada: 1949—: Actor. Erik Estrada, the star of one of American television's biggest hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s, traded in Hollywood stardom in the early 1990s for a brand new career as the leading man in Latin TV's highest-rated telenovela (soap opera). Estrada, a native of Spanish Harlem in New York City, made his professional film debut as a gang membe…
Rene Favaloro: 1923-2000: Heart surgeon. Argentine heart surgeon Rene Favaloro made his name in America where, in 1967, he performed the world's first documented heart bypass surgery. Favaloro was a rural doctor in his native Argentina, but became a pioneer of coronary surgery in the United States before returning to his homeland. During his career, he would claim to have performed some…
Emilio "El Indio" Fernández: 1904-1986: Film director. Emilio "El Indio" Fernández has been called the father of Mexican Cinema. From his directorial debut in 1941 to his work as an actor in the 1960s and 1970s, he became a national symbol, struggling against the marginalization of Mexico's native population. "His films are moving ……
Don Francisco: 1940—: Television show host. Few television personalities have been as enduring and beloved as Don Francisco, the host of the weekly Spanish-language variety show Sabado Gigante. Debuting in 1962 in Chile, the show offered light comedy, music, and audience contests in a variety-show format centering on the genial and reassuring personality of its emcee. A mainstay of Chil…
Héctor Pérez García: 1914-1996: Physician, civil rights advocate. Héctor Pérez García led the fight for civil rights for Mexican Americans for nearly 50 years. As the founder of the GI Forum, García became an advocate for the medical rights of Hispanic veterans during the years following World War II. His focus soon broadened to encompass larger…
Juan Bosch Gaviño, also known as Juan Bosch, was a most unusual man—successful and prolific in the world of literature and philosophy and prominent, if less successful, as a politician. His writings and his politics emphasized the gross inequalities between the poverty-stricken Dominican masses and the wealthy few. His creative writing focused on the struggle and sacrifices of Domini…
Felipe González Márquez: 1942—: Spanish prime minister. Felipe González Márquez, Spanish prime minister from 1982 to 1996, helped transform his country's government from a repressive dictatorial regime into an open, progressive democracy. For nearly half a century before González's election, Spain was isolated from the rest of the world, …
In the field of criminal law there is no one more renowned than Jimmy Gurulé. During his more than 20 years as a law professional, Gurulé has earned a reputation as a crusader for justice—a man who goes full-tilt in his efforts to use the law as a means to help those victimized by society. Gurulé first gained prominence in the late 1980s as a federal prosecutor in the U…
Carlos M. Gutierrez: 1953—: Corporate executive. When Cuban-born Carlos M. Gutierrez ascended to the top spot at the Kellogg Company in 1999 he became not only the youngest chief executive officer (CEO) in company history but also the firm's first Hispanic CEO. According to Hispanic Online, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility stated that he was one of just 14 His…
Alejandra Guzmán: 1968—: Rock singer, songwriter. She's been called the Mexican Madonna and the bad girl of Latin pop. Mexican rock star Alejandra Guzmán indeed gained tabloid notoriety for her flesh-baring displays on stage and for a series of controversial moves and wrong turns in her personal life. Yet another way to regard Guzmán's career would be …
Edward Hidalgo: 1912-1995: U.S. Secretary of the Navy. Edward Hidalgo was the first Hispanic to serve as U.S. Secretary of the Navy. He was named to the position in October of 1979 after a long and distinguished legal and naval career. Although his tenure as secretary was short (15 months), he nonetheless made significant contributions to the Navy Department. In particular, he advocated recrui…
During his career Mexican screen idol Pedro Infante made more than 50 films and recorded hundreds of popular songs. His adoring fans nicknamed him the 'Idol of Guamuchil,' after the village he was born in, as well as the 'the King.' Though he made millions as an actor, rode an American Harley Davidson, and flew airplanes, to the Mexican public he always remained the kin…
Juan Carlos de Borbón y Borbón: 1938—: King of Spain. Spain's King Juan Carlos I has ushered his country through an unusual political evolution: handpicked by military dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco to succeed him, the new monarch quickly moved to restore Spain to a democratic constitutional government in the late 1970s. In doing so he gave up much of his o…
Ricardo Lagos: 1938—: Chilean president. The political history of Chilean President Ricardo Lagos will always be defined in relation to former dictator General Augusto Pinochet. In 1973 when Pinochet seized control of the country and installed a right-wing dictatorship, Lagos was forced to flee into exile. When Lagos returned he rose to prominence as an outspoken critic of Pinochet. In …
Libertad Lamarque: 1908-2000: Actor, singer. Argentine actor and singer Libertad Lamarque was "the second biggest export from South America, the first being Carmen Miranda (and she was born in Portugal)," according to Austin Mutti-Mewse of the London Independent. She got her start singing popular Argentine tangos, began her film career in 1929, during the silent film era, and was…
On the same day Charles Lindbergh completed his historic crossing of the Atlantic Ocean—May 21, 1927—Luis Leal stepped off the train at Union Station in Chicago. As with Lindbergh, this Mexican native would become known as a pioneer in his field. Professor Leal helped develop the study of Latin American literature and is considered one of the founders of the field of Chicano/Chicana …
Wendy Lucero-Schayes: 1963—: Olympic diver. Olympic springboard diver Wendy Lucero-Schayes' lifelong desire to succeed as an athlete led to an impressive career that included nine national titles, three U.S. Olympic Festival medals, and participation in the 1988 Olympics. She flourished as a diver in the early 1990s, demolishing the competition in almost every event that she ente…
Mammalogist Michael A. Mares has a rodent, a bat, and a parasite named after him. Mares, the world's foremost expert on the natural history of desert rodents, is responsible for the discovery of the three creatures. When he isn't setting up field research in the deserts of Argentina, Iran, Egypt, or the United States, Mares is a professor at Oklahoma University and, until 2003, was d…
Cheech Marin: 1946—: Actor. Actor Cheech Marin is one of Hollywood's most recognizable Hispanic stars. Once half of the stoner-hippie comedy team Cheech and Chong, he enjoyed immense success in the 1970s, but went on to tackle a far wider range of roles. To the surprise of many, he has even played a police detective, and in 1992 released an album of children's songs. Marin…
Miguel Mármol: 1905-1993: Union activist. A shoemaker by trade and a revolutionary by avocation, Miguel Mármol devoted his life to organizing the peasants and workers of El Salvador and Guatemala. He was a founding member of El Salvador's Communist Party (CP) and the Young Communist League. The Salvadoran National Guard called him the "Red Phantom," because h…
Arthur C. Martinez: 1939—: Businessman. Arthur C. Martinez is a businessman who is best known as the person who saved Sears, Roebuck, and Company (Co.). Prior to joining Sears Martinez worked for several companies, including RCA Records. He entered the retail business in 1980 when he became the chief financial officer for Saks Fifth Avenue. In 1992 Martinez became the head of the Sears …
Rafael Moneo: 1937—: Architect. Spanish architect Rafael Moneo took one of his field's top honors in 1996 when he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The first Spanish architect ever to win the award, Moneo became part of an esteemed roster of winners that included I. M. Pei, Robert Venturi, and Philip Johnson. Six years later, Moneo won critical acclaim for the Cathedra…
José Montoya: 1932—: Artist, educator, writer. As a painter, poet, and activist, José Montoya has played a leading role in the Chicano cultural movement. He founded the Royal Chicano Air Force, a California arts collective renowned for its political murals and community projects. His poetry is widely anthologized and has promoted new interest in Chicano literature. Montoya…
Adriana Ocampo, a senior research planetary scientist with the European Space Agency (ESA) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, is an expert on remote sensing. Geologists and geographers use remote-sens-ing instruments on Earth to study surface terrain. Ocampo used remote-sensing instruments mounted on spacecraft to study Earth and other planets, moons, comets, and asteroids. Ocampo and other planetary …
Tony Orlando: 1944—: Singer. 1970s phenomenon Tony Orlando made a name for himself churning out bubble-gum pop songs with a female duo called Dawn, performing such runaway hits as "Knock Three Times" and "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree." The group sold nearly 30 million records, topped the Billboard charts three times, and had their own te…
Daniel Ortega: 1945—: Former Nicaragua president, revolutionary. Daniel Ortega joined the revolutionary Sandinista National Liberation Front (Frente Sandinista Liberación National—FSLN) in 1963, dedicating himself to the overthrow of the oppressive Somoza dictatorship, which had been governing Nicaragua since the 1930s. After years of imprisonment and exile for his revolut…
Katherine D. Ortega: 1934—: Former government official, banker, accountant. In the summer of 1983, Angela Marie Buchanan stepped down from her post as the 38th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, leaving the post vacant for then president Ronald Reagan to fill. Reagan said to the New York Times that he was looking to appoint someone who "reflects the goals and ideals for which the pe…
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel: 1931—: Artist, activist. Though recognized as a sculptor, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel wanted to bring about peace and prosperity for the poor. He was honored with the 1980 Nobel Prize for Peace for his work to ease human-rights abuses in South America. Pérez Esquivel has devoted much of his adult life to championing fair conditions for the continent…
John Quiñones: 1952—: Broadcast journalist. A familiar face to American television viewers, John Quiñones is one of the most prominent Hispanics in broadcast journalism. An ABC News network correspondent since 1982 and anchor of 20/20 Downtown since 1999, Quiñones' award-wining reporting has appeared on ABC's World News Tonight, and ABC's televi…
Tina Ramirez: 19(?)(?)—: Dancer, choreographer, educator. Tina Ramirez has managed to bring Hispanic culture to the forefront of mainstream dance through the creation of Ballet Hispanico, a renowned Hispanic-American dance company and school. After years of training as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, Ramirez realized her dream of blending contemporary American dance and Hispanic c…
Bill Richardson was installed as the governor of New Mexico on January 12, 2003. His political career began 21 years earlier when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative of New Mexico's third district in 1982. After 14 years in Congress, Richardson served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and as the secretary of the Department of Energy. Kno…
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez: 1918-1963: Religious educator. When he was beatified and thus placed on the road to sainthood by Pope John Paul II in 2001, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez became the first Caribbean-born—and only the second Latin American—lay individual (not a priest or a member of a religious order) to achieve that rank in the hierarchy of Catholic historical figures. Rodriguez…
Phil Roman: 1930—: Animator, producer, director. From the time he was eleven, Phil Roman always knew he would be an animator. Beginning as an usher in a theater that screened cartoons, he worked his way through the animation ranks to become one of the most successful and talented animators and animation producers America has seen. A six-time Emmy winner and founder of two film companies…
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: 1952—: U.S. Congressional representative. The first Cuban American and the first Hispanic woman elected to the United States Congress, Ileana RosLehtinen has become, in the words of the Boston Globe, "a living symbol of Cuban-American achievement." RosLehtinen is a staunch conservative and an implacable foe of the communist regime of Cuba's Fide…
Paulina Rubio: 1971—: Singer, actress. Already one of the brightest stars in the pantheon of Latin American popular music, Paulina Rubio seems poised to become the next big Latin crossover success, following in the footsteps of Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, and Ricky Martin. The daughter of one of Mexico's most successful film stars, Susana Dosamantes, Rubio got into music at an ear…
Gabriela Sabatini: 1970—: Tennis player, fragrance designer. Over her 12-year pro career, tennis player Gabriela Sabatini won 27 career singles titles, including the 1990 U.S. Open and two season-ending Virginia Slims Championships. She came close to winning Wimbledon in 1991, and from age 15 to 26, spent most of those years in the top ten ranking of tennis. She retired from tennis in 1…
Irma Vidal Santaella championed Puerto Rican and other minority rights in New York for over thirty years. In 1961 she became the first Puerto Rican woman admitted to the New York State Bar, and in 1983 she became the first Puerto Rican woman to be elected to the New York Supreme Court. She helped found the Hispanic Community Chest of America, the National Federation of Puerto Rican Women, and the …
Eligio Sardiñas: 1910-1988: Boxer. Cuban boxer Eligio "Kid Chocolate" Sardiñas was the first Cuban world champion in the history of boxing. From the late 1920s to the late 1930s, he was one of the most popular fighters in New York. He was noted for his speed and his fast punches. Sardiñas was born in Havana, Cuba, on January 6, 1910, and first began fighting …
Lupe Serrano: 1930—: Ballerina. In a career that has spanned more than half a century, ballerina Lupe Serrano has enjoyed a life studded with moments worthy of red rose-showered standing ovations. By the sheer power of her will, she rose from a second-rate dance school in Chile to become the first Hispanic principal dancer at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. She has toured with …
Charlie Sheen: 1965—: Actor. Charlie Sheen has been a prolific entertainer ever since he began acting as a child alongside his famous father, Martin Sheen. Although at first he thought he might be a baseball player—he was the star pitcher on his high school team—he eventually ended up following in the footsteps of his family. His first big break came when he got a part in …
Gary Soto: 1952—: Children's author, novelist, poet. Hailed as one of the top Mexican-American writers in the United States, Gary Soto is also one of the most versatile. Winning awards and acclaim for his poetry in the years after he completed his education, Soto has also written short stories and autobiographical sketches. Almost single-handedly, he has striven to create a liter…
Art critics hail Spanish painter Antoni Tàpies as his country's greatest living artist. Since the 1950s Tàpies has been creating large, emotionally resonant abstract works that owe much to the cultural heritage of his native Catalonia. "Tàpies is one of a number of post World War II European artists who, in their attempt at breaking through the constraints of cub…
Hispanic Magazine said of Alfred A. Valenzuela, "The nation's highest-ranking active-duty Hispanic military officer loves God, his family, the U.S. Army, sports, and birds. He is a walking recruitment center, a loving husband and dad, a church-going Catholic, live-by-the-rules guy, a perfectionist, and a funny man." Major General Alfred A. Valenzuela has served in posts around…
A fourth-generation member of a pioneering Mexican-American family, Mary Rose Garrido Wilcox in 2000 was re-elected to her third four-year term as a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in Arizona. It is just the latest chapter in Wilcox's long career of public service, a career which began with nine years on the Phoenix City Council. Wilcox's contributions as a public …