List of Puerto Ricans
Encyclopedia
List of notable Puerto Ricans



Flag of Puerto Rico  Coat of arms of Puerto Rico
Coat of arms of Puerto Rico
-Great Seal:All of the United States' states and territories employ a seal to authenticate and ratify documents and accordingly a seal of Puerto Rico exists, but the traditional coat of arms is used as the main emblem of the commonwealth. The seal has most of the elements of the coat of arms, but...




Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...



This is a list of notable Puerto Ricans which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

 ancestry, and many long-term residents and/or immigrants of other ethnic heritages who have made Puerto Rico their home, and who are recognized for their life and/or work.

The list is divided into categories and in some cases sub-categories which best describes the field in which the subject is most noted for. Some categories such as "Actors, actresses, comedians and directors" are relative since a subject who is a comedian may also be an actor or director. In some cases a subject may be notable in more than one field such as "Luis A. Ferré" who is notable as a former "governor" and as an "industrialist". However, the custom is to place the subjects name under field for which he/she is most noted for.
: Top – Actors, actresses, comedians and directors, Architects, Authors, playwrights and poets, Beauty queens and fashion models, Business people and industrialists, Cartoonists, Civil rights and/or political activists, Composers, musicians and singers, Criminals and outlaws, Diplomats, Educators, Governors, Historians, Journalists, Judges and law enforcement, Military, Physicians and Scientists, Politicians, Religion, Sports, Taínos, Visual Artists, Miscellaneous.

Actors, actresses, comedians and directors

A
  • Kirk Acevedo
    Kirk Acevedo
    Kirk Acevedo is an American actor. He is primarily known for his portrayals of Miguel Alvarez in the HBO series Oz, Joe Toye in Band of Brothers and FBI Agent Charlie Francis in the science-fiction series Fringe....

    , actor
    (television series Band of Brothers; film Invincible
    Invincible (2006 film)
    Invincible is a 2006 family film directed by Ericson Core set in 1976. It is based on the true story of Vince Papale, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976–78. Mark Wahlberg portrays Papale and Greg Kinnear plays Papale's coach, Dick Vermeil...

    )
  • José Miguel Agrelot
    José Miguel Agrelot
    Giuseppe Michael Agrelot , better known as José Miguel Agrelot, was a comedian, radio and television host and media icon in Puerto Rico...

    , "Don Cholito", comedian
  • Jorge Alberti
    Jorge Alberti
    Jorge Alberto Martinez, artistically known as Jorge Alberti, born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, is a Puerto Rican actor who has starred in many telenovelas, most recently he starred in Lola the number one prime time television series in Chile on Canal 13...

    , actor
  • Trini Alvarado
    Trini Alvarado
    Trinidad "Trini" Alvarado is an American actress best known for her performances as Margaret "Meg" March in the 1994 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women and Lucy Lynskey in the comedy/horror film The Frighteners...

    , actress
    (films Little Women
    Little Women (1994 film)
    Little Women is a 1994 American drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong. The screenplay by Robin Swicord is based on the Louisa May Alcott novel of the same name. It is the fifth feature film adaptation of the Alcott classic, following silent versions released in 1917 and 1918, a 1933 George...

    ; The Perez Family)
  • Miguel Ángel Álvarez
    Miguel Ángel Álvarez
    Miguel Ángel Álvarez, also known as "El Men," , was a Puerto Rican comedian and actor.-Early years:...

    , actor and comedian
  • Axel Anderson
    Axel Anderson
    Axel Anderson is a German-born Puerto Rican actor.-Early life:Anderson was born Axel Levy to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. In 1936 Anderson's family escaped the Holocaust by emigrating to Paraguay. Due to political instability in Paraguay, Anderson's family soon moved to Argentina...

    , actor and director
  • Marc Anthony
    Marc Anthony
    Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...

    , actor and singer
  • Victor Argo
    Victor Argo
    Victor Argo was a Puerto Rican - American actor who usually played the part of a tough bad guy in his movies.-Early years:...

    , actor
    (film King of New York
    King of New York
    King of New York is a 1990 American crime drama film, starring Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, Victor Argo, and Giancarlo Esposito. It was directed by independent filmmaker Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St...

    )
  • Yancey Arias
    Yancey Arias
    Yancey Arias is an American actor, perhaps most noted for his work on television crime dramas, particularly his roles as Miguel Cadena in the NBC series Kingpin and as Gabriel Williams in the FX series Thief.-Life and career:...

    , actor
    (film Kingpin
    Kingpin (film)
    Kingpin is a 1996 slapstick comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers and starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, and Bill Murray...

    )
  • Raymond Arrieta
    Raymond Arrieta
    Raymond Arrieta is a Puerto Rican comedian.-Early years:Arrieta was born and raised in Puerto Rico's Capital, San Juan. He went to school in the "Academia Nuestra Señora de la Providencia" . When he was in the third grade, Arrieta volunteered to play the part of "Ramoneta Cienfuegos" in a school...

    , comedian and television host
  • Rick Aviles
    Rick Aviles
    Rick Aviles was an American stand-up comedian and actor of Afro-Puerto Rican descent, who is best remembered for the role of Willie Lopez in the movie Ghost.-Early years:...

    , actor and comedian
    (film Ghost
    Ghost (film)
    Ghost is a 1990 romantic drama film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. It was written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker.-Plot:...

    )
  • Charlotte Ayanna
    Charlotte Ayanna
    Charlotte Ayanna is an American actress and former Miss Teen USA.-Early life:Ayanna was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but moved to Vermont at an early age. She had a troubled childhood, spending thirteen years in foster homes after her mother, Emma, was judged to be mentally unfit to look after...

    , actress

B
  • Ivonne Belén
    Ivonne Belen
    Ivonne Belén is a Puerto Rican documentary movie director and producer.-Early years:Belén was born and raised in San Juan, the Capital of Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education. As a child Belén enjoyed setting up improvised plays for her family. Her first...

    , documentary director and producer
  • Rosa Blasi
    Rosa Blasi
    Rosa Blasi is an American actress.-Early life:Blasi was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Rocco and Joyce Blasi. Blasi is classically trained as a mezzo soprano. She also comes from a strong theatre background; ranging from the esteemed Piven Performance Company, as well as The Second City, to...

    , theatrical actress
  • Giselle Blondet
    Giselle Blondet
    Giselle Blondet is a Puerto Rican actress and TV host.-Early history:Blondet was born Alba Giselle Blondet, to Victor Manuel Blondet and Alba Gomez, in New York City...

    , actress and television host
  • Lucy Boscana
    Lucy Boscana
    Lucy Boscana was an actress and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television industry.-Early years:Boscana was born in the city of Mayagüez which is located on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Her family moved to the United States when she was a child because of the economic crisis in the island...

    , television and theatrical actress

C
  • Paul Calderón
    Paul Calderon
    Paul Calderón is an American actor.He was born in Puerto Rico. Calderón moved to New York with his family at the age of six, where he grew up on the streets of the Lower East Side and Spanish Harlem...

    , actor
    (film The Last Castle
    The Last Castle
    The Last Castle is a 2001 American drama film directed by Rod Lurie, starring Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, and Mark Ruffalo.The film portrays a struggle between inmates and the warden of the prison, based on the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. Eugene Irwin, a highly...

    )
  • Armando Calvo
    Armando Calvo
    Armando Calvo was a Spanish film actor. He appeared in 90 films between 1939 and 1984.-Selected filmography:* La vida empieza a medianoche * Los últimos de Filipinas * Doña Francisquita...

    , actor
  • Norma Candal
    Norma Candal
    Norma Candal , was an actress and comedian who was best known for her role as "Petunia".-Early years:Candal was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico and lived with her family in the Fajardo Sugar Co. sugar plantation where her father was an accountant...

    , actress and comedian
  • Irene Cara
    Irene Cara
    Irene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman...

    , actress and singer
    (film Fame)
  • Awilda Carbia
    Awilda Carbia
    Awilda Carbia was an actress, comedian, and impersonator.- Early years :Awilda Carbia started her acting career as a 7-year-old child, without ever suspecting that later in her acting career, 1970s, she would portray a children's television show host that was called: Estrella Galaxia, , broadcast...

    , actress and comedienne
  • Braulio Castillo
    Braulio Castillo
    Braulio Castillo Cintrón was a telenovela actor in Latin America. His two sons, Braulio Castillo, Jr. and Jorge Castillo, are also actors....

    , actor
  • Braulio Castillo, hijo
    Braulio Castillo, hijo
    Braulio Castillo, hijo is a Puerto Rican actor, radio host, and MC. He is the son of Braulio Castillo, a legendary actor across Latin America, and the brother of the lesser known Jorge Castillo, also a television and theater actor....

    , actor
  • David Castro
    David Castro (actor)
    David Castro is an American teen actor. He is best known for his role in the 2007 film Where God Left His Shoes as Justin Diaz, the son of Frank Diaz and Angela Diaz .-Early life:...

    , actor (Puerto Rican father)
    (films Where God Left His Shoes
    Where God Left His Shoes
    Where God Left His Shoes is a 2007 drama film written and directed by Salvatore Stabile and starring John Leguizamo, Leonor Varela, Samantha Rose, Jerry Ferrara, and Adriane Lenox. It was first distributed through a limited release by IFC Films on 12 December 2008...

    ; Palindromes
    Palindromes (film)
    Palindromes is a 2004 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Todd Solondz and a sequel to Solondz's 1995 film, Welcome to the Dollhouse...

    )
  • Raquel Castro
    Raquel Castro
    Raquel Castro is an American teen actress and singer. She is best known for her role in the 2004 film Jersey Girl as Gertie Trinké, the daughter of Ollie Trinké and Gertrude Steiney , the role for which Castro won the Young Artist Award for the Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actress...

    , actress (Puerto Rican father)
    (film Jersey Girl
    Jersey Girl (2004 film)
    Jersey Girl is a 2004 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It stars Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith...

    ).'
  • Melwin Cedeño
    Melwin Cedeño
    Melwin Cedeño is a Puerto Rican actor, comedian, merengue musician, and singer. Cedeño is better known for his comedic character role as Chevy, el Ponzonu, a Nuyorican teenager....

    , comedian
  • Abdiel Colberg
    Abdiel Colberg (director)
    Abdiel Colberg is a Puerto Rican television producer and movie director. Among the movies which he directed and co-wrote is Los Dias de Doris , a drama starring Cordelia González, Braulio Castillo, Jr., Raul Davila and Alba Raquel Barros.-Early years:Colberg was born in the town of Mayagüez,...

    , film director and television producer
  • Ivonne Coll
    Ivonne Coll
    Ivonne Coll is a former Miss Puerto Rico turned actress who played the role of "Yolanda" in the movie The Godfather II.-Early years:...

    , actress
    (film The Godfather II
    The Godfather Part II
    The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...

    )
  • Míriam Colón, actress and founder of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre
    (film Scarface
    Scarface (1983 film)
    Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...

    )
  • Liza Colón-Zayas
    Liza Colón-Zayas
    Liza Colón-Zayas is an American actress and playwright.She was born and raised in the The Bronx borough of New York City, and began her career starring in Off-Broadway productions...

    , film and theatrical actress
  • Paquito Cordero
    Paquito Cordero
    Paquito Cordero , was a comedian and television producer and also one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican television.-Early years:...

    , comedian and television producer
  • Kevin Corrigan
    Kevin Corrigan
    Kevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor who has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s.-Life and career:Corrigan was born in The Bronx, New York to an Irish-American father and a Puerto Rican mother...

    , actor
  • Mapita Cortés
    Mapita Cortés
    Mapita Cortés , was an actress of telenovelas and the cinema of Mexico. She is the mother of Mexican actor Luis Gatica, the wife of Lucho Gatica, the niece of Puerto Rican actress Mapy Cortés, and the niece in law of Mexican actor Fernando Cortés...

    , actress, niece of Mapy Cortés
    Mapy Cortés
    Mapy Cortés , born Maria del Pilar Cordero in Santurce, Puerto Rico, was a famous actress that participated in many films during the Mexican film industry's golden era...

  • Mapy Cortés
    Mapy Cortés
    Mapy Cortés , born Maria del Pilar Cordero in Santurce, Puerto Rico, was a famous actress that participated in many films during the Mexican film industry's golden era...

    , actress
  • Mara Croatto
    Mara Croatto
    -Early years:Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Croatto is the daughter of Argentine actress Raquel Montero and Italian-Uruguayan folk singer, Tony Croatto. Croatto's parents moved and resettled in Puerto Rico shortly after her birth. She was raised and educated in San Juan. When Croatto was 11 years...

    , actress
  • Alexis Cruz
    Alexis Cruz
    Alexis Cruz is an American actor, known for his performances as Rafael in Touched by an Angel and as Skaara in Stargate and Stargate SG-1. Cruz was born in The Bronx, New York of Puerto Rican descent. His mother, Julia, was a songwriter. He currently resides in Los Angeles. He went to Boston...

    , actor
    (film Stargate
    Stargate (film)
    Stargate is a 1994 American adventure-military science fiction film released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco Pictures. Created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, the film is the first release in the Stargate franchise...

    ; television series Stargate SG-1
    Stargate SG-1
    Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...

    , Touched by an Angel
    Touched by an Angel
    Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...

    )
  • Wilson Cruz
    Wilson Cruz
    Wilson Cruz is an American actor, known for playing Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life and a recurring character on Noah's Arc...

    , actor
    (television series My So-Called Life
    My So-Called Life
    My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...

    ; film Party Monster)

D
  • Dagmar
    Dagmar (Puerto Rico entertainer)
    Dagmar , is a Puerto Rican television host, comedian and singer.-Early years:Dagmar Rivera was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Dorado, Puerto Rico. She started her career as a teenage singer in 1976. The only hit single of her first album was Soy la Mañana , by Puerto Rican composer Rafi...

    , actress, singer and television host
  • Henry Darrow
    Henry Darrow
    Henry Darrow is a prolific Puerto Rican-American character actor of stage and film. Darrow is probably best remembered for his role as Big John Cannon's teasing brother-in-law, and Buck Cannon's favorite ranch hand, and best friend, Manolito Montoya, in the 1960s television series The High...

    , actor, "Manolito"
    (television series The High Chaparral
    The High Chaparral
    The High Chaparral is a Western-themed television series starring Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell which aired on NBC from 1967 to 1971. The show was created by David Dortort, who had previously created the hit Bonanza for the network...

    )
  • Raúl Dávila
    Raul Davila
    Raúl Dávila was an actor, who is best remembered for his role of Hector Santos in the American soap opera All My Children.-Early years:...

    , actor,
    (television series All My Children
    All My Children
    All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

    )
  • Rosario Dawson
    Rosario Dawson
    Rosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...

    , actress
    (films He Got Game
    He Got Game
    He Got Game is a 1998 American sports-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, a prison inmate convicted for killing his wife...

    ; Men in Black II
    Men in Black II
    Men in Black II is a 2002 science fiction action comedy starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The film also stars Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson and Rip Torn...

    ; The Rundown
    The Rundown
    The Rundown is a 2003 American action comedy film starring The Rock and Seann William Scott about a bounty hunter who must head for Brazil to retrieve his employer's renegade son. It was directed by Peter Berg...

    ; Rent
    Rent (film)
    Rent is a 2005 American musical drama film directed by Chris Columbus. It is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, in turn based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème. The film depicts the lives of several Bohemians and their struggles with sexuality, cross-dressing, drugs, life...

    )
  • Dee, adult film actress
  • Blanca de Castejon
    Blanca de Castejon
    Blanca de Castejón was a Puerto Rican actress who became very successful in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. It was never clear if de Castejon was born in New York of Puerto Rican parents, or if she was actually born in Puerto Rico....

    , actress
  • Idalis DeLeón
    Idalis DeLeon
    Idalis DeLeón is an American actress, singer, and television host.-Biography:DeLeón, who is of Puerto Rican ancestry, first began her career as a member of the girl group Seduction who scored a top ten hit "Two to Make it Right" in 1990. From 1994 to 1997, she was a MTV VJ...

    , actress,
    former MTV veejay
    Veejay
    Veejay can mean:-*A VJ , someone who introduces music videos or similar.*A Veejay , software video instrument mixer and sampler for realtime performances*Another spelling for the Indian name Vijay....

    , singer (group Seduction
    Seduction (band)
    Seduction was a female dance-pop, urban contemporary, house music, and freestyle trio from New York assembled and produced by Robert Clivillés and David Cole , consisting of members April Harris , Michelle Visage , and Idalis DeLeon .Originally intended as a studio project, and prior to any...

    )
  • Michael DeLorenzo
    Michael DeLorenzo
    Michael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998....

    , actor
    (television series (New York Undercover
    New York Undercover
    New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...

    ), (Head of the Class
    Head of the Class
    Head of the Class is an American sitcom that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program at the fictional Monroe High School in Manhattan, and their history teacher Charlie Moore...

    )
  • Kamar de los Reyes
    Kamar de los Reyes
    Kamar de los Reyes is an American actor.Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Cuban percussionist Walfredo de los Reyes and a Puerto Rican mother, Matilde Pages, Kamar de los Reyes grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada...

    , actor,
    (television series One Life to Live
    One Life to Live
    One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...

    )
  • Vanessa del Rio
    Vanessa del Rio
    Vanessa del Rio is a retired American pornographic actress.-Early years:Vanessa del Rio was born Ana Maria Sanchez and raised in Harlem, New York, the daughter of immigrants from Cuba and Puerto Rico background. Her mom would take her to see movies of Isabel Sarli whom Vanessa credits as a big...

    , actress
  • Benicio del Toro
    Benicio del Toro
    Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...

    , actor
    (film Traffic
    Traffic (2000 film)
    Traffic is a 2000 American crime drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Stephen Gaghan. It explores the illegal drug trade from a number of perspectives: a user, an enforcer, a politician and a trafficker. Their stories are edited together throughout the film, although some of the...

    ), Academy Award winning actor
  • Sylvia Del Villard
    Sylvia Del Villard
    Sylvia del Villard , was an actress, dancer, choreographer and Afro-Puerto Rican activist.-Early years:...

    , actress, choreographer and dancer
  • Alba Nydia Díaz
    Alba Nydia Díaz
    Alba Nydia Díaz, born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, is an actress, known for her achievements in television and on-stage, both in the island as in Mexico.-Early years:...

    , actress
  • Melonie Diaz
    Melonie Diaz
    Melonie Diaz is an American actress who has been appeared in many independent films, including four shown at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.-Biography:...

    , actress
    (films Raising Victor Vargas
    Raising Victor Vargas
    Raising Victor Vargas is a 2002 film directed by Peter Sollett, written by Sollett and Eva Vives. The film follows Victor, a Lower East Side teenager, as he deals with his eccentric family, including his strict grandmother, his bratty sister, and a younger brother who completely idolizes him...

    , Nothing Like the Holidays)

E
  • Hector Elizondo
    Hector Elizondo
    Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...

    , drama actor
    ( films Pretty Woman
    Pretty Woman
    Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...

    ; Down and Out in Beverly Hills
    Down and Out in Beverly Hills
    Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a 1986 American comedy film based on the French play Boudu sauvé des eaux, which had previously been adapted on film in 1932 by Jean Renoir. Down and Out in Beverly Hills was directed by Paul Mazursky, and starred Nick Nolte, Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfuss...

    ) (television series Chicago Hope
    Chicago Hope
    Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...

    )
  • Erik Estrada
    Erik Estrada
    Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada is an American police officer and actor, known for his co-starring lead role in the 1977–1983 United States police television series CHiPs...

    , actor
    (television series (CHiPs
    CHiPs
    CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...

    ), (Sealab 2021
    Sealab 2021
    Sealab 2021 is an American animated television series. It was shown on Cartoon Network's adult-oriented programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered on November 23, 2000 and the final episode aired on April 25, 2005...

    )

F

  • Antonio Fargas
    Antonio Fargas
    Antonio Juan Fargas is an American actor famous for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation movies, as well as his portrayal of Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series Starsky and Hutch.-Biography:...

    , actor
    (television series Starsky and Hutch
    Starsky and Hutch
    Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...

    )
  • José Ferrer
    José Ferrer
    José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...

    , actor
    (film Cyrano de Bergerac
    Cyrano de Bergerac (1950 film)
    Cyrano de Bergerac is a 1950 black-and-white feature film based on the 1897 French Alexandrine verse drama Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. It uses poet Brian Hooker's 1923 English blank verse translation as the basis for its screenplay...

    ), first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award
    Academy Awards
    An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

  • Miguel Ferrer
    Miguel Ferrer
    Miguel José Ferrer is an American actor and voice actor who is often cast as a villain. His notable roles include Bob Morton, a supporting character in RoboCop , the short tempered FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, and Dr...

    , actor
    (films RoboCop
    RoboCop
    RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...

    , The Manchurian Candidate
    The Manchurian Candidate (2004 film)
    The Manchurian Candidate is a 2004 American thriller film based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Richard Condon, and a reimagining of the previous 1962 film....

    )
  • Rafael Ferrer
    Rafael Ferrer
    Rafael Ferrer is an American actor.Ferrer is the son of José Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney, and the brother of Miguel and Gabriel. He is a cousin of George Clooney. Ferrer is best known for his voiceover work in commercials, trailers and on-air promotions...

    , actor
  • Nina Flowers
    Nina Flowers
    Jorge Luis Flores Sánchez , better known as Nina Flowers, is a Puerto Rican drag queen, DJ, activist, professional make-up artist, and reality television personality who has been performing since 1993.- Biography :...

    , female impersonator/actor and singer
    (reality television series RuPaul's Drag Race
    RuPaul's Drag Race
    RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality television series produced by World of Wonder for Logo. RuPaul plays host, mentor and inspiration for this series, which details RuPaul's search for "America's next drag superstar."...

    )
  • "Franky G
    Franky G
    Franky G , is a Puerto Rican-American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Xavier in Saw II and Wrench in the 2003 remake of The Italian Job as well as other various roles such as Lupus in Confidence and Detective Cruz in Wonderland.-Early life and...

    ", actor
    (films The Italian Job
    The Italian Job (2003 film)
    The Italian Job is a 2003 heist film directed by F. Gary Gray. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland. It is an American remake of a 1969 British film of the same name, and is about a team of thieves who plan to steal...

    , Saw II
    Saw II
    Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...

    '

G
  • Gloria Garayua
    Gloria Garayua
    Gloria Garayua is a film and television actress. She made her major film debut in 2005 with a small role in the comedy release Fun with Dick and Jane...

    , actress
    (television series Grey's Anatomy
    Grey's Anatomy
    Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...

    )
  • Mayte Garcia, actress/dancer
    former wife of Prince
  • Luis Gatica
    Luis Gatica
    -Biography:Luis Gatica was born in Veracruz. He grew in a show business family. He is the son of Chilean singer Lucho Gatica and Puerto Rican actress Mapita Cortés; he is the nephew of Puerto Rican actress Mapy Cortés and second cousin of Puerto Rican actor, comedian and producer Paquito Cordero...

    , actor
    son of Mapita Cortés
    Mapita Cortés
    Mapita Cortés , was an actress of telenovelas and the cinema of Mexico. She is the mother of Mexican actor Luis Gatica, the wife of Lucho Gatica, the niece of Puerto Rican actress Mapy Cortés, and the niece in law of Mexican actor Fernando Cortés...

  • Marilyn Ghigliotti
    Marilyn Ghigliotti
    Marilyn Ghigliotti is an American character actress, most noted for the role of Veronica Loughran in Clerks.Both of her parents are from Puerto Rico....

    , actress
    (Clerks
    Clerks
    Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...

    )
  • Gina Lynn
    Gina Lynn
    Gina Lynn is a Puerto Rican pornographic actress.- Biography :Lynn was born to Puerto Rican and Italian parents in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and grew up in Jackson Township, New Jersey; she currently resides and operates Gina Lynn Productions in Reading, Pennsylvania...

    , adult film actress
  • Joyce Giraud
    Joyce Giraud
    Joyce Giraud is a Puerto Rican actress and model. She is a two time Miss Puerto Rico and the second runner up in the 1998 Miss Universe pageant. She had previously represented Puerto Rico at Miss World 1994....

    , actress,
    former Miss Puerto Rico Universe titleholder
  • Ian Gómez
    Ian Gomez
    Ian Gomez is an American actor best known for his comedic TV work, the most notable of which are his series-regular stints as Javier on Felicity and Andy on Cougar Town.-Career:...

    , actor
    (television series The Drew Carey Show
    The Drew Carey Show
    The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....

    )
  • Marga Gómez
    Marga Gomez
    Marga Gomez is a Puerto Rican/Cuban-American comedian, playwright, and humorist. She is openly lesbian....

    , actress/playwright
  • Reagan Gómez-Preston
    Reagan Gomez-Preston
    Reagan Gomez-Preston is an American actress.-Early life:Gomez-Preston was born in Detroit to a Puerto Rican mother, Cheryl Gomez, and an African-American father, Bennett Preston. She has a younger brother named Kyle....

    , actress
  • Rick Gonzalez
    Rick Gonzalez
    Rick Gonzalez is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture Coach Carter, and as Ben Gonzalez on the CW supernatural drama television series Reaper.-Early life:...

    , actor
    (films The Rookie, Coach Carter
    Coach Carter
    Coach Carter is a 2005 American film directed by Thomas Carter. It is based on a true story, in which Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his MVP and undefeated team due to poor academic results....

    )
  • Meagan Good
    Meagan Good
    Meagan Monique Good is an American film and television actress and occasional film producer. Beginning her career at the age of four, Good has appeared in numerous commercials, television shows, feature films, and music videos....

    ,actress
  • Bruce Gray
    Bruce Gray
    Bruce Gray is a Puerto Rican-born Canadian actor.-Early years:Gray was born Robert Bruce Gray in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Canadian parents...

    , actor,
    (television series S.W.A.T.
    S.W.A.T.
    - S.W.A.T. 1 :Date: October 4, 2006Location: VilniusResults: Valentine Bagdonavicius defeated Richard Damanskas by KO Gediminas Bielskis defeated Mantas Kuslin by KO Saulius Poltanavicius vs Aivaras Juska Draw...

    ) (born and raised in Puerto Rico)
  • Javier Grillo-Marxuach
    Javier Grillo-Marxuach
    Javier "Javi" Grillo-Marxuach , born October 28, 1969 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a television screenwriter and producer, known for his work as writer and producer on the first two seasons of the ABC television series Lost, as well as other series including Charmed and Law and Order: Special...

    , television and film producer
  • Luis Guzmán
    Luis Guzmán
    Luis Guzmán is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, he has played roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen....

    , actor
    (films Carlito's Way
    Carlito's Way
    Carlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and...

    , Traffic, The Count of Monte Cristo)
  • Luis Roberto Guzmán
    Luis Roberto Guzmán
    Luis Roberto Guzmán is a Puerto Rican actor known for his performances in Mexican telenovelas like Alborada, and for his title role in Mexican series El Pantera...

    , television and film actor

H

  • April Lee Hernández
    April Lee Hernández
    April Lee Hernandez is an American film and television actress. She has also been credited as April L. Hernandez and April Hernandez Castillo.-Biography:...

    , actress,
    (Freedom Writers
    Freedom Writers
    Freedom Writers is a 2007 American drama film starring Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton and Patrick Dempsey. It is based on the book The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell who wrote the story based on Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach,...

    )
  • Juano Hernández
    Juano Hernández
    Juano Hernández was a Puerto Rican stage and film actor of African descent who was a pioneer in the African-American film industry. He made his debut in an Oscar Micheaux film, "The Girl from Chicago" which was directed at black audiences. Hernández also performed in a serious of dramatic roles in...

    , actor
  • William Hernández, actor
  • Lillian Hurst
    Lillian Hurst
    Lillian Hurst is a Puerto Rican actress and comedienne. Hurst made her debut as a television comedian in the early 1960s. She participated in various Off-Broadway and movie productions in the United States.-Early years:...

    , comedian/actress
    (television series Dharma and Greg)

I
  • Mark Indelicato
    Mark Indelicato
    Mark Indelicato is an American actor, singer, fashion blogger, and photographer best known for his role in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty, as Justin Suarez, the fashion-obsessed nephew of series protagonist Betty Suarez....

    , child actor
    (television series Ugly Betty
    Ugly Betty
    Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...

    )
  • Vincent Irizarry
    Vincent Irizarry
    Vincent Michael Irizarry is an American actor of Puerto Rican and Italian descent. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1985 and 2002, and won in 2009.-Early life:...

    , actor
    (television series All My Children
    All My Children
    All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

    )

J
  • Shar Jackson
    Shar Jackson
    Sharisse "Shar" Jackson is an American television and film actress, reality television personality and rapper/singer best known for her portrayal of Niecy Jackson on the UPN show Moesha.-Early life and career:...

    , actress/singer (Puerto Rican father)
  • Noris Joffre
    Noris Joffre
    Noris Joffre, née Theresa Ann Ryan is an actress and comedienne from Puerto Rico, who was born in Florida, surrendered for adoption and adopted by a Cuban couple, Alberto Noffre and Noris Albuena, who subsequently moved to Puerto Rico....

    , actress, comedienne and television host
  • Raúl Juliá
    Raúl Juliá
    Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...

    , actor
    (films Kiss of the Spider Woman, La Gran Fiesta
    La Gran Fiesta
    La Gran Fiesta is a 1985 Puerto Rican film, written and directed by Marcos Zurinaga, based on a story by Ana Lydia Vega....

    , The Addams Family
    The Addams Family (film)
    The Addams Family is a 1991 American black comedy film based on the characters from the cartoon of the same name created by cartoonist Charles Addams....

    , Addams Family Values
    Addams Family Values
    Addams Family Values is a 1993 sequel to the 1991 comedy The Addams Family. The film was written by Paul Rudnick and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and many cast members from the original returned for the sequel, including Raúl Juliá, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci...

    )
  • Victoria Justice
    Victoria Justice
    Victoria Justice is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and dancer. She debuted as an actress at the age of 10 and has since appeared in several films and television series including the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 and Victorious...

    , television actress/singer
    (Victorious
    Victorious
    Victorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega , a teenager who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts High School, after taking her older sister Trina's place in a showcase while getting into...

    )

L
  • Lady Catiria
    Lady Catiria
    Catiria Reyes , better known as Lady Catiria, was a Puerto Rican drag performer, film actress, and transgender beauty pageant winner. She was one of the main performers at the New York City Latino nightclub La Escuelita, where she entertained crowds for almost two decades. She was the first person...

    , female impersonator
  • Eva LaRue
    Eva LaRue
    Eva Maria LaRue is an American model and actress. She is best known as Doctor Maria Santos on All My Children, and is now a cast regular on CSI: Miami, portraying Detective Natalia Boa Vista of the Miami-Dade Police Department.-Early life:LaRue was born Eva Maria LaRuy in Long Beach, California to...

    , actress
    "All My Children
    All My Children
    All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

    ", "CSI: Miami
    CSI: Miami
    CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

    "
  • Sunshine Logroño
    Sunshine Logroño
    Emmanuel Logroño , better known as Sunshine Logroño is a Puerto Rican actor, radio announcer, television show host, singer, comedy writer, entrepreneur and comedian...

    , comedian
  • Adamari López
    Adamari López
    Adamari López Torres is a Puerto Rican actress famous for participating in several Puerto Rican and Mexican soap operas.-Early career:...

    , actress
  • Jennifer López
    Jennifer Lopez
    Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...

    , actress, singer, dancer
  • Priscilla López
    Priscilla Lopez
    Priscilla Lopez is an American singer, dancer, and actress.-Early life:Lopez was born in the Bronx, New York to Francisco Lopez, a hotel banquet foreman and Laura , who were moved to New York from their native Puerto Rico...

    , actress

M
  • Justina Machado
    Justina Machado
    Justina Machado is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under.-Early life:...

    , actress
    (television series Six Feet Under; (films Final Destination 2
    Final Destination 2
    Final Destination 2 is a 2003 supernatural horror film and the sequel to the 2000 film Final Destination and was directed by David R. Ellis. It was written by Jeffrey Reddick, Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. The film stars Ali Larter, A. J. Cook, Michael Landes and Tony Todd...

    , Torque
    Torque (film)
    -Similarities to The Fast and the Furious:The film has often been called "The Fast and the Furious on Motorcycles", referring to the use of many of the same thematic elements between the two films...

    )
  • Sonia Manzano
    Sonia Manzano
    Sonia Manzano is an American actress and writer. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street since 1971. She also licenses her image to promote items of baby clothes and plates in Hispanic America....

    , actress,
    "María" on Sesame Street
    Sesame Street
    Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...

  • Eddie Marrero
    Eddie Marrero
    Eddie Marrero is an American actor.Marrero was born in Spanish Harlem's "El Barrio" of Puerto Rican heritage. He began his acting career as a young child when his mother then worked for the legendary Jack Warner, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros....

    , actor
  • Elizabeth Marrero
    Elizabeth Marrero
    Elizabeth Marrero is a Puerto Rican performance artist, comedian, and drag king who is best known as Macha, the "papi chulo drag king," a character she created in 1999. Her solo and collaborative work is characterized by her open exploration of lesbian and Puerto Rican issues in a working-class or...

    , male impersonator and performance artist/actress
  • Claribel Medina
    Claribel Medina
    Claribel Medina is a Puerto Rican actress who has acted for soap operas and movies filmed both in her native Puerto Rico and in Argentina.-Training:Medina graduated from the Universidad de Puerto Rico in 1983...

    , actress
  • Jorge Merced
    Jorge Merced
    Jorge B. Merced is a New York-based Puerto Rican actor, theatre director, and gay activist. He is associate artistic director of Pregones Theater, a bilingual Puerto Rican/Latino theater company located near Hostos Community College in the Bronx, New York City...

    , theatre actor and director
  • Ángela Meyer
    Angela Meyer
    Ángela Meyer is an actress, comedian and producer of television and theatrical works.-Early years:...

    , actress, comedian and producer
  • Ari Meyers
    Ari Meyers
    Ari Meyers is an actress. She is best known for her role as Emma Jane McArdle in the television series Kate & Allie .-Early years:...

    , actress (television series Kate and Allie)
  • René Monclova
    Rene Monclova
    René Monclova is a Puerto Rican actor. Monclova has been popular both with theater and television audiences. Mainly a comedian, Monclova has also played serious characters, a fact that might escape the minds of many Puerto Ricans, since he has become better known for his role as "Lolo", a...

    , actor and comedian
  • Mario Montez
    Mario Montez
    Mario Montez was one of the Warhol superstars, appearing in thirteen of Andy Warhol's underground films from 1964 to 1966. He took his name as a male homage to the actress Maria Montez, an important gay icon in the fifties and sixties...

    , female impersonator/actor. Member of Warhol Superstar
    Warhol superstar
    Warhol superstars were a clique of New York City personalities promoted by Andy Warhol during the 1960s and early 1970s. These personalities appeared in Warhol's artworks and accompanied him in his social life...

    s, an artistic clique of artists who appeared in many of Andy Warhol
    Andy Warhol
    Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...

    's various artworks and films.
  • Esai Morales
    Esai Morales
    Esai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...

    , actor
  • Jacobo Morales
    Jacobo Morales
    Jacobo Morales is an auteur, whom many consider to be the most influential film director in Puerto Rico's history.-Life and career:...

    , director, actor (film Bananas
    Bananas (film)
    Bananas is a 1971 comedy film written by Mickey Rose and Woody Allen, directed by Allen, and starring himself and Louise Lasser. Parts of the plot were based on the book Don Quixote, U.S.A. by Richard P. Powell. It was filmed on location in New York City, Lima , and various locations in Puerto...

    )
  • Alicia Moreda
    Alicia Moreda
    Alicia Moreda Tuya , was a soap opera actress, a natural comedian, and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television.-Early years:...

    , actress/comedian
  • Rita Moreno
    Rita Moreno
    Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....

    , actress
    First female Puerto Rican and the first Hispanic woman to win the following four major awards: an Oscar
    Academy Awards
    An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

    , a Tony Award
    Tony Award
    The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

    , an Emmy Award
    Emmy Award
    An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

     and a Grammy Award
    Grammy Award
    A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

  • Frankie Muniz
    Frankie Muniz
    Francisco "Frankie" Muniz IV is an American actor, musician, writer, producer, and racecar driver. He is known primarily as the star of the FOX television family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. In 2003, he was considered "one of Hollywood's most bankable teens". In 2008, he put his acting career...

    , actor
    (television series Malcolm in the Middle
    Malcolm in the Middle
    Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...

    ); films (My Dog Skip
    My Dog Skip (film)
    My Dog Skip is a 2000 film, directed by Jay Russell. It is based on the autobiographical book My Dog Skip by Willie Morris. The movie was released January 14, 2000....

    , Agent Cody Banks
    Agent Cody Banks
    Agent Cody Banks is an American action comedy film directed by Harald Zwart. Its story follows the adventures of the 15-year-old title character, played by Frankie Muniz, who has to finish his chores, avoid getting grounded, and save the world by going undercover for the CIA as a James Bond type...

    , Big Fat Liar
    Big Fat Liar
    Big Fat Liar is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, written and produced by Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins, and starring Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, and Amanda Bynes...

    ) (Puerto Rican father)
  • Rafo Muñiz
    Rafo Muñiz
    Rafo Muñiz is a Puerto Rican actor, comedian, director and, more notably, producer of television shows and concerts.The son of legendary comic actor and producer Tommy Muñiz and brother of Pedro Muñiz; who is also a producer and actor, Rafo began acting as the young neighbor of M\"Miguel" in ...

    , comedian and producer
    Son of Tommy Muñiz
  • Tommy Muñiz
    Tommy Muñiz
    Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez , better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor, media producer, businessman and network owner...

    , television producer/comedian

N
  • Lymari Nadal
    Lymari Nadal
    Lymari Nadal is a Puerto Rican actress, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on 11 February 1978. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.-Early years:...

    , actress
    (film American Gangster
    American Gangster
    American Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Steve Zaillian. The film is based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning...

    ; television series (Battlestar Galactica
    Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
    Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...

    ).
  • Taylor Negron
    Taylor Negron
    Brad Taylor Negron is an American writer, actor, and stand-up comedian.-Personal life:Negron was born in Glendale, California to Conrad Negron, Sr., former mayor of Indian Wells, California. He grew up in Pasadena, California. His cousin is singer Chuck Negron...

    , actor/comedian
  • Micaela Nevárez
    Micaela Nevárez
    Micaela Nevárez is a Puerto Rican actress who has appeared in independent and European films. She made her film debut in the Spanish film Princesas which was directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, in which she played Zulema, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic trying to make a living as...

    , actress
    (film Princesas
    Princesas
    Princesas is a 2005 film by Spanish director Fernando León de Aranoa.The princesas in the film are two prostitutes: Caye, who is saving for breast implants, and Zulema, who is saving money to send to her family in the Dominican Republic...

    ) first Puerto Rican to win a Goya Award
    Goya Awards
    The Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards....

  • Amaury Nolasco
    Amaury Nolasco
    Amaury Nolasco Garrido is a Puerto Rican actor, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the television series Prison Break, and for his role in Transformers.-Early life:...

    , actor,
    (films 2 Fast 2 Furious
    2 Fast 2 Furious
    2 Fast 2 Furious is a 2003 street racing action film directed by John Singleton. It is the second film in The Fast and the Furious film series following The Fast and the Furious . It stars Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Eva Mendes, Devon Aoki, and Chris Bridges; and was directed by John Singleton. The...

    ;Transformers; television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...

    ; Prison Break
    Prison Break
    Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...

    )


O
  • Tony Oliver
    Tony Oliver
    Rafael Antonio Olivier , better known as Tony Oliver, is an American voice actor best known for voicing Rick Hunter from Robotech and Arsène Lupin III from Lupin The 3rd...

    , voice actor
  • Karen Olivo
    Karen Olivo
    Karen Olivo is a stage and television actress, who is known for originating the role of Vanessa in the Tony Award–winning musical In the Heights both on and off Broadway. She won her Tony Award for her performance as Anita in the revival of West Side Story...

    , actress (Puerto Rican father)
    winner of 2009 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress
  • Ana Ortiz
    Ana Ortiz
    Ana Ortíz is an American actress and singer. She is a native of Manhattan, but was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a regular cast-member on the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty, in which she plays the title character's older sister, Hilda Suarez...

    , actress
    (television series Ugly Betty
    Ugly Betty
    Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...

    )
  • Elin Ortiz
    Elin Ortiz
    Elin Ortiz is a Puerto Rican actor, comedian and producer. -Life in the entertainment business:Ortiz began his career as a telenovela actor in Puerto Rico, sharing credits with such actors as Walter Mercado, Alicia Villamil and many others...

    , actor/television producer
  • John Ortiz
    John Ortiz
    John Ortiz is an American actor and Artistic Director/Co-Founder of LAByrinth Theater Company.-Career:In 1993, John made his film debut as Al Pacino’s young cousin ‘Guajiro’ in Carlito’s Way. He went on to appear in over 30 films including El Cantante, Take the Lead, Before Night Falls, Amistad,...

    , actor
    (films Fast & Furious; Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem)

P
  • Marian Pabón, actress, singer and comedian
  • Antonio Pantojas
    Antonio Pantojas
    Antonio Pantojas is an actor, comedian, dancer and a pioneer in the art of drag.-Early years:...

    , drag queen
    Drag queen
    A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...

  • Lana Parrilla
    Lana Parrilla
    Lana Parrilla is a Puerto Rican-American actress, best known for her roles on Spin City, 24, Boomtown and Miami Medical...

    , actress (Puerto Rican father),
    (television series Spin City
    Spin City
    Spin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...

     and Boomtown).
  • Rosie Perez
    Rosie Perez
    Rosa María "Rosie" Pérez is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, director and community activist.- Early life :...

    , actress
    (films White Men Can't Jump
    White Men Can't Jump
    White Men Can't Jump is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as streetball hustlers, co-starring Rosie Perez...

    ; Fearless
    Fearless (1993 film)
    Fearless is a 1993 film directed by Peter Weir and written by Rafael Yglesias from his novel of the same name. It was shot entirely in California....

    )
  • Joaquin Phoenix
    Joaquin Phoenix
    Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...

    , actor
    (films Signs
    Signs (film)
    Signs is a 2002 American science fiction horror film directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It was adapted from a screenplay also written by Shyamalan. Executive producers for the film comprised Shyamalan, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy and Sam Mercer. The story focuses on a former preacher named Graham...

    ; Gladiator
    Gladiator (2000 film)
    Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...

    ) (born in Puerto Rico)
  • Freddie Prinze, Jr.
    Freddie Prinze, Jr.
    Freddie James Prinze, Jr. is an American actor. He rose to fame during the late 1990s and early 2000s, after starring in several Hollywood films aimed at teenage audiences, I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer , as well as She's All That , Summer...

    , actor
    (films I Know What You Did Last Summer
    I Know What You Did Last Summer
    I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American horror film. The film stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. The screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream, and very loosely based on Lois Duncan's popular novel of the same title...

    ; Scooby-Doo
    Scooby-Doo (film)
    Scooby-Doo is a 2002 American comedy film based on the Hanna-Barbera television cartoon series Scooby-Doo about a group of young detectives and their talking dog. It is the first installment in the Scooby-Doo live action film series...

    ) (Puerto Rican grandmother)
  • Freddie Prinze
    Freddie Prinze
    Freddie Prinze was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was known as the star of Chico and the Man. He is the father of actor Freddie Prinze, Jr.-Early life:...

    , comedian/actor
    (television series Chico and the Man
    Chico and the Man
    Chico and the Man is an American sitcom which ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974 to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown , the cantankerous owner of a run down garage in an East Los Angeles barrio, and Freddie Prinze as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic Chicano...

    ) (Puerto Rican mother)

Q
  • Adolfo Quiñones
    Adolfo Quinones
    Shabba Doo is the stage name of Adolfo Quiñones , an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and director.He became one of the founders of the dance style commonly known as locking as a member of The Original Lockers with Toni Basil, Don "Campbellock" Campbell and Fred "Rerun" Berry.Quiñones' most...

    , actor/dancer/choreographer
    (film Breakin)


R
  • Luis Antonio Ramos
    Luis Antonio Ramos
    Luis Antonio Ramos is a Puerto Rican-born American actor who has been on and starred in various film and television shows such as Martin, Early Edition, New York Undercover, In The House, Friends, The Shield, CSI, and CSI: Miami.-See also:...

    , actor
  • Carmen Belen Richardson
    Carmen Belen Richardson
    Carmen Belen Richardson is an actress and a comedian considered to be a pioneer of Puerto Rican television.- Early years :Richardson was born in Santurce, San Juan...

    , comedian/actress
  • Armando Riesco
    Armando Riesco
    Armando Riesco is a Puerto Rican film and television actor and voice artist.-Biography:Riesco was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico to Cuban immigrants who resettled there. He was raised in San Juan where he attended Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola. Riesco then attended Northwestern University...

    , actor
    (films World Trade Center
    World Trade Center (film)
    World Trade Center is a 2006 American disaster-drama film directed by Oliver Stone and based on the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center. It stars Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. The film was shot from October 19, 2005 - February 10, 2006...

    ; Garden State
    Garden State (film)
    Garden State is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by, directed by, and starring Zach Braff, with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sir Ian Holm. The film centers on Andrew Largeman , a 26-year-old actor/waiter who returns to his hometown in New Jersey after his mother dies...

    ; Fever Pitch
    Fever Pitch (2005 film)
    Fever Pitch, which was released as The Perfect Catch outside of the United States and Canada, is a 2005 Farrelly brothers romantic comedy film. It is a remake of a 1997 British film of the same name. Both films are loosely based on the Nick Hornby book of the same name, a best-selling memoir in...

    )
  • Osvaldo Ríos
    Osvaldo Ríos
    Osvaldo Ríos born Osvaldo Ríos Alonso on October 25, 1960 in Carolina, Puerto Rico, is a Puerto Rican actor, model, singer, and guitarist, of Armenian descent, who is best known for his roles in telenovelas...

    , actor and singer
  • Chita Rivera
    Chita Rivera
    Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...

    , actress
    "Broadway Legend", winner of two Tony Award
    Tony Award
    The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

    s
  • José Rivera
    José Rivera (playwright)
    José Rivera is a playwright and the first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an Oscar.-Early years:Rivera was born in the Santurce section of San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1955. He was raised in Arecibo where he lived until 1959. Rivera's family migrated from Puerto Rico when he was 4 years...

    , playwright
    First Puerto Rican nominated for an "Oscar" in "Best Adapted Screenplay" category
  • Luis Antonio Rivera
    Luis Antonio Rivera
    Luis Antonio Rivera a.k.a. "Yoyo Boing" is a comedian, actor and television show host, who was also one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican television.-Early years:...

    , also known as "Yoyo Boing" comedian
  • Marquita Rivera
    Marquita Rivera
    Marquita Rivera , a.k.a. "Queen of Latin Rhythm", was a Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer.Dubbed the "Queen of La Conga", "Queen of Latin Rhythm" and "Latin Hurricane" during various stages of her career, Rivera, went on to enjoy a strong musical career both in the United States and in her...

    ,
    first Puerto Rican actress to appear in a major Hollywood motion picture – Road to Rio
    Road to Rio
    Road to Rio is a 1947 comedy film, directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bing Crosby as Scat Sweeney, Bob Hope as "Hot Lips" Barton, and Dorothy Lamour as Lucia Maria de Andrade. It was the fifth of the "Road to …" series.-Plot:...

  • Naya Rivera
    Naya Rivera
    Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...

    , actress (television series "Glee
    Glee (TV series)
    Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...

    " (Puerto Rican father)
  • Ramón Rivero
    Ramón Rivero (Diplo)
    Ramón Rivero — known as Diplo — was a comedian, actor, composer and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television and cinema industries...

    , also known as "Diplo", comedian
    Rivero was a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television and cinema industries. In 1953, Rivero organized the world's first known Walk-A-Thon
    Walkathon
    A walkathon , walking marathon or sponsored walk is a type of community or school fundraiser in which participants raise money by collecting donations or pledges for walking a predetermined distance or course...

    .
  • Adalberto Rodríguez
    Adalberto Rodriguez
    Adalberto Rodríguez , better known as Machuchal, was a Puerto Rican comedian.Rodríguez was born in the town of Sabana Grande, in the southwest of Puerto Rico. He became very famous early on by imitating animal sounds for his elementary school peers. He acquired his stage name "Machuchal" after the...

    , "Machuchal" comedian
  • Adam Rodríguez
    Adam Rodriguez
    Adam Michael Rodríguez is an American actor and director. He is best known for his long running role as Eric Delko on CSI: Miami.-Life and career:...

    , actor
    (television series CSI: Miami
    CSI: Miami
    CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

    , Roswell
    Roswell (TV series)
    Roswell is an American science fiction television series developed, produced, and co-written by Jason Katims. The series debuted on October 6, 1999 on The WB and moved to UPN for the third season. The last episode aired May 14, 2002...

    )
  • Freddy Rodríguez
    Freddy Rodriguez
    Freddy Rodriguez is an American actor known for playing the characters Hector Federico "Rico" Diaz on HBO's Six Feet Under and El Wray in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror...

    , actor
    (television series Six Feet Under)
  • Gladys Rodríguez
    Gladys Rodríguez
    Gladys Rodríguez born June 4, 1943 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, is an actress, comedian and television host.-Early years:Rodríguez was born in Santurce, a section of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Her parents moved to New York City when she was still a child. In New York, she received her...

    , comedian/actress
  • Michelle Rodríguez
    Michelle Rodriguez
    Mayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...

    , actress
    (films Avatar, The Fast and the Furious
    The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)
    The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 street racing action film starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. Directed by Rob Cohen, The Fast and the Furious was the first mainstream film to feature the Asian automotive import scene in North America. It is the first film...

     ; television series Lost
    Lost (TV series)
    Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

    )
  • Ramón Rodríguez, actor
    (television series The Wire
    The WIRE
    the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...

     and Charlie's Angels
    Charlie's Angels (2011 TV series)
    Charlie's Angels is an American reboot television series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar for ABC, based upon the 1976 series of the same name created by Ivan Goff, and Ben Roberts. The series ran on ABC from September 22, 2011 to November 10, 2011.Charlie's Angels was canceled on October...

    )
  • Marta Romero
    Marta Romero
    Marta Romero is an actress and singer, who was one of the pioneers in Puerto Rican television.-Early years:Romero was born in barrio Machuelo Abajo of the city of Ponce, on the south coast of Puerto Rico. She is considered by many as a "natural performer" because she never took singing or acting...

    , actress and singer
  • Johanna Rosaly
    Johanna Rosaly
    Johanna Rosaly is an actress, singer, and television host.-Early years:Johanna Rosaly was born in an area known as Santurce, a district of San Juan. In 1956 at the age of eight, she started taking acting lessons with Argentinians Luis A. Negro and Elba Mania, and dancing lessons with Beatriz...

    , actress

S

  • Zoe Saldaña
    Zoe Saldana
    Zoe Saldana , sometimes stylized Zoë Saldaña, is an American actress. She had her breakthrough role in the 2000 film Center Stage and later gained prominence for her roles as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek, and a starring role...

    , actress
    (films Star Trek; Avatar) (Puerto Rican mother)
  • Olga San Juan
    Olga San Juan
    Olga San Juan was an American actress, dancer and comedian, mainly active in films during the 1940s.She was born in Brooklyn, New York to Puerto Rican parents...

    , film actress
  • Jaime Sánchez
    Jaime Sánchez (actor)
    Jaime Sánchez, born December 19, 1938 in Rincón, Puerto Rico, is an actor in theater, films and TV since the 1950s.His film roles include Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker , Cornel Wilde's Beach Red and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch ; his TV appearances include The Fugitive, Kojak and The...

    , actor
    (stage West Side Story
    West Side Story
    West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...

    ; film The Wild Bunch
    The Wild Bunch
    The Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...

    )
  • Kiele Sanchez
    Kiele Sanchez
    Kiele Michelle Sanchez is an American actress who stars in the A&E Network drama The Glades. Previously she starred as the second-eldest Sorelli sister, Anne, a therapist in her mid-twenties, in The WB's comedic ensemble drama, Related. She was cast as a co-star in the third season of the ABC...

    , actress
  • Marcelino Sánchez
    Marcelino Sánchez
    Marcelino Sánchez was a Puerto Rican-American film and television actor. He is primarily remembered for playing Rembrandt in the cult classic film The Warriors, and as Ricardo on The Bloodhound Gang mystery vignettes featured on the 1980s children's educational television show 3-2-1 Contact...

    , actor
    (films The Warriors; The Bloodhound Gang
    The Bloodhound Gang
    The Bloodhound Gang may be a reference to:*The Bloodhound Gang , a segment on the program 3-2-1 Contact*The Bloodhound Gang, a band that took its name from the TV show segment...

    )
  • Roselyn Sánchez
    Roselyn Sanchez
    Roselyn Sánchez is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, model, actress, producer and writer of film and television.-Early life:...

    , actress
    (films Rush Hour 2
    Rush Hour 2
    Rush Hour 2 is a 2001 martial arts action comedy film. This is the second installment in the Rush Hour film series. A sequel to the 1998 film Rush Hour, the film stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker who respectively reprise their roles as Inspector Lee and Los Angeles police detective James Carter...

    , Chasing Papi
    Chasing Papi
    Chasing Papi is a 2003 Latino comedy film starring Roselyn Sánchez, Sofía Vergara, Jaci Velasquez, and Eduardo Verástegui. The women discover that their boyfriend has been dating all three of them at the same time—a discovery that leads them on an adventure throughout Los Angeles,...

    )
  • Esther Sandoval
    Esther Sandoval
    Esther Sandoval was an actress and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television.-Early years:Sandoval was born Esther Maria Gonzalez in Ponce where she received her primary and secondary education...

    , actress
  • Renoly Santiago
    Renoly Santiago
    Renoly Santiago is a Puerto Rican actor, singer and writer who has appeared in a number of high-profile Hollywood productions....

    , actor
    (film Dangerous Minds
    Dangerous Minds
    Dangerous Minds is an American drama film based on the autobiography My Posse Don't Do Homework by former U.S. Marine LouAnne Johnson, who took up a teaching position at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, where most of her students were African-American and Hispanic teenagers from East...

    )
  • Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    Ruben Santiago-Hudson is an American actor and playwright, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway in Lydia Diamond's play .-Early life:...

    , actor
    (film Mr. Brooks
    Mr. Brooks
    Mr. Brooks is a 2007 thriller film directed by Bruce A. Evans starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, and William Hurt. It was released on June 1, 2007...

    ) and playwright (play Lackawanna Blues
    Lackawanna Blues
    Lackawanna Blues is an American play written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson in 2001. It was later adapted as a television movie that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growing up in Lackawanna, New York, during the 1950s and 1960s.-Play:The...

    )
  • Saundra Santiago
    Saundra Santiago
    Saundra Santiago is an American actress. She best known for her role as Det. Gina Calabrese on 1980s television series Miami Vice.-Early life and education:...

    , actress
    (television series Miami Vice
    Miami Vice
    Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...

    ; film Carlito's Way
    Carlito's Way
    Carlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and...

    )
  • Jon Seda
    Jon Seda
    Jonathan Seda is an American actor, possibly best known for his role as Detective Paul Falsone on NBC's: Homicide: Life on the Street....

    , actor
    (film Selena
    Selena (film)
    Selena is a 1997 American biographical drama film about the life and career of the late Tejano music star Selena, a recording artist who was well known in the Mexican-American and Hispanic communities in the United States and Mexico before she was shot to death at the age of twenty-three.The movie...

    )
  • Jimmy Smits
    Jimmy Smits
    Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...

    , actor
    (television series L.A. Law
    L.A. Law
    L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...

    , The West Wing
    The West Wing (TV series)
    The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...

    , and NYPD Blue
    NYPD Blue
    NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...

    ; film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
    Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
    Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....

    )
  • Luis F Soto
    Luis F Soto
    Luis F Soto, born in Hatillo, Puerto Rico, is a Film and Television director working and living in Los Angeles, California.In 1989, he received a Cable Ace nomination as Best Dramatic Director for the HBO film The Vietnam War Story: The Last Outpost....

    , director
  • Talisa Soto
    Talisa Soto
    -Early life:Born Miriam Soto in Brooklyn, New York, Soto is the youngest of four children born to an Italian mother and a Canadian father of Puerto Rican descent. Her parents later relocated to Northampton, Massachusetts where Soto and her siblings were raised and educated.-Modeling:At the age of...

    , actress/model,
    (films Licence to Kill
    Licence to Kill
    Licence to Kill, released in 1989, is the sixteenth entry in the Eon Productions James Bond series and the first one not to use the title of an Ian Fleming novel. It marks Timothy Dalton's second and final performance in his brief tenure in the lead role of James Bond...

    ; Mortal Kombat
    Mortal Kombat (film)
    Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American action and adventure film directed by Paul Anderson. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the film was the first part of the Mortal Kombat film series...

    )
  • Miguel Ángel Suárez
    Miguel Angel Suarez
    Miguel Ángel Suárez was a Puerto Rican soap opera and movie actor.-Early years:Suárez and his sister were born into a middle class family and raised in the Santurce section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. His father worked at a local supermarket and his mother was a housewife. When Suárez was a child,...

    , actor, playwright, stage director
    (films Stir Crazy
    Stir Crazy (film)
    Stir Crazy is a 1980 American comedy film starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor as down-on-their-luck friends who are given 125-year prison sentences after being framed for a bank robbery; while in prison they befriend other inmates and ultimately escape. In 2000, Total Film magazine voted it the...

    ; Under Suspicion
    Under Suspicion (2000 film)
    Under Suspicion is a 2000 American film directed by Stephen Hopkins. It stars Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Monica Bellucci and Thomas Jane. The film is based on the 1981 French film Garde à vue and the 1970s British novel Brainwash, written by John Wainwright...

    )

T

  • Rachel Ticotin
    Rachel Ticotin
    Rachel Ticotin is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Ticotin was born in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Iris Torres, a Puerto Rican educator, and Abe Ticotin, a Russian Jewish used car salesman. Her brother, Sahaj, is a musician and the lead singer for his rock group, Ra...

    , actress
    (films Total Recall
    Total Recall
    Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox & Mel Johnson, Jr.. It is based on the Philip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”...

    ; Con Air
    Con Air
    Con Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...

    )
  • Liz Torres
    Liz Torres
    Elizabeth "Liz" Torres is an actress, singer, and comedienne of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Torres was born in the Bronx borough of New York City where her parents had settled after moving from Puerto Rico. There she received her primary and secondary education...

    , actress
    (television series Gilmore Girls
    Gilmore Girls
    Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...

    )

U
  • Alanna Ubach
    Alanna Ubach
    Alanna Noel Ubach is an American actress and voice actress. She is known for her roles in Legally Blonde as Serena and Meet the Fockers as Isabel Villalobos...

    , actress
    (films Legally Blonde
    Legally Blonde
    Legally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and produced by Marc E. Platt...

    ; Meet the Fockers
    Meet the Fockers
    Meet the Fockers is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Jay Roach and the sequel to Meet the Parents. The film stars Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo. It was followed up by a sequel, Little Fockers, in 2010.-Plot:Nurse Gaylord "Greg"...

     (Puerto Rican mother)


V
  • Joseph Vásquez
    Joseph Vasquez
    Joseph B. "Joe" Vasquez was an American independent filmmaker.Vasquez was born in the South Bronx, the son of two heroin addicts...

    , film director/screen writer
    (film Hangin' with the Homeboys
    Hangin' with the Homeboys
    Hangin' with the Homeboys is a 1991 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Vasquez. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991. It was released by New Line Cinema.-Synopsis:...

    )
  • Nadine Velazquez
    Nadine Velazquez
    Nadine Velazquez is an American actress and model known for her role as Catalina Aruca on My Name Is Earl.-Early life:...

    , actress
    (television series My Name Is Earl
    My Name Is Earl
    My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...

    )
  • Lauren Vélez
    Lauren Vélez
    Lauren Vélez is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent and the twin sister of actress Loraine Vélez. Her most notable roles are as María LaGuerta on Dexter, Detective Nina Moreno on Fox's New York Undercover, and Dr...

    , actress,
    (television series New York Undercover
    New York Undercover
    New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...

    , Oz
    Oz (TV series)
    Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...

    , Dexter
    Dexter (TV series)
    Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...

    )
  • Loraine Vélez
    Loraine Vélez
    Loraine Vélez is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent. She is the twin sister of actress Lauren Vélez.-Early years:...

    , actress
  • Christina Vidal
    Christina Vidal
    Christina Abbi Vidal is a former American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Life with Mikey, Brink! , Freaky Friday ,...

    , actress and singer,
    (television series Taina
    Taina (TV series)
    Taina is an American sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon and was one of the last live-action comedy shows taped at Nickelodeon Studios but later moved to the Nickelodeon On Sunset in Hollywood, for its second season. The show aired from January 14, 2001 to May 11, 2002.-Premise:Taina Morales is a...

    )
  • Lisa Vidal
    Lisa Vidal
    Lisa Vidal is an American film and television actress.-Early years:Vidal was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of Josie, a secretary, and Manny Vidal, a tax consultant and businessman. Her parents moved from Puerto Rico and settled in Manhattan, New York, where Vidal and her two...

    , actress
    (Night in the City), (television series ER
    ER (TV series)
    ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...

    )

W
  • Otilio Warrington
    Otilio Warrington
    Otilio Warrington, known popularly as Bizcocho is a comedian, best known for his roles of "Bizcocho" and "Cuca Gómez".-Early years:...

    , also known as "Bizcocho" comedian
  • Jessica Wild
    Jessica Wild
    José David Sierra , better known as Jessica Wild, is a Puerto Rican drag queen, professional make-up artist, and reality television personality.- Biography :Wild was born in San Juan but raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico...

    , female impersonator/reality television personality
    (reality television series RuPaul's Drag Race
    RuPaul's Drag Race
    RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality television series produced by World of Wonder for Logo. RuPaul plays host, mentor and inspiration for this series, which details RuPaul's search for "America's next drag superstar."...

    )
  • Holly Woodlawn
    Holly Woodlawn
    Holly Woodlawn is a Puerto Rican-born transgendered actress and former Warhol superstar, who appeared in his movies Trash and Women in Revolt .-Early life:...

    , female impersonator/actor
    Member of Warhol Superstar
    Warhol superstar
    Warhol superstars were a clique of New York City personalities promoted by Andy Warhol during the 1960s and early 1970s. These personalities appeared in Warhol's artworks and accompanied him in his social life...

    s, an artistic clique of artists who appeared in many of Andy Warhol
    Andy Warhol
    Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...

    's various artworks and films

Z

  • David Zayas
    David Zayas
    David Zayas is a Puerto Rican theatrical, film, and television actor. He is most known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series Dexter and as Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama Oz.- Life and career :...

    , actor
    (television series Oz
    Oz (TV series)
    Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...

    , Dexter
    Dexter (TV series)
    Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...

    )
  • Marcos Zurinaga
    Marcos Zurinaga
    Marcos Zurinaga is a cinematographer born and raised in Puerto Rico. Among the several movies that he has directed is "La Gran Fiesta", a movie about the last grand party at the old "Casino de Puerto Rico" building in Old San Juan before it was turned over to military use as the United States was...

    , film director/screenwriter
    (film La Gran Fiesta
    La Gran Fiesta
    La Gran Fiesta is a 1985 Puerto Rican film, written and directed by Marcos Zurinaga, based on a story by Ana Lydia Vega....

    )


Television show hosts

  • Alfred D. Herger
    Alfred D. Herger
    Alfredo Domingo Herger is a famous former Puerto Rican television show host and a psychologist. He has been labeled the Ed Sullivan of Puerto Rico in local media, due to his strong influence in Puerto Rican pop culture and his success as a television presenter.-Early life:Herger, of Spanish and...


    Television Host, psychologist.
  • Daisy Martínez
    Daisy Martínez
    Daisy Maria Martinez is an actress, model, chef, television personality and author, who hosts a PBS television series, Daisy Cooks!, which launched on April 15, 2005.-Career:...


    Host of PBS
    Public Broadcasting Service
    The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

     cooking show, Daisy Cooks!.
  • John Melendez
    John Melendez
    John Edward Melendez , commonly known as "Stuttering John," is an American television writer and former radio personality. Prior to his work on television as a writer and announcer, Melendez was a regular on-air personality on The Howard Stern Show...

    , once known as "Stuttering John"
    (Howard Stern Show
    Howard Stern
    Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...

     and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno)
  • Rogelio Mills
    Rogelio Mills
    Rogelio Mills, also known as Roger Mills, a North Carolina native, is a Puerto Rican/Black Hispanic American television personality, author, and recording artist, best known as the host of the celebrity entertainment show entitled “The Roger Mills Show” and author of the book “While Out of My Body...


    Television Host, Author and Recording Artist.
  • Eddie Miró
    Eddie Miró
    Eddie Miró , is a television show host in Puerto Rico of Sephardic origin. He is best known for being the host of Telemundo Puerto Rico's variety show "El Show de las 12" for over 40 years...

    ,
    Television host/comedian. Hosted "El Show de las 12" ("The 12 pm Show") for over 40 years.
  • Silverio Pérez
    Silverio Pérez
    Silverio Pérez is a musician, comedian, entrepreneur and broadcasting media host, born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. He is known for several reasons, among them:* hosting several successful Puerto Rican television shows during his career....


    Show host, musician and author.
  • Antonio Sánchez
    Antonio Sánchez (Puerto Rican host)
    Antonio Sánchez is a Puerto Rican radio and television personality, show host and producer. Very famous across Puerto Rico for his crass humor, he is also known for his nickname: El Gangster...


    Radio and television personality.
  • "Alani Vazquez
    La La (entertainer)
    Alani Vazquez Anthony is an American actress, disc jockey, and television personality.-Early years:Vazquez's parents were both Nuyorican. They lived in Brooklyn, where Alani, Vazquez's brother, and her two sisters were born...

    ", also known as "La La"
    MTV Veejay
  • Luis Vigoreaux
    Luis Vigoreaux
    Luis Vigoreaux Rivera was a Puerto Rican radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer. The son of a sugar worker, Vigoreaux became one of the most popular television entertainers in Puerto Rico's history....

    ,
    Television host. Created "Sube Nene, Sube" (Go up, man, go up!!) and "Pa'rriba, Papi, Pa'rriba!!" (Reach up, honey, Reach up!)
  • Luisito Vigoreaux
    Luisito Vigoreaux
    Luis Vigoreaux Lorenzana is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He is the son of Luis Vigoreaux, a legendary Puerto Rican media personality and Rosaura Lorenzana Vilches...

    ,
    Television host. Hosted "Sábado en Grande" (Big Saturday, also with Roberto), "El Show del Mediodía" (The Midday Show) and "De Magazin".
  • Roberto Vigoreaux
    Roberto Vigoreaux
    Roberto Vigoreaux Lorenzana is a Puerto Rican media personality. He is a former senator, television producer, actor, singer, marketing executive, telecommunications technician and ice cream entrepreneur...

    ,
    Television host. Hosted "Parejo, Doble y Triple" (Square, Double and Triple)


Architects

  • Jesús Eduardo Amaral
    Jesús Eduardo Amaral
    Jesús Eduardo Amaral FAIA is a Puerto Rican architect and educator. As partner in the firm Amaral y Morales, he produced some of Puerto Rico's most notable modern architecture primarily from 1950 to 1970...


    Architect, educator. First dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Puerto Rico. Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
  • Henry Klumb
    Henry Klumb
    Heinrich Klumb was a German architect who worked in Puerto Rico. He was one of Puerto Rico's most prominent architects in the mid 20th Century.-Education and Early Life:...


    German-born architect responsible for many Puerto Rico designs from 1944 to 1984. Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
  • Andrés Mignucci
    Andres Mignucci
    Andrés Mignucci FAIA is a Puerto Rican architect and urbanist. His work has received recognition for its integration of the disciplines of architecture, urban design and landscape architecture in the creation of public spaces with a sense of place, human scale, and environmental responsibility...


    Architect, urbanist. Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
  • Antonin Nechodoma
    Antonin Nechodoma
    Antonin Nechodoma , was a Czech architect who practiced in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from 1905 to 1928. He is known for the introduction of the Prairie Style to the Caribbean and the integration of Arts and Crafts elements to his architecture...


    Notable Czech architect.
  • Francisco Porrata Doria
    Francisco Porrata Doria
    Francisco Porrata-Doria was a twentieth-century Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Porrata-Doria was a pioneer in the development of the local modern architecture and one of the architects responsible for what has been called "Ponce Monumental Architecture", of which the Banco Crédito...


    Designed the Ponce Cathedral
    Ponce Cathedral
    The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or simply, Ponce Cathedral, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce's town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, located at the center of the Ponce Historic...

    , Banco de Ponce (building)
    Banco de Ponce (building)
    The Banco de Ponce building, a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the first and main office of Banco de Ponce until the company merged with Banco Popular in 1990. Though its headquarters had moved to a presumptous building in Hato Rey's Milla de Oro by then, Banco de Ponce continued to...

    , and Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño (building)
    Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño (building)
    The Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño building , a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the first and main office of the famed Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño , and represents one of the last examples of the once popular turn-of-the-century eclectic architecture. The building was listed on the...

    .
  • Jorge Rigau
    Architect, educator. First dean of the School of Architecture at the Polythecnic University of Puerto Rico. Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
  • Blas Silva
    Creator of the Ponce Creole
    Ponce Creole
    Ponce Creole is an architectural style created in Ponce, Puerto Rico in the late 18th and early 19th century. This style of Puerto Rican buildings is found predominantly in residential homes in Ponce that developed between 1895 and 1920...

     architectural style. Designed, among many others, the Casa de la Masacre, Font-Ubides House
    Font-Ubides House
    Casa Font-Ubides , also known as the Residencia Monsanto is a historic building located on the north side of Castillo Street in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the city's historic district. The building dates from 1913. It was designed by the architect Blas Silva...

    , and the Subira House
    Residencia Subirá
    The Residencia Subirá , also known as Residencia Frau , is a historic building located on Reina Street in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the city's historic district. The building dates from 1910. It was designed by the architect Blas Silva...

    .
  • Toro Ferrer
    Toro Ferrer
    Toro y Ferrer was a pioneering architectural firm and one of the principal exponents of Puerto Rico's tropical modernism. Founded in 1945 by architects Osvaldo Toro FAIA , Miguel Ferrer FAIA and engineer Luis Torregrosa Casellas, the firm designed some of Puerto Rico's most significant modern...


    Pioneering Puerto Rican architectural firm led by Osvaldo Toro FAIA and Miguel Ferrer FAIA, both Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and responsible for such landmarks as the Caribe Hilton, the Supreme Court, the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport and the Hotel La Concha.
  • Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti
    Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti
    Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti was a Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was an expositor of the Neoclassicism and Art Nouveau architectural styles, doing most of his work in his hometown of Ponce. Today, Alfredo Wiechers' city residence, located in the Ponce Historic Zone and which he...


    Early 20th-century architect from Ponce
    Ponce, Puerto Rico
    Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

    . Designed many historical buildings now listed in the National Register of Historic Places
    National Register of Historic Places
    The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

     including his own home (the Wiechers-Villaronga Residence
    Casa Wiechers-Villaronga
    The Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a Neo-classical style mansion in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed and built in the early twentieth century. The house was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture. The house sits in the...

    ) in the Ponce Historic Zone
    Ponce Historic Zone
    The Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...

     and which today is home to the Puerto Rico Museum of Architecture
    Casa Wiechers-Villaronga
    The Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a Neo-classical style mansion in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed and built in the early twentieth century. The house was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture. The house sits in the...

    .

Authors, playwrights and poets

A
  • Jack Agüeros
    Jack Agüeros
    Jack Agüeros is a community activist, poet, writer, and translator. From 1977 to 1986 was the director of the Museo del Barrio in New York City....

    , author, playwright, poet and translator
  • Quiara Alegría Hudes
    Quiara Alegría Hudes
    Quiara Alegría Hudes is an American playwright and author best known for writing the book for the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights.-Personal life:...

    , author, playwright
    Wrote the book for Broadway's musical In the Heights. Her play, Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue, was a Pulitzer Prize
    Pulitzer Prize
    The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

     finalist in 2007 and has been performed around the country and in Romania and Brazil.
  • Dr. Miguel Algarín
    Miguel Algarín
    Miguel Algarín , is a Puerto Rican poet, writer, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café, and retired Rutgers University professor of English.-Early years:...

    , poet, writer
    Co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
    Nuyorican Poets Café
    The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...

    .
  • Dr. Manuel A. Alonso
    Manuel A. Alonso
    Dr. Manuel A. Alonso was a writer, poet and journalist. He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican writer of notable importance.-Early years:...

    , poet and author
    Considered by many to be the first Puerto Rican writer of notable importance.
  • Francisco Arriví
    Francisco Arriví
    Francisco Arriví , a.k.a. Paco, was a writer, poet and playwright known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Theater."-Early years:...

    , writer, poet, and playwright
    Arriví known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Theater".
  • Rane Arroyo
    Rane Arroyo
    Rane Ramón Arroyo was an American poet, playwright, and scholar of Puerto Rican descent who wrote numerous books and received many literary awards. He was a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Toledo in Ohio. His work deals extensively with issues of immigration, Latino...

    , poet, playwright and scholar


B
  • Pura Belpré
    Pura Belpré
    Pura Belpré was the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer. There is some dispute as to the date of her birth which has been given as February 2, 1899, December 2, 1901 and February 2, 1903.- Education :She was born in Cidra,...

    , author
    First Puerto Rican librarian in New York City.
  • María Bibiana Benítez
    María Bibiana Benítez
    María Bibiana Benítez , was Puerto Rico's first known female poet and one of its first playwrights.-Early years:...

    , playwright
    Benitez is one of Puerto Rico's "first" poetesses.
  • Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier
    Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier
    Alejandrina Benítez de GautierThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name "Benítez" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Gautier". is considered by many to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest poets.-Early years:Benítez de Gautier, born in Mayagüez,...

    , poet
    Benítez de Gautier's collaboration with the "Aguinaldo Puertorriqueño" (Collection of Puerto Rican Poetry) gave her recognition as a great poet.
  • Tomás Blanco, writer and historian
    Blanco was the author of "Prontuario Historico de Puerto Rico" and "El Prejuicio Racial en Puerto Rico" (Racial Prejudice in Puerto Rico).
  • Juan Boria
    Juan Boria
    Juan Boria also known as the Negro Verse Pharaoh, was a Puerto Rican poet known for his Afro-Caribbean poetry.-Early years:...

    , Afro-Caribbean poet
    Boria, also known as the Negro Verse Pharaoh, was a poet known for his Afro-Caribbean poetry.
  • Giannina Braschi
    Giannina Braschi
    Giannina Braschi is a Puerto Rican writer. She is credited with writing the first Spanglish novel YO-YO BOING! and the poetry trilogy Empire of Dreams , which chronicles the Latin American immigrant's experiences in the United States...

    , poet
    Braschi is a vanguard poet, Spanglish novelist, and performer of spoken word.


C
  • Mayra Calvani
    Mayra Calvani
    -Early years:Calvani was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico the Capital of Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education. She started writing stories when she was eleven years old. Calvani attended a Catholic convent school, where she tended to be shy. The stories she...

    , writer
  • Zenobia Camprubí
    Zenobia Camprubí
    Zenobia Camprubí Aymar was a Spanish-born writer and poet; she was also a noted translator of the works of Rabindranath Tagore....

    , writer/poet (Puerto Rican mother)
    Camprubí was also the wife of Nobel Prize winning author Juan Ramón Jiménez
    Juan Ramón Jiménez
    Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956. One of Jiménez's most important contributions to modern poetry was his advocacy of the French concept of "pure poetry."-Biography:Jiménez was born in Moguer, near Huelva, in...

    .
  • Nemesio Canales
    Nemesio Canales
    Nemesio R. Canales was a Puerto Rican essayist, journalist, novelist, playwright, politician and activist who defended women's civil rights...

    , essayist and poet
  • Andrés Castro Ríos
    Andrés Castro Ríos
    Andrés Castro Ríos was a poet and graduate from the Humanities Faculty of the University of Puerto Rico. Castro Ríos is known as one of the founders of the "Guajana" magazine and as the composer of the lyrics for "¡Coño, Despierta Boricua!", a famous patriotic Puerto Rican song related to the...

    , poet
    Co-founder of literary magazine "Guajana".
  • Jesús Colón
    Jesús Colón
    Jesús Colón was a Puerto Rican writer known as the Father of the Nuyorican Movement.-Early years:Colón was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War when the American Tobacco Company gained control of most of the tobacco producing land in Puerto Rico. His father was a baker and his...

    , writer
    "Father of the Nuyorican Movement
    Nuyorican Movement
    The Nuyorican Movement is a cultural and intellectual movement involving poets, writers, musicians and artists who are Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent, who live in or near New York City, and either call themselves or are known as Nuyoricans...

    ."
  • Manuel Corchado y Juarbe
    Manuel Corchado y Juarbe
    Manuel Corchado y Juarbe was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician who defended the abolition of slavery and the establishment of a University in Puerto Rico...

    , poet, journalist and politician
    Corchado y Juarbe defended the abolition of slavery and the establishment of a University in Puerto Rico.
  • Juan Antonio Corretjer
    Juan Antonio Corretjer
    Juan Antonio Corretjer Montes , was a poet, journalist and pro-independence political activist opposing United States rule in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    , poet
    Corretjer was also a journalist and pro-independence political activist who opposed United States rule in Puerto Rico.


D
  • Nicholas Dante
    Nicholas Dante
    Nicholas Dante was an American dancer and writer, best-known for having co-written the book of the musical A Chorus Line.-Biography:...

    ,
    Pulitzer Prize
    Pulitzer Prize for Drama
    The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...

     and Tony Award
    Tony Award
    The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

    -winning playwright who is best known for the worldwide musical hit A Chorus Line
    A Chorus Line
    A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....

  • Dr. José Antonio Dávila
    José Antonio Dávila
    Dr. José Antonio Dávila was a well-known poet during Puerto Rico's postmodern era of poetry.- Life and career :Dávila was born and raised in the City of Bayamon, Puerto Rico into a literary family...

    , poet
    Dávila was a well-known poet during Puerto Rico's postmodern era of poetry.
  • Virgilio Dávila
    Virgilio Dávila
    Virgilio Dávila , was a Puerto Rican poet, educator, politician and businessman. He is considered by many to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest representatives of the modern literary era.-Early years:...

    , poet
    Dávila is considered by many to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest representatives of the modern literary era.
  • Julia de Burgos
    Julia de Burgos
    Julia Constancia Burgos García is considered by many as the greatest poet to have been born in Puerto Rico, and along with Gabriela Mistral, is considered as one of the greatest female poets of Latin America...

    , poet
    Burgos is considered by many as the greatest poet to have been born in Puerto Rico.
  • Eugenio María de Hostos
    Eugenio María de Hostos
    Eugenio María de Hostos known as "El Ciudadano de América" , was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate....

    , writer (see also Educators and Politicians)
    Wrote "La Peregrinación de Bayoán", the founding text of Puerto Rican literature.
  • Caridad de la Luz
    Caridad de la Luz
    Caridad De la Luz , a.k.a. "La Bruja" , is a poet, actress and activist.-Early years:De la Luz, whose parents moved to New York City from Puerto Rico, was born and raised in the South Bronx. There she also received her primary and secondary education...

    a.k.a. "La Bruja", poet
    She is also the writer/actor of "Boogie Rican Blvd".
  • Abelardo Díaz Alfaro
    Abelardo Díaz Alfaro
    Abelardo Díaz Alfaro was a Puerto Rican author who reached great fame throughout Latin America during the 1940s. Some say his actual year of birth was 1919, but officially it was always announced as 1916...

    , writer


E
  • Sandra María Esteves
    Sandra María Esteves
    Sandra María Esteves is an American poet, playwright, and graphic artist. She was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, and is one of the founders of the Nuyorican poetry movement. She has published numerous collections of poetry and has conducted literary programs at organizations including the...

    , Nuyorican poet


F
  • Dr. Héctor Feliciano
    Hector Feliciano
    Dr. Hector Feliciano, PhD. is a Puerto Rican journalist and author whose book The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art has shed light on an estimated 20,000 works of art plundered by the Nazis; each one is owned by a museum or a collector somewhere.-Early...

    , author
    Feliciano's book "The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art" has shed a light on an estimated 20,000 looted works; each one is owned by a museum or a collector somewhere.
  • Dr. Rosario Ferré
    Rosario Ferré
    Dr. Rosario Ferré is a Puerto Rican writer, poet and essayist. Her father, Luis A. Ferré, was the third elected Governor of Puerto Rico, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party. When her mother, Lorenza Ramírez de Arellano, died in 1970...

    , writer
  • Shaggy Flores
    Shaggy Flores
    "Shaggy Flores" is a Nuyorican poet, writer and African Diaspora scholar who forms part of the Nuyorical literary movement.-Early years:...

    , Nuyorican writer, poet
    African Diaspora Scholar, Founder of Voices for the Voiceless.
  • Félix Franco-Oppenheimer
    Félix Franco-Oppenheimer
    Félix Franco-Oppenheimer was a Puerto Rican poet and writer. His works include Contornos, Imagen y visión edénica de Puerto Rico, and Antología poética.Franco-Oppenheimer was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1912....

    , poet and writer
    His works include "Contornos", "Imagen y visión edénica de Puerto Rico", and "Antología poética".


G
  • Magali García Ramis
    Magali García Ramis
    -Biography:Magali García Ramis was born in 1946 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She lived all her childhood in this borough of San Juan, with her mother, father and brothers, near her mother's family, with close relations with uncles, cousins and her maternal grandmother...

    , writer
  • José Gautier Benítez
    José Gautier Benítez
    José Gautier Benítez is considered Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era.-Early years:Gautier Benítez was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Rodulfo Gautier and the renowned Puerto Rican poet, Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier. His great-aunt, Maria Bibiana Benitez, was also a renowned Puerto Rican...

    , poet
    Gautier Benítez is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era.
  • José Luis González
    José Luis González (writer)
    José Luis González was a Puerto Rican essayist, novelist, short story writer, university professor, and journalist who lived most of his life in exile in Mexico due to his pro-independence political views...

    , writer
    One of the most prominent writers of the 20th century, particularly for his "El país de cuatro pisos" (1980).
  • Migene Gonzalez-Wippler
    Migene Gonzalez-Wippler
    Migene González-Wippler is a Puerto Rican new-age author and a leading expert on the Afro-Caribbean religion of Santería. González-Wippler was born in Puerto Rico and has degrees in psychology and anthropology from the University of Puerto Rico and from Columbia University...

    , new-age author, prominent Santería
    Santería
    Santería is a syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin influenced by Roman Catholic Christianity, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, or Lukumi. Its liturgical language, a dialect of Yoruba, is also known as Lucumi....

     expert


L
  • Dr. Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes
    Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes
    Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes is a gay Puerto Rican author, scholar, and performer. He is better known as Larry La Fountain. He has received several awards for his creative writing and scholarship as well as for his work with Latino and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students...

    , writer
    Author of "Uñas pintadas de azul/Blue Fingernails".
  • Enrique A. Laguerre, writer
    Laguerre was nominated for Nobel Prize in literature.
  • Tato Laviera
    Tato Laviera
    Tato Laviera is a Nuyorican poet. Born in Puerto Rico, he moved to New York City with his family in 1960.Laviera's poetry, which is written sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English, more often in Spanglish, addresses language, cultural identity, race, and memory, particularly as it affects the...

    , poet
    Author of "AmeRícan".
  • Georgina Lázaro
    Georgina Lázaro
    Georgina Lázaro-Leon is a Puerto Rican poet whose work is focused on children. Her children poems have been recorded by many artists, among them Tony Croatto.-Early years:...

    , children's poet
  • Muna Lee
    Muna Lee (writer)
    This article is about the Puerto Rico-based writer. For the American athlete, see Muna Lee .Muna Lee was an American author and poet who became widely known for her writings that promoted Pan-Americanism and Feminism.Born in Raymond, Mississippi, Lee began her writing career as a well-known lyric...

    , writer
    Born in Mississippi
    Mississippi
    Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

    , was the first wife of Luis Muñoz Marín
    Luis Muñoz Marín
    Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...

    .
  • Luis Llorens Torres
    Luis Lloréns Torres
    Luis Llorens Torres , was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, and politician. He was an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    , poet
  • Washington Llorens
    Washington Lloréns
    Washington Lloréns was a Puerto Rican journalist, writer, linguist, and scholar. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and died in San Juan...

    , journalist, writer, linguist
    Linguistics
    Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....

    , and scholar.
  • Luis López Nieves
    Luis López Nieves
    Luis López Nieves is one of the most influential and best-selling Puerto Rican authors ever. He has won the National Literature Prize on two occasions: first, in 2000, with his book of historical short stories ; second, in 2005, with his novel . He published two other books including Seva, and ...

    , writer


M
  • Hugo Margenat
    Hugo Margenat
    Hugo Margenat , was a Puerto Rican poet and Puerto Rican Independence advocate. His art was committed to serving a militant nationalistic agenda...

    , poet
    Margenat was also the founder of the political youth pro-independence organizations "Acción Juventud Independentista" and "Federación de Universitarios Pro Independencia".
  • Rene Marques
    René Marques
    René Marqués was a renowned Puerto Rican short story writer and playwright.-Early years:Marqués was born, raised and educated in the city of Arecibo...

    , playwright
    Marqués wrote "La Carreta" (The Oxcart) which helped secure his reputation as a leading literary figure in Puerto Rico.
  • Nemir Matos-Cintrón
    Nemir Matos-Cintrón
    Nemir Matos-Cintrón is a Puerto Rican author who currently resides in Florida. She has published several books of poetry and parts of a novel. She has openly thematized her lesbianism in much of her work.-Life:...

    , poet, novelist
  • Francisco Matos Paoli
    Francisco Matos Paoli
    Francisco Matos Paoli March 9, 1915 - July 10, 2000), was a poet, critic, and essayist who in 1977 was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Paoli was also a Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and a renowned Puerto Rican patriot...

    , poet, critic, and essayist
    Matos Paoli was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature
    Nobel Prize in Literature
    Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...

     in 1977. He was also a Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
    Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
    The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...

    .
  • Dr. Concha Melendez
    Concha Meléndez
    Dr. Concha Meléndez was an educator, poet, and writer.-Early years:Meléndez was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education...

    , poet, writer
  • Manuel Méndez Ballester
    Manuel Méndez Ballester
    Manuel Méndez Ballester , born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, was a well-known writer who worked in journalism, radio broadcasting, television and teaching.- Life and career :...

    , writer
  • Pedro Mir
    Pedro Mir
    Pedro Julio Mir Valentín was a Dominican poet and writer, named Poet Laureate of the Dominican Republic by Congress in 1984, and a member of the generation of "Independent poets of the 1940s" in Dominican poetry.His father, a Cuban mechanical engineer, migrated from Cuba to the Dominican Republic...

    , former Poet Laureate of the Dominican Republic (Puerto Rican mother)
  • Nicholasa Mohr
    Nicholasa Mohr
    Nicholasa Mohr is one of the best known Nuyorican writers. Her works tell of growing up in the Puerto Rican communities of the Bronx and El Barrio and of the difficulties Puerto Rican women face in the United States.- Life and career :...

    , writer
    Her works, among which is the novel Nilda, tell of growing up in the Puerto Rican communities of the Bronx and El Barrio
    Spanish Harlem
    East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is a section of Harlem in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. It includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which...

     and of the difficulties Puerto Rican women face in the United States.


N
  • Mercedes Negron Muñoz
    Mercedes Negrón Muñoz
    Mercedes Negrón Muñoz a.k.a. "Clara Lair" , was an influential poet whose work dealt with the everyday struggles of the common Puerto Rican.-Early years:...

    , a.k.a. "Clara Lair", poet
    Negrón Muñoz was an influential poet whose work dealt with the everyday struggles of the common Puerto Rican.


O
  • Judith Ortiz Cofer
    Judith Ortiz Cofer
    Judith Ortiz Cofer is a Puerto Rican author. Her work spans a range of literary genres including poetry, short stories, autobiography, essays, and Young-adult fiction.-Early years:...

    , poet, writer and essayist
  • Micol Ostow
    Micol Ostow
    Micol Ostow is an American author, editor and educator who has written more than 40 published works. Her first original hardcover novel, "Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa", was named a "New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age"...

    , author
    Ostow wrote of "Mind Your Manners, Dick and Jane". Her novel, "Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa", was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age.


P
  • Dr. José Gualberto Padilla
    José Gualberto Padilla
    Dr. José Gualberto Padilla , also known as "El Caribe", was a poet, physician, journalist, politician and an advocate for Puerto Rico's independence...

    a.k.a. "El Caribe" poet, physician, journalistand politician
    an advocate for Puerto Rico's independence
    Puerto Rican independence movement
    The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...

    , Padilla was imprisoned for his role in El Grito de Lares revolt.
  • Luis Palés Matos
    Luis Palés Matos
    Luis Palés Matos was a Puerto Rican poet who is credited with creating the poetry genre known as Afro-Antillano.-Early years:...

    , poet of Afro-Caribbean themes
  • Dr. Antonio S. Pedreira
    Antonio S. Pedreira
    Dr. Antonio S. Pedreira , was a renowned Puerto Rican author and educator.-Early years:Pedreira was born into a well-to-do family in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. He became interested in the art of writing stories as a child during his primary and secondary school years...

    , writer and educator
    Pedreira's most important book was "Insularismo", in which he explores the meaning of being Puerto Rican.
  • Pedro Pietri
    Pedro Pietri
    Pedro Pietri , was a Nuyorican poet and playwright who co-founded the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was the poet laureate of the Nuyorican Movement.-Early years :...

    , poet, playwright
    Co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
    Nuyorican Poets Café
    The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...

    .
  • Miguel Piñero
    Miguel Piñero
    Miguel Piñero was a Puerto Rican playwright, actor, and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement.-Early years:...

    , playwright, writer
    Co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
    Nuyorican Poets Café
    The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...

    .


R
  • Manuel Ramos Otero
    Manuel Ramos Otero
    Manuel Ramos Otero was a Puerto Rican writer. He is widely considered to be the most important openly gay twentieth-century Puerto Rican writer who wrote in Spanish, and his work was often controversial due to its sexual and political content...

    , writer, poet
  • Evaristo Ribera Chevremont
    Evaristo Ribera Chevremont
    Evaristo Ribera Chevremont is considered by many the most lyrical poet from Puerto Rico. Although several of his published books deal with Puerto Rican nationality and regionalism, the majority of his verses are liberated from folkloric subject matter and excel in universal lyricism.-Literary...

    , poet
  • José Rivera
    José Rivera (playwright)
    José Rivera is a playwright and the first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an Oscar.-Early years:Rivera was born in the Santurce section of San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1955. He was raised in Arecibo where he lived until 1959. Rivera's family migrated from Puerto Rico when he was 4 years...

    , playwright
    Rivera is the first Puerto Rican
    Puerto Rico
    Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

     screenwriter to be nominated for an Oscar
    Academy Awards
    An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

    .
  • Marie Teresa Ríos
    Marie Teresa Rios
    Marie Teresa Ríos, also Marie Teresa Ríos Versace, was the Puerto Rican - American author of a book which was the basis for the 1960s television sitcom, The Flying Nun. Ríos was the mother of Humbert Roque Versace, the first U.S...

    , author
    Author of the novel "The Fifteenth Pelican," which was the basis for the popular 1960s television sitcom, "The Flying Nun
    The Flying Nun
    The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...

    ".
  • Lola Rodríguez de Tió
    Lola Rodríguez de Tio
    Lola Rodríguez de TióThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name " Rodríguez" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Tió"., , was the first Puerto Rican born poetess to establish herself a reputation as a great poet throughout all of Latin America...

    , poet
    Rodríguez de Tió wrote lyrics to the revolutionary "La Borinqueña
    La Borinqueña
    La Borinqueña is the official anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico became the "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952, the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, signed law #2 of July 24, 1952 that stated that the musical composition known as "La Borinqueña" was to...

    ".
  • Francisco Rojas Tollinchi
    Francisco Rojas Tollinchi
    Francisco Rojas Tollinchi , was a Puerto Rican poet, civic leader and journalist.-Early years:Rojas Tollinchi was one of five siblings born to Pedro Rojas Perez and Flora Maria Tollinchi Battistini in the barrio Algarrobos in Yauco, Puerto Rico...

    , poet, civic leader and journalist.


S
  • Luis Rafael Sánchez
    Luis Rafael Sanchez
    Dr. Luis Rafael Sánchez a.k.a. "Wico" is a Puerto Rican playwright. Possibly his best known play is La Pasión según Antigona Pérez , a tragedy based on the life of Olga Viscal Garriga-Early years:...

    , playwright
  • Wilfredo Santa-Gómez
    Wilfredo Santa-Gómez
    Wilfredo Santa-Gómez is a Puerto Rican author who has published numerous books in Spanish on self help, short stories, and poetry.-Biography:Santa-Gómez was born in the city of Caguas, Puerto Rico in 1949...

    , writer, journalist
  • Esmeralda Santiago
    Esmeralda Santiago
    Esmeralda Santiago is a Puerto Rican author and former actress known for her novels and memoirs.-Early life:Santiago was born on 17 May 1948 in the San Juan district of Villa Palmeras, Santurce, Puerto Rico. In 1961, she came to the continental United States when she was thirteen years old, the...

    , author
  • Mayra Santos-Febres
    Mayra Santos-Febres
    Mayra Santos-Febres is a Puerto Rican author, poet, novelist, professor of literature, and literary critic who has garnered fame at home and abroad....

    , poet, novelist
  • Pedro Juan Soto
    Pedro Juan Soto
    Pedro Juan Soto was a Puerto Rican writer.-Early life:Pedro Juan Soto was born in Cataño, Puerto Rico, and went to primary and secondary school in Bayamón. At the age of eighteen, he moved to New York and attended Long Island University...

    , writer/novelist
    Soto is the father of slain independence activist Carlos Soto Arriví
    Carlos Soto Arriví
    Carlos Enrique Soto Arriví was an activist for the independence of Puerto Rico. On July 25, 1978 he was killed by police officers after being lured into bombing the communication towers on Cerro Maravilla by undercover agent, Alejandro González Malavé.The killing of both men spawned a...

    .
  • Clemente Soto Vélez
    Clemente Soto Vélez
    Clemente Soto Vélez was a Puerto Rican nationalist, poet, journalist and activist who mentored many generations of artists in Puerto Rico and New York City...

    , poet and activist


T
  • Alejandro Tapia y Rivera
    Alejandro Tapia y Rivera
    Alejandro Tapia y Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, dramaturg, essayist and writer. Tapia is considered to be the father of Puerto Rican literature and as the person who has contributed the most to the cultural advancement of Puerto Rico's literature...

    , writer and poet
    "The Father of Puerto Rican Literature".
  • Piri Thomas
    Piri Thomas
    Piri Thomas was a writer and poet whose autobiography Down These Mean Streets became a best-seller.-Early years:...

    , writer, poet
    Thomas' autobiography Down These Mean Streets
    Down These Mean Streets
    Down These Mean Streets is the autobiography of Piri Thomas, a Latino of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent who grew up in El Barrio , a section of Harlem that has a large Puerto Rican population...

     was a best-seller.
  • Edwin Torres
    Edwin Torres (poet)
    Edwin Torres is a "Nuyorican" poet.-Early years:Torres's parents moved from Puerto Rico and settled in the borough of The Bronx in New York City. His father died when he was young and he was then raised by his mother and her brother Martin. Martin provided comfort and family support...

    , "Nuyorican Movement
    Nuyorican Movement
    The Nuyorican Movement is a cultural and intellectual movement involving poets, writers, musicians and artists who are Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent, who live in or near New York City, and either call themselves or are known as Nuyoricans...

    " poet
  • Judge Edwin Torres
    Edwin Torres (judge)
    -Early years:Both of Torres' parents emigrated from Jayuya, Puerto Rico and settled in the barrio in Manhattan's Spanish Harlem where Torres was born. Growing up in poverty, Torres graduated from Stuyvesant High School. From there he attended City College of the City University of New York,...

    , writer
    New York Supreme Court Justice who wrote "Carlito's Way
    Carlito's Way
    Carlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and...

    ".


U
  • Dr. Luz María Umpierre
    Luz María Umpierre
    Luz María Umpierre-Herrera is a Puerto Rican poet, scholar, and human rights activist who lives in the United States. She is also known as Luzma Umpierre. She is widely recognized for her open exploration of her lesbianism, immigrant experience, and bilingualism, and for her poetic exchange with...

    , poet, scholar


V
  • Ed Vega
    Ed Vega
    Edgardo Vega Yunqué was a Puerto Rican novelist and short-story writer who also used the Americanized pen name Ed Vega.- Early years :...

    , novelist
  • Irene Vilar
    Irene Vilar
    Irene Vilar is an editor, a literary agent and an author of several books dealing with national and generational trauma and women's reproductive rights. Born in Puerto Rico, Vilar is the granddaughter of Puerto Rican nationalist Lolita Lebrón, who participated in an assault on the United States...

    , author and literary agent
    Vilar is the granddaughter of independence activist Lolita Lebrón
    Lolita Lebrón
    Dolores "Lolita" Lebrón Sotomayor was a Puerto Rican nationalist who wasconvicted of attempted murder and other crimes after leading an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954,...

    .


W
  • William Carlos Williams
    William Carlos Williams
    William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...

    (Puerto Rican mother), Modernist poet


X
  • Emanuel Xavier
    Emanuel Xavier
    In 2005, Suspect Thoughts Press published Bullets & Butterflies: queer spoken word poetry, a collection Emanuel Xavier edited. The anthology featured the work of thirteen openly queer spoken word artists and new work by the editor himself including: "Legendary", "Outside" and "A Simple Poem." The...

    (Puerto Rican father), poet and author


Z
  • Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandia
    Manuel Zeno Gandía
    Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía wrote the novel La Charca , which is considered by many to be the first Puerto Rican novel.-Early years:...

    , writer
    Zeno Gandia wrote "La Charca", the first Puerto Rican novel.

Beauty queens and fashion models

  • Deborah Carthy Deu
    Miss Universe
    Miss Universe
    Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....

     – 1985
  • Susie Castillo
    Susie Castillo
    Susie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...


    Miss USA
    Miss USA
    The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...

     – 2003 (Puerto Rican mother)
  • Noris Díaz ("La Taína")
    Taina (model)
    Noris Díaz Pérez is a Puerto Rican model and host. She appeared on the now defunct late-night show No te Duermas from 1996 to 2007...


    Model
  • Stella Díaz
    Stella Diaz
    Stella Diaz is a Puerto Rican fashion model and former contestant on the NBC reality television show Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search. Diaz was the only Latina to participate on the program, which premiered on January 5, 2005, on NBC and ended with the season finale on February 9, 2005...


    Fashion model
  • Jaslene Gonzalez
    Jaslene Gonzalez
    Jaslene Gonzalez is a Puerto Rican American model, television host, and winner of Cycle 8 of America's Next Top Model.-Biography:...


    Fashion model, Winner of America's Next Top Model
    America's Next Top Model
    America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....

    , Cycle 8
  • Marisol Malaret
    Marisol Malaret
    Marisol Malaret Contreras was the very first Puerto Rican woman to be crowned Miss Universe.-Biography:She started to work from an early age due to the death of her father and chronic illness of her mother...


    First Puerto Rican Miss Universe – 1970
  • Marisol Maldonado
    Fashion model
  • Wilnelia Merced
    Wilnelia Merced
    Wilnelia, Lady Forsyth-Johnson , more commonly known by her maiden name as Wilnelia Merced, became in 1975 the first and to date only winner of the Miss World title from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico....


    First and in the present the only Puerto Rican Miss World
    Miss World
    The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...

     – 1975
  • Astrid Muñoz
    Astrid Muñoz
    Astrid Muñoz is a Puerto Rican model.-Early years:Muñoz was the first of three siblings born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her father, Teodoro was a nuclear engineer and her mother, Astrid, a retired executive secretary. They were both strict in their upbringing of Muñoz, who received her primary and...


    Fashion model
  • Cynthia Olavarria
    Cynthia Olavarría
    Cynthia Enid Olavarría Rivera is a Puerto Rican actress, television host, fashion model, and former Miss Puerto Rico who competed in the Miss Universe 2005 beauty pageant.-Early years:...


    Miss Puerto Rico
    Miss Puerto Rico
    Miss Puerto Rico is the common name or sash used to identify a Puerto Rican representative in an international pageant. Currently, Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico and Miss Earth Puerto Rico are the official national preliminaries to the Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Earth...

     – 2005
  • Miriam Pabón
    Miriam Pabon
    Miriam Ivette Pabón Carrión is a beauty pageant titleholder from Puerto Rico. Most recently Miriam represented Puerto Rico at the Miss International 2008 pageant held in Macau on November 8, 2008 where she placed as one of the Top 12 semi-finalists...


    beauty queen, first contestant in half a century to represent Puerto Rico in Miss America
    Miss America
    The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...

     pageant
  • Ada Perkins
    Ada Perkins
    Ada Perkins was a Puerto Rican beauty queen who represented her island in the Miss Universe beauty pageant in 1978...


    Miss Puerto Rico – 1978
  • Denise Quiñones
    Denise Quiñones
    Denise Marie Quiñones August is a Puerto Rican actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was the fourth woman from her country to win the Miss Universe contest...


    Miss Universe – 2001
  • Ingrid Marie Rivera
    Miss Puerto Rico World – 2005
  • Zuleyka Rivera
    Zuleyka Rivera
    Zuleyka Jerrís Rivera Mendoza is a Puerto Rican beauty queen who held the titles Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 and Miss Universe 2006. She made her debut as a telenovela actress in Telemundo's soap opera Dame Chocolate.-Early life:...


    Miss Universe – 2006
  • Chay Santini
    Chay Santini
    Chay Lynn Santini is a Puerto Rican fashion model and actress who in 1998 was named "Latina Super Model of the Year" by Avon Products, Inc.-Early years:...


    Fashion model
  • Laurie Tamara Simpson
    Laurie Tamara Simpson
    Laurie Tamara Simpson Rivera is a beauty pageant titleholder from Puerto Rico who was crowned Miss International 1987.-Miss International:Prior to winning the beauty pageant, the blonde, blue-eyed beauty participated in several beauty pageants...


    Miss International
    Miss International
    Miss International is an annual international beauty pageant held since 1960.The current Miss International is Fernanda Cornejo, from Ecuador...

     – 1987
  • Dayanara Torres
    Dayanara Torres
    Dayanara Torres Delgado is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, model, and former Miss Universe.Torres was discovered at age 17 while walking through the Plaza de Toa Alta in her hometown, and was invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico pageant. She won the pageant and the right...


    Miss Universe – 1993

Business people and industrialists

  • Carlota Alfaro
    Carlota Alfaro
    Carlota Alfaro is a high fashion designer from Puerto Rico. She is known as "Puerto Rico's grande dame of fashion".Alfaro showed a passion for design ever since she was a child, often designing clothes for family and friends...


    Fashion designer
  • Aída Álvarez
    Aída Álvarez
    Aída M. Álvarez is the first Hispanic woman and Puerto Rican to hold a United States Cabinet-level position.-Early years:Alvarez was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico into a family of modest economical means, who despite their hardships always encouraged her to pursue her dreams...


    First Puerto Rican and first Hispanic woman to hold a sub-cabinet level position in the White House (Small Business Administrator 1997–2000).
  • José Berrocal
    José Berrocal
    José Berrocal was the youngest president of Puerto Rico Government Development Bank .- Early years; Education :Berrocal was born in 1957 in Puerto Rico....


    Youngest president of PR Government Development Bank, annual scholarships are awarded in his memory.
  • Rafael Carrión, Sr.
    Rafael Carrión, Sr.
    Rafael Carrión, Sr. , the patriarch of one of Puerto Rico's financial dynasties, was one of the founding fathers of Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, the largest bank in Puerto Rico and the largest Hispanic bank in the United States.-Early years:Carrión came from a humble family, His father was José...


    Carrión was the patriarch of one Puerto Rico's financial dynasties and a founding father of Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, the largest bank in Puerto Rico and the largest Hispanic bank in the United States.
  • Richard Carrión
    Richard Carrion
    Richard L. Carrion Rexach is the current Chairman and CEO of Popular, Inc., parent company of Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, Banco Popular North America and E-Loan.-Early life:...


    Chairman of the Board Banco Popular, chairman International Olympic Committee
    International Olympic Committee
    The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

    's finance committee.
  • Kimberly Casiano
    Kimberly Casiano
    Kimberly Casiano is a Puerto Rican businesswoman. She is President and Chief Operating Officer of Casiano Communications — the largest Hispanic publisher of periodicals and magazines in the United States...


    Member Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company
    Ford Motor Company
    Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

    .
  • Ramiro L. Colon
    Ramiro L. Colon
    Ramiro L. Colón , was the general manager of the Cooperativa de Cafeteros de Puerto Rico. He reorganized the company during its time of crisis and is credited with having saved the coffee industry in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...


    First administrator of Cooperativa de Cafeteros de Puerto Rico, Café Rico (official coffee of the Vatican
    Vatican City
    Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...

    ).
  • Atilano Cordero Badillo
    Atilano Cordero Badillo
    Atilano Cordero Badillo is a Puerto Rican entrepreneur and supermarket owner.-Career:In 1967 he founded Supermercados Grande where he remains as President and he is also President of Empresas Cordero Badillo. Cordero Badillo has developed Food Price stores in Puerto Rico which are based on the...


    Founder of Supermercados Grande.
  • Carmen Ana Culpeper
    Carmen Ana Culpeper
    Carmen Ana Culpeper served as the first female Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury during the administration of Governor Carlos Romero Barceló...


    Former SBA Regional Director, first female PR Treasury Secretary and PR Telephone Company President.
  • Oscar de la Renta
    Oscar de la Renta
    Oscar de la Renta is one of the world's leading fashion designers. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973.-Career:...


    Fashion designer (Puerto Rican father)
  • Fernando Fernández
    Founder of "Ron del Barrilito
    Rum
    Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...

    " and "Alcoholado Santa Ana".
  • José Ramon Fernández
    José Ramon Fernández
    José Ramon Fernández "Marqués de La Esperanza" , was the wealthiest sugar baron in Puerto Rico in the 19th century. He was also one of the most powerful men of the entire Spanish Caribbean...

     "Marqués de La Esperanza"

    The wealthiest sugar baron in Puerto Rico in the 19th century. He was also considered one of the most powerful men of the entire Spanish Caribbean.
  • Antonio Luis Ferré
    Antonio Luis Ferré
    Antonio Luis Ferré is the Chairman of the Board of the Ferré-Rangel business emporium which owns Puerto Rico's largest newspaper, El Nuevo Día, as well as Primera Hora newspaper....


    Owner of Ferré-Rangel media emporium.
  • Luis A. Ferré
    Luis A. Ferré
    Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...


    Founder of the Puerto Rico Cement and Ponce Cement
    Ponce Cement, Inc.
    Ponce Cement, Inc. was a cement and limestone manufacturer in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was located at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-500, in Barrio Magueyes. It was founded in 1941 by Antonio Ferre Bacallao, a Puerto Rican industrialist of Cuban origin. In 2002, Ponce Cement, Inc...

     companies (see also Governors).
  • Jaime Fonalledas
    Jaime Fonalledas
    Jaime Fonalledas is the President and CEO of Empresas Fonalledas Inc., which owns Plaza Las Américas, the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean and one of the top retail and entertainment venues in the world...


    Fonalledas is the President and CEO of Empresas Fonalledas, which owns Plaza Las Américas
    Plaza Las Américas
    Plaza Las Américas is a shopping mall in Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico, located at the intersection of Routes 18 and 22. It is near the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, the Hiram Bithorn Stadium, and the WKAQ-TV's studios. "Plaza", as it is known to many Puerto Ricans, was the first indoor mall built...

    , the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean and one of the top retail and entertainment venues in the world. Empresas Fonalledas companies include Plaza Del Caribe, Tres Monjitas, Vaqueria Tres Monjitas, Ganaderia Tres Monjitas, and franchise Soft & Creamy.
  • José Juan García
    José Juan García
    Jose Juan Garcia a.k.a CheJuan was the founder of the international institution called Hogares Crea.-Early years:...

    a.k.a. "CheJuan"
    Founder of "Hogares Crea".
  • Eduardo Georgetti
    Eduardo Georgetti
    Eduardo Georgetti , was an agriculturist, businessman, philanthropist, and politician. Georgetti, who came from a family of prosperous land owners, became one of Puerto Rico's wealthiest sugar barons and benefactors...


    Was an agriculturist, businessman, philanthropist, politician and the wealthiest sugar baron in Puerto Rico.
  • María Elena Holly
    Maria Elena Holly
    María Elena Holly is the widow of rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly. She owns the rights to his name, image, trademarks, and other intellectual property.-Early years:...


    Widow of rock legend Buddy Holly
    Buddy Holly
    Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...

     who owns the rights to Buddy's name, image, trademarks, and other intellectual property.
  • Ramón López Irizarry
    Ramon Lopez Irizarry
    Ramón Lopez-Irizarry was an educator and scientist who invented an easier way to extract the cream from the coconut pulp and developed the original formula of Coco López.-Early years:...


    Inventor of Coco López
    Coco Lopez
    Coco López is a Puerto Rican coconut product which is used in many popular drinks."Coco López" was invented by Ramón López Irizarry, who was an agricultural professor for the University of Puerto Rico. With funds from the government, he worked on his idea inside a small laboratory that he owned...

    .
  • Miguel A. García Méndez
    Miguel A. García Méndez
    Miguel Angel García Méndez was a recognized businessman, lawyer, statesman, and banker in Puerto Rico. He was a lifelong statehood supporter for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico...


    Founder of Western Federal Savings Bank, which later became the now defunct Westernbank Puerto Rico.
  • Gildo Massó
    Gildo Massó
    Gildo Massó González , was the founder and CEO of Masso Enterprises and also the developer of the concept of "build it yourself" low cost houses.-Early years:...


    Founder of Massó Enterprises and Casa's Massó.
  • Ralph Mercado
    Ralph Mercado
    Ralph Mercado Jr. was a promoter of Latin American music — Latin Jazz, Latin rock, merengue and salsa — who established a network of businesses that included promoting concerts, managing artists, Radio Mundo Musical a record label the most important in the Latin industry during 1980-1990, film...


    Founder of RMM Records and music producer.
  • Luis Miranda Casañas
    Luis Miranda Casañas
    Luis Miranda Casañas, a native of Arecibo, Puerto Rico's Barrio Santana, is the Chairman of the Board of Universal, the largest insurance group in Puerto Rico, which also has a corporate presence on the United States mainland...


    CEO of the multi-state Universal insurance emporium.

  • Lisette Nieves
    Lisette Nieves
    Lisette Nieves , is the founder of "Atrevete Latino Youth, Inc.", an organization who focuses on the educational and leadership training of young Latinos.-Early years:...


    Founder of "ATREVETE".
  • Wilbert Parkhurst
    Wilbert Parkhurst
    Wilbert Parkhurst was the founder of Empresas La Famosa, Inc., a company dedicated to the packaging and distribution of canned fruits and juices...


    In 1921, founded "Empresas La Famosa, Inc." a Fruit processing company that by 1971 consisted of "Frozen Fruits Concentrates, Inc.", "Toa Canning Co.", "La Concentradora de Puerto Rico" and "Bayamón Can Company".
  • Rafael Pérez Perry
    Rafael Perez Perry
    Rafael Pérez Perry , was a businessman and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's radio and television broadcasting industry. He owned one of the most successful radio stations on the island and in 1954 founded Puerto Rico's television Channel 11, which now is known as Tele Once and owned and operated by...


    In 1960 founded television channel 11 also known as "Telecadena Pérez Perry". The same became known as "Tele Once" in 1986.
  • Samuel A. Ramirez, Sr.
    Samuel A. Ramirez, Sr.
    Samuel A. Ramirez, Sr. made Wall Street history by becoming the first Hispanic to launch a successful investment banking firm.-Early years:...


    President and founder of Ramirez and Co., the largest Hispanic investment banking firm on Wall Street
    Wall Street
    Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...

    .
  • Ángel Ramos
    Angel Ramos (industrialist)
    Angel Ramos was the founder of Telemundo, the second largest Spanish-language television network in the United States.-Early years:...


    Founder of Telemundo
    Telemundo
    Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....

     television network.
  • Gaspar Roca
    Gaspar Roca
    Gaspar Roca was a Puerto Rican journalist and economist.He attended and graduated from the Valley Forge Military Academy He was educated at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and held prominent positions in government and the private sector, including the presidency of the Puerto Rico...


    Founder of newspaper "El Vocero
    El Vocero
    El Vocero is a Puerto Rican newspaper that is published in San Juan.Published since 1974, El Vocero was at first the third of the four largest Puerto Rico newspapers, trailing El Mundo and El Nuevo Día and leading The San Juan Star in sales...

    "
  • Chino Rodríguez
    Chino Rodriguez
    Chino Rodriguez is an internationally acclaimed music producer, band leader, musician, manager, booking agent, record company executive, business consultant, and record label owner, specializing in Latin music, most notably Salsa and Latin jazz...


    Latin music industry empresario, musical artist manager, owner of Latin Music Booking and the recording label/distribution company Oriente Music Group (OMG).
  • Miguel Ruíz
    Miguel Ruíz
    Miguel Ruíz started a coffee processing company which would later become "Jimenez & Fernandez, Sucrs, Inc." the makers of "Cafe Yaucono".-Early years:...


    Founder of Café Yaucono company
  • Herb Scannell
    Herb Scannell
    Herb Scannell, is the president of BBC Worldwide America.-Early years:Scannell was born in Long Island, New York to an Irish father and Puerto Rican mother as the youngest of four. He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. His mother taught him Spanish at home helping him to...


    Former Chairman of MTV Networks
    MTV Networks
    MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...

     and president of Nickelodeon
    Nickelodeon (TV channel)
    Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

    .
  • Juan Serralles
    Juan Serralles
    Juan Serrallés Colón was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce, Puerto Rico and what was to become Destileria Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a world renowned brand of Puerto Rican rum.-Early years:...


    Founder of "Don Q
    Rum
    Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...

    " rum.
  • Nina Tassler
    Nina Tassler
    Nina Tassler is an American television executive, a graduate of Boston University , and holds the position of President of CBS Entertainment since September 2004....


    President of CBS
    CBS
    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

     Entertainment. She is the highest profile Latina in network television and one of the few executives who has the power to greenlight series.
  • Joseph A. Unanue
    Joseph A. Unanue
    Joseph A. Unanue was the president of the Unanue family–owned Goya Foods, which is the largest Hispanic–owned food company in the United States.-Early years:...


    Former president and CEO of Goya Foods
    Goya Foods
    Goya Foods, Inc. is the manufacturer or distributor of a brand of foods sold in the United States and many Latin American countries, with company headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey....

    , son of company founder.
  • Alfonso Valdés Cobián
    Alfonso Valdés Cobián
    Alfonso Valdés Cobián , was an industrialist, banker, sportsman and politician. Valdés Cobián was a cofounder of Cervecería India, Inc., currently Puerto Rico's largest beer brewery.-Early years:...


    Co-founder of Cervecería India, Inc., the Puerto Rican winter baseball league and owner of the Indios de Mayagüez
    Indios de Mayagüez
    The Indios de Mayagüez are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Normally based in Mayagüez, the Indios have won 16 national championships and two Caribbean World Series...

     (Mayagüez Indians).
  • Camalia Valdés
    Camalia Valdés
    Camalia Valdés , is the President and CEO of Cerveceria India, Inc., Puerto Rico's largest brewery.-Early years:Valdés was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her grandfather was Alfonso Valdés Cobián, who in 1937, together with his brothers, Sabino and Ramón Valdés founded Cerveceria India, Inc. in...


    Valdés is the President and CEO of Cerveceria India, Inc., Puerto Rico's largest brewery.
  • Salvador Vassallo
    Salvador Vassallo
    Salvador V. Vassallo, a.k.a. "Chiry", was the president and CEO of Vassallo Industries, headquartered in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company produces PVC injection moulded and extruded goods, and markets them worldwise....


    Founder of Vassallo Industries Inc. and subsidiaries.
  • Richard Velazquez
    Richard Velazquez
    Richard Velazquez is a nationally recognized leader in the Hispanic community and in business. Velazquez is a former automotive designer, the President of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs Seattle Chapter, and a Sr. Product Planning Manager for Xbox with the Interactive Entertainment Business...


    businessman and community leader, former President of NSHMBA Puerto Rico, co-founder and CEO of NSHMBA SeattleFirst Puerto Rican automotive designer for Porsche
    Porsche
    Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....

    , First Puerto Rican Product Planner for Xbox 360
    Xbox 360
    The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

  • Maria Vizcarrondo-De Soto
    Maria Vizcarrondo-De Soto
    Maria Vizcarrondo-De Soto is the first woman and Latina to become the President and CEO of the United Way of Essex and West Hudson.-Early years:...


    Vizcarrondo-De Soto is the first woman and Latina to become the President and CEO of the United Way of Essex and West Hudson.

Cartoonists

  • David Álvarez
    Creator of "Yenny", illustrator and storyboard artist for DC Comics' "Looney Tunes
    Looney Tunes
    Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...

    " series
  • Ricardo Álvarez-Rivón
    Creator of "Turey
    Turey
    Turey is a Puerto Rican comic book magazine that is published since 1989. Originally a comic strip on the now defunct El Mundo newspaper, Turey debuted at Puerto Rico's news stands as a magazine in October of that year....

    "..
  • George Pérez
    George Pérez
    George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...


    Marvel
    Marvel Comics
    Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

     and DC Comics
    DC Comics
    DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

     comic book artist.
  • John Rivas
    John Rivas
    -Early years:Rivas, born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, describes "Bonzzo" as a young likable adult facing life with a child's mentality. Rivas designed some special "Bonzzo" strips commemorating NASA's achievements, including "Beyond the Moon", a calendar of the year 2000 honoring Hispanic...


    creator of "Bonzzo"
  • José Vega Santana
    José Vega Santana
    José Vega Santana a.k.a "Remi" is a clown from Puerto Rico. A book "Remi, El Clown" describes his adventures as a clown. He has made many presentations in the United States. While he was a student at the Inter-American University he developed the character of "Remi"...


    Creator of the Remi comic and impersonator of "Remi, The Clown"

Civil rights and/or political activists

  • Mariana Bracetti
    Mariana Bracetti
    Mariana Bracetti was a patriot and leader of the Puerto Rico independence movement in the 1860s. She is attributed with having knitted the flag that was intended to be used as the national emblem of Puerto Rico in its attempt to overthrow the Spanish government on the island, and to establish the...

    a.k.a. "Brazo de Oro" (Golden Arm) Political activist
    Bracetti was the leader of the "Lares's Revolutionary Council" during the Grito de Lares
    Grito de Lares
    El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...

    . Bracetti knit the first flag of the future "Republic of Puerto Rico".
  • Mathias Brugman
    Mathias Brugman
    Mathias Brugman , a.k.a. Mathias Bruckman, was a leader in Puerto Rico's independence revolution against Spain known as El Grito de Lares .-Early years:...

    Political activist
    Leader of the Grito de Lares
    Grito de Lares
    El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...

    . Brugman founded the first revolutionary committee in the City of Mayagüez. His revolutionary cell was code named: "Capa Prieto" (Black Cape).
  • Dr. María Cadilla
    María Cadilla
    Dr. Maria Cadilla de Martinez , was a writer, educator, women rights activist and one the first women in Puerto Rico to earn a doctorates degree.-Early years:...

    Women rights activist
    Women rights activist and one the first women in Puerto Rico to earn a doctoral degree.
  • Blanca Canales
    Blanca Canales
    Blanca Canales Torresola was a Puerto Rican nationalist leader. Canales may possibly have been the first woman to have led a revolt against the United States when she led the The Jayuya Uprising.-Early years:...

    Political activist
    Nationalist leader who led the Jayuya
    Jayuya, Puerto Rico
    Jayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...

     revolt.
  • Rafael Cancel Miranda
    Rafael Cancel Miranda
    Rafael Cancel Miranda , political activist, is a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and an advocate of Puerto Rican independence. On March 1, 1954, Cancel Miranda together with fellow Nationalists Lolita Lebron, Andres Figueroa Cordero, and Irving Flores Rodriguez entered the United...

    Political activist
    Cancel Miranda is a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
    Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
    The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...

     and advocate of Puerto Rican independence who proceeded to attack the United States House of Representatives in 1954.
  • Luisa Capetillo
    Luisa Capetillo
    Luisa Capetillo was one of Puerto Rico's most famous labor organizers. She was also a writer and an anarchist who fought for workers and women's rights.-Early years:...

    Labor activist
    Capetillo was one of Puerto Rico's most famous labor organizers. She was also a writer and an anarchist who fought for workers and women's rights.
  • Oscar Collazo
    Oscar Collazo
    Oscar Collazo , was one of two Puerto Ricans who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman.-Early life:...

    Political activist
    One of two nationalists who attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman.
  • Tito Kayak
    Tito Kayak
    Alberto De Jesus Mercado , better known as Tito Kayak, is an activist from Jayuya, Puerto Rico and founder of the Puerto Rican environmental group, Amig@s Del Mar...

    , Political activist
    De Jesus Mercado gained notoriety when a group of Vieques natives and other Puerto Ricans, including De Jesus Mercado, began protesting and squatting on U.S. Navy bombing zones, after the 1999 death of Puerto Rican civilian and Vieques native David Sanes, who was killed during a U.S. Naval bombing exercise.
  • Sylvia del Villard
    Sylvia Del Villard
    Sylvia del Villard , was an actress, dancer, choreographer and Afro-Puerto Rican activist.-Early years:...

    Afro-Puerto Rican activist
    Founder of the Afro-Boricua El Coqui Theater, was known to be an outspoken activist who fought for the equal rights of the Black Puerto Rican artist. In 1981, she became the first and only director of the office of the Afro-Puerto Rican affairs of the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture. (see also actresses)
  • Isabel González
    Isabel Gonzalez
    Isabel González was a Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans to be given United States citizenship...

    Civil Rights activist
    Young Puerto Rican mother who paved the way for Puerto Ricans to be given United States citizenship.
  • Lolita Lebrón
    Lolita Lebrón
    Dolores "Lolita" Lebrón Sotomayor was a Puerto Rican nationalist who wasconvicted of attempted murder and other crimes after leading an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954,...

    Political activist
    Nationalist leader and activist. Lebrón was the leader of a group of nationalists, who proceeded to attack the United States House of Representatives in 1954.
  • Sylvia Mendez
    Sylvia Mendez
    Sylvia Mendez is an American civil rights activist of Mexican-Puerto Rican heritage.At age eight, she played an instrumental role in the Mendez v. Westminster case, the landmark desegregation case of 1946. The case successfully ended de jure segregation in California...

    Civil Rights activist
    Educator and Civil rights activist, played an instrumental role in the landmark Mendez v. Westminster
    Mendez v. Westminster
    Mendez, et al v. Westminster School District, et al, 64 F.Supp. 544 , aff'd, 161 F.2d 774 , was a 1946 federal court case that challenged racial segregation in Orange County, California schools...

     case.
  • María de las Mercedes Barbudo
    María de las Mercedes Barbudo
    María de las Mercedes Barbudo was a political activist who was the first Puerto Rican female "Independentista", meaning that she was the first Puerto Rican woman to become an avid advocate of Puerto Rican Independence or "Freedom Fighter"...

    Political activist
    Mercedes Barbudo is considered to be the first female from Puerto Rico
    Puerto Rico
    Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

     "Independentista" meaning that she was the woman to become an avid advocate of the Puerto Rican Independence..
  • Ana María O'Neill
    Ana María O'Neill
    Ana María O'Neill was an educator, author and advocate of women's rights.-Early years:O'Neill was born in the town of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico where she received her primary and secondary education. She enrolled and graduated from the Normal School of the University of Puerto Rico, where she earned...

    Women Rights activist
    Educator and women's rights advocate.
  • Manuel Olivieri Sanchez
    Manuel Olivieri Sanchez
    Manuel Olivieri Sanchez , was a court interpreter and civil rights activist who led the legal battle which recognized U.S. citizenship for Puerto Ricans living in Hawaii.-Early years:...

    Civil Rights activist
    Olivieri Sanchez was a court interpreter and a civil rights activist who led the legal battle which granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans living in Hawaii.
  • Sylvia Rivera
    Sylvia Rivera
    Sylvia Rae Rivera was an American transgender activist. Rivera was a founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance and helped found STAR , a group dedicated to helping homeless young street trans women, with her friend Marsha P...

    Transgender activist
    Sylvia Rivera was a pioneer of the LGBT movement and was a veteran of the 1969 Stonewall riots
    Stonewall riots
    The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...

    .
  • Isolina Rondón
    Isolina Rondón
    Isolina Rondón was a political activist and Treasurer of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. She was one of the few witnesses of the killing of four Nationalists committed by local police officers in Puerto Rico during a confrontation with the supporters of the Nationalist Party that occurred in...

    Political activist and Treasurer of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
    She was one of the few witnesses of the killing of four Nationalists committed by local police officers in Puerto Rico during a confrontation with the supporters of the Nationalist Party that occurred in October 24, 1935,and which is known as the Rio Piedras massacre
    Río Piedras massacre
    The Río Piedras massacre occurred at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and involved a confrontation between local police officers and supporters of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party on October 24, 1935...

    .
  • Anthony Romero
    Anthony Romero
    Anthony D. Romero is the American executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.-Early life:Romero was born in New York City on July 9, 1965 to Puerto Rican parents Demetrio and Coralie Romero. He was raised in the Bronx.-Education:...

    Civil rights leader
    Romero is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union
    American Civil Liberties Union
    The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...

    .
  • Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias
    Helen Rodriguez-Trias
    Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias M.D. was a pediatrician, educator and women rights activist. She was the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association, a founding member of the Women's Caucus of the American Public Health Association, and the recipient of the Presidential Citizen's...

    MD,
    physician and women's rights activist. (see also Educators and scientists)
  • Ana Roque
    Ana Roque
    Ana Roque de Duprey, also known as "Flor del Valle" , , was an educator, suffragist and one of the founders of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    Women Rights activist
    Roque was an educator and suffragist. She was also one of the founders of the University of Puerto Rico.
  • Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
    Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
    Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a.k.a. as Arthur Schomburg, , was a Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist in the United States who researched and raised awareness of the great contributions that Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Americans have made to society. He was an important intellectual figure...

    Civil rights
    Schomburg was a pioneer in black history. He helped raise awareness of the great contribution that Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Americans have made to society.
  • Griselio Torresola
    Griselio Torresola
    Griselio Torresola born in Jayuya, Puerto Rico, was one of two Puerto Rican Nationalists who attempted to assassinate United States President Harry Truman. During the attack on the president, Torresola mortally wounded White House policeman Private Leslie Coffelt and wounded two other law...

    Political activist
    Nationalist who died in attempt to assassinate President Harry S. Truman in 1950.
  • Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff
    Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff
    Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff , was the President of the New York chapter of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in the 1930s. In the 1990s Rieckehoff was among the protesters who protested against the United States Navy's use of his birth place, the island of Vieques, as a bombing range. He stood in...

    Political activist
    Former President of the New York chapter of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in the 1930s. In the 1990s Rieckehoff was among the protesters who protested against the United States Navy's use of his birth place, the island of Vieques, as a bombing range.
  • Dr. Olga Viscal Garriga
    Olga Viscal Garriga
    Dr. Olga Viscal Garriga , was a public orator and political activist. Garriga was an advocate of Puerto Rican independence who was sentenced to 8 years in a United States penitentiary because she refused to recognize the authority of the United States over Puerto Rico.-Early years:Olga Viscal's ...

    Political activist
    member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. During the late 1940s she became a student leader at the University of Puerto Rico
    University of Puerto Rico
    The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...

     and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party's branch in Rio Piedras.

Composers, musicians and singers

A
  • Mary Ann Acevedo Rivera, Singer, songwriter
  • Juan F. Acosta
    Juan F. Acosta
    Juan F. Acosta was a noted Puerto Rican composer and music teacher.-Early years:Acosta, who came from a numerous family, was born and educated in the town of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico located on the western part of Puerto Rico. His parents, realizedg that their son was gifted with musical...

    , Composer of folklore music
  • "Agallah
    Agallah
    Agallah , born Angel Aguilar, is a Puerto Rican and Filipino-American rapper who was a member of the The Diplomats-affiliated group Purple City and the group Propain campaign. He was formerly known as 8-Off Agallah, but changed the name because it was controversial; 8-Off is a variation of the name...

    "
    , Rapper/producer
  • Johnny Albino
    Johnny Albino
    Johnny Albino was a Puerto Rican bolero singer, born in Yauco.-Biography:Albino played and sang through his youth years. It wasn't until years later, however, that he would get a chance to sing as part of an organized act...

    , Singer
  • Natalie and Nicole Albino, "Nina Sky
    Nina Sky
    Nina Sky is an American musical duo composed of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino .-Early life and career:Albino's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger...

    " R&B
  • Rafael Alers
    Rafael Alers
    Rafael Alers was a musician, composer, bandleader and the first Puerto Rican to compose the music score for a Hollywood feature film.-Early years:...

    , Danza composer
    First Puerto Rican to compose a Hollywood musical score
  • Tite Curet Alonso
    Tite Curet Alonso
    Tite Curet Alonso was a renowned composer of over 2,000 salsa songs.- Early years :Born Catalino Curet Alonso in the southern town of Guayama in Puerto Rico. Alonso's mother was a seamtress and his father a Spanish teacher and musician in the band of Simon Madera...

    , Ballad and salsa composer
  • Henry Arana
    Henry Arana
    Henry Arana was a composer of popular songs who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and lived all but the last years of his life in Puerto Rico...

    , Composer
  • Félix Astol, Composer
    Composed "La Borinqueña
    La Borinqueña
    La Borinqueña is the official anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico became the "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952, the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, signed law #2 of July 24, 1952 that stated that the musical composition known as "La Borinqueña" was to...

    "
  • Chucho Avellanet
    Chucho Avellanet
    Armando Hipólito Avellanet González , nicknamed "Chucho" is a Puerto Rican singer and comedic actor...

    , Singer
  • Corina Katt Ayala a.k.a. "Corina" singer/actress
  • Raymond Ayala
    Daddy Yankee
    Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez , known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican Reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball,...

    a.k.a. "Daddy Yankee", Reggaeton singer


B
  • Manolo Badrena
    Manolo Badrena
    Manolo Badrena is a percussionist most noted for his work with Weather Report from 1976 to 1977. He has made contributions to over 100 recordings that span jazz, world music, pop, and Latin music...

    , Percussionist
  • Adrienne Bailon
    Adrienne Bailon
    Adrienne Eliza Bailon is an American actress, singer-songwriter, dancer, and television personality. She was a member of former girl groups 3LW and The Cheetah Girls, and is also known for her roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie of the same name and latter sequels which brought the group to...

    , Singer, actress, songwriter
    Bailon was a part of the former girl group trio 3LW, and of "The Cheetah Girls"
  • Puchi Balseiro
    Puchi Balseiro
    Puchi Balseiro, , November 1, 1926 – January 11, 2007 born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, was a "feeling" composer.-Early years:...

    , Composer
  • Lloyd Banks
    Lloyd Banks
    Christopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...

    , Rapper (Puerto Rican mother)
  • Antonio Barasorda, Tenor singer
  • Ray Barretto
    Ray Barretto
    Ray Barretto was a Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican jazz musician.-Early years:Barretto was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent...

    , Percussionist, jazz and salsa leader
  • Eddie Benitez
    Eddie Benitez
    Eddie Benitez is a guitarist. Born in Puerto Rico, his family moved to Europe soon after his birth for his father's work. He was raised in Italy and Spain, and while in Spain his father Francisco arranged private lessons for Benitez from classical guitar virtuoso, Andres Segovia. The family...

    , Guitarist
  • John Benitez
    John Benitez
    John Benitez, better known as "Jellybean Benitez" is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, DJ, remixer and music producer of Puerto Rican descent...

    a.k.a. "Jellybean Benítez", Music producer and remixer
  • Lucecita Benítez
    Lucecita Benítez
    Luz Esther Benítez , better known in the music world as Lucecita, is a Puerto Rican singer.-Biography:Lucecita was a member of what is historically known in Puerto Rico as the New Wave, or Nueva Ola of popular music, created by Alfred D. Herger, alongside Lissette and Chucho Avellanet, among others...

    a.k.a. "Lucecita", Singer
  • Obie Bermúdez
    Obie Bermúdez
    Obie Bermúdez , is a Puerto Rican-American R&B/Salsa singer and composer.-Early years:Bermúdez was born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico into a family who loved music. His father and grandfather were both musicians. He received his primary education in the town of Aibonito, however in 1992 the family...

    , Singer and composer
  • "Big Pun
    Big Pun
    Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...

    "
    , Rapper
  • Angela Bofill
    Angela Bofill
    Angela Bofill is an American R&B vocalist and songwriter.Bofill was born to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother; one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B market.She performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus prior to her 1978 debut album,...

    , Singer
  • Americo Boschetti
    Americo Boschetti
    Americo Boschetti is a singer, composer and guitarist. Composer of over 500 songs, Boschetti has also transformed many poems into songs by adding music to the lyrics.-Early years:...

    , Singer and composer
  • Roy Brown
    Roy Brown (Puerto Rican musician)
    Roy Brown Ramírez is a composer, singer and a fervent believer in the cause for the independence of Puerto Rico. Some of his songs have been performed by several renowned international artists.- Early years :...

    , Folklore singer, composer


C
  • Antonio Cabán Vale
    Antonio Cabán Vale
    Antonio Cabán Vale a.k.a. "El Topo" , is a guitarist, singer and composer of Puerto Rican folklore themes. He is one of the founders of the "new song" movement of the early 1970s...

    a.k.a. "El Topo", Folklore singer, composer
  • Tego Calderón
    Tego Calderón
    Tegui Calderón Rosario is a Puerto Rican rapper and actor.-Early life:Calderón was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the son of Pilar Rosario Parrilla, a schoolteacher, and Esteban Calderón Ilarraza, a government worker for Puerto Rico's Department of Health. Moving at a young age from his native...

    rapper
  • Juan Morel Campos
    Juan Morel Campos
    Juan Morel Campos , sometimes erroneously spelled Juan Morell Campos, was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level.-Early years:...

    , Composer of Danzas
    Music of Puerto Rico
    The music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...

  • Héctor Campos-Parsi
    Héctor Campos-Parsi
    Héctor Campos-Parsi was a Puerto Rican composer. He studied at the New England Conservatory with Francis Judd Cooke, he also studied with Paul Hindemith. In Tanglewood he studied with Oliver Messiaen and Aaron Copland and in France with Nadia Boulanger.-Early years:Héctor Campos-Parsi was born in...

    , Singer/composer
  • Bobby Capó
    Bobby Capó
    Félix Manuel Rodríguez Capó , better known as Bobby Capó, was an internationally known singer and songwriter from Puerto Rico...

    , Singer, composer
  • Nydia Caro
    Nydia Caro
    Nydia Caro is an American & Puerto Rican actress and singer. Born in New York City to parents from Rincón, Puerto Rico, she initiated her career in the arts at a very young age while living in New York...

    , Singer
  • Vicente Carattini
    Vicente Carattini
    Vicente Carattini , was a renowned singer and composer of Puerto Rican Christmas related songs.-Early years:...

    , Singer and composer
    Composed many of Puerto Rico's Christmas themes
  • Joseph Cartagena
    Fat Joe
    Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....

    a.k.a. "Fat Joe", Rapper
  • Marta Casals Istomin
    Marta Casals Istomin
    Marta Casals Istomin , is the former president of Manhattan School of Music.- Early years :She was born Marta Montañez Martínez on November 2, 1936 in Humacao, Puerto Rico to a family of amateur musicians. As a child she was influenced by surroundings which were instrumental in the development of...

    , Cellist
    Former President of Manhattan School of Music
    Manhattan School of Music
    The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...

    , widow of musician's Pablo Casals
    Pablo Casals
    Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...

     and Eugene Istomin
    Eugene Istomin
    Eugene George Istomin was an American pianist.Istomin was born in New York City of Russian parents. He was famous for his work in a piano trio, in which he collaborated with Isaac Stern and Leonard Rose. Known as the Istomin-Stern-Rose Trio, the group made many recordings, particularly of music by...

    .

  • Pablo Casals
    Pablo Casals
    Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...

    , Cellist (Puerto Rican mother)
    World renowned classical musician
  • Kevin Ceballo
    Kevin Ceballo
    Kevin Ceballo is a singer of Salsa music of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Ceballo's parents immigrated from Puerto Rico and settled in Manhattan where Ceballo was born. His parents are Seventh-Day Adventists. Ceballo was exposed to and enjoyed the gospel singing at his House of Worship...

    Salsa music singer
  • Rafael Cepeda
    Rafael Cepeda
    Rafael Cepeda Atiles a.k.a. "The Patriarch of the Bomba and Plena" was the patriarch of the Cepeda family, known internationally as the exponents of Afro-Puerto Rican folk music.-Early years:...

    , Composer
    Cepeda is "The Patriarch of the Bomba and Plena"
  • Iris Chacón
    Iris Chacón
    Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...

    , Singer and vedette
  • Keshia Chanté
    Keshia Chanté
    Keshia Chanté is a Canadian Juno Award-winning critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, model, and actress...

    , R&B/Pop singer/songwriter
  • Arístides Chavier Arévalo
    Arístides Chavier Arévalo
    Arístides Chavier Arévalo was Puerto Rican pianist and composer, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico.-History:Chavier was born in Ponce in the second half of the nineteenth century. He studied music in Paris as a young man. He was a prominent music instructor. Among his students was Luis A. Ferré, a...

    , Pianist and composer
  • "Chelo
    Chelo
    Jose Oscar Mejias Hernandez, better known as Chelo, is a Puerto Rican hip-hop and pop singer based in Miami Beach, Florida recently signed with Sony BMG as a solo artist. His debut album is called 360°, and fuses pop, urban and Latin music...

    "
    , Singer
  • "Choco Orta
    Choco Orta
    Choco Orta is a Santurce, Puerto Rico born Latin/Tropical/Salsa singer, percussionist, dancer and actress, and is one of the most acclaimed Salsa performers of the 21st century, with successful performances throughout North America, Latin America, Europe & Africa...

    "
    , Salsa singer
  • José Miguel Class
    José Miguel Class
    José Miguel Class is a Puerto Rican singer who gained wide international fame during the 1960s and 1970s....

    a.k.a. "El Gallito de Manati", Singer
  • Angel Clivillés
    Angel Clivillés
    Angel Clivillés is the stage name used by Louise Angel Sabater, a Latina dance music singer of Puerto Rican descent. She was born in the Bronx, New York.-Music career:...

    , Singer
    Member of The Cover Girls
    The Cover Girls
    The Cover Girls is a New York City-based freestyle-urban-dance-pop girl group that achieved the majority of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...

  • Robert Clivillés
    Robert Clivillés
    Robert Clivillés is a record producer, songwriter, arranger, music video director most noted for his work with C+C Music Factory, a group he founded with musical partner David Cole...

    , Freestyle producer
    Founder and member of C + C Music Factory
  • Javier Colon – singer and winner of the first season
    The Voice (U.S. season 1)
    The Voice is an American reality talent show. The American series premiered on April 26, 2011 on the NBC television network. The winner of the first series was Javier Colon, mentored by coach Adam Levine, the finale airing on June 29, 2011...

     of U.S. reality series The Voice
    The Voice (U.S. TV series)
    The Voice is an American reality talent show that premiered on April 26, 2011 on the NBC television network. Based on the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland, the series was created by Dutch television producer John de Mol. It is part of an international series...

  • Willie Colón
    Willie Colón
    William Anthony Colón is a Nuyorican salsa musician. Primarily a trombonist, Colón also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in municipal politics in New York City.-Early years:...

    , Salsa composer
  • César Concepción
    Cesar Concepcion
    Cayetano César Concepción Martínez, , was a Puerto Rican musician and composer, who brought the music of his native land to Latin American ballroom dancing, and ballrooms all over the world...

    , Orchestra leader
  • Ernesto Cordero
    Ernesto Cordero (musician)
    Ernesto Cordero is a Puerto Rican composer and classical guitarist.-Education:Ernesto Cordero began his higher studies in 1963 when he entered the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico and he continued at the Madrid Royal Conservatory, Spain where he earned a diploma in 1971...

    , Composer and classical guitarist
  • Federico A. Cordero
    Federico A. Cordero
    Federico A. Cordero , is a world renowned guitarist of classical music.-Early years:Cordero was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, a town which is now part the San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Both his parents were instrumental in the formation of Cordero's character...

    , Composer and classical guitarist
  • Millie Corretjer
    Millie Corretjer
    Milagros Ninnete Corretjer Maldonado, known as, Millie CorretjerMilagros Ninnete Corretjer Maldonado, known as, Millie CorretjerMilagros Ninnete Corretjer Maldonado, known as, Millie Corretjer(b. April 18, 1974, is a Puerto Rican singer and actress. She is married to boxer Oscar De La Hoya.-Early...

    ,Singer
  • Rafael Cortijo
    Rafael Cortijo
    Rafael Cortijo , was a Puerto Rican musician, orchestra leader, and composer.As a child, Cortijo became interested in Caribbean music and enjoyed the works of some of the era's most successful Plena music musicians...

    , Salsa band leader
  • José Cosculluela
    Cosculluela
    José Fernando Cosculluela Suárez is a Puerto Rican reggaeton, rap and hip-hop artist.-Biography:José Fernando Cosculluela Suárez was born on October 15, 1980,to Puerto Rican parents. Cosculluela was raised in Humacao on the East Coast of Puerto Rico. From a young age he became interested in music...

    , a.k.a. "Cosculluela", Hip Hop and Reggaeton artist
  • Elvis Crespo
    Elvis Crespo
    Elvis Crespo , is a Puerto Rican-American Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning Merengue singer.-Early years:Crespo was born in New York City and was named "Elvis" after Elvis Presley...

    , Merengue singer
  • Tony Croatto
    Tony Croatto
    Hermes Davide Fastino Croatto Martinis, better known as Tony Croatto was an Italian singer and composer best known for his interpretations of Puerto Rican folk music. He was also a television presenter.-Biography:Born in Attimis, a comune in the province of Udine, Italy...

    , Singer/composer of Puerto Rican folk songs
  • Bobby Cruz
    Bobby Cruz
    Bobby Cruz is a salsa singer and religious minister. He is well known for his success beginning in 1965 as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz. His seminal professional pairing with Richie Ray is one of the longest-lived partnerships in Latino music, lasting over 45 years...

    , Salsa singer, bandleader
  • Joe Cuba
    Joe Cuba
    Joe "Sonny" Cuba was a Puerto Rican musician who was considered to be the "Father of Latin Boogaloo".-Early years:...

    , Bandleader
    Considered to be "The Father of the Boogaloo"


D
  • Héctor Delgado
    Hector El Father
    Héctor Delgado Román, is a Puerto Rican former reggaeton artist and producer, formerly known by the artistic names Héctor "El Father" and Hector "El Bambino". He announced his retirement in 2008 but had a series of "Farewell Concerts" that went until May 2010. He rose to fame as a member of the...

    a.k.a. "El Father", Reggaeton singer
  • Justino Díaz
    Justino Díaz
    Justino Díaz is an internationally renowned bass-baritone opera singer. In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the "first" Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut on October 1963 in Verdi's Rigoletto...

    , Opera singer
  • Rafael José Díaz
    Rafael José
    Dr. Rafael José Diaz is a Puerto Rican television show host born in Manatí, Puerto Rico, where his father, a physician born in the Dominican Republic, was the medical director of the local hospital. His family eventually moved to Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, where he was raised...

    a.k.a. "Rafael José", Singer and television host
  • Carmen Delia Dipini
    Carmen Delia Dipini
    Carmen Delia Dipini , was a singer of boleros.-Early years:Born in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, Dipini often entertained her family and friends as a child with her singing. She attended the Eugenio Brac Elementary School where one of the teachers, Mrs...

    , Bolero singer
  • Quique Domenech, Musician, composer
  • Howie Dorough
    Howie Dorough
    Howard Dwaine "Howie D." Dorough is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, entertainer, actor and member of American music group Backstreet Boys-Biography:...

    , Singer
    Member of the Backstreet Boys
    Backstreet Boys
    The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...

  • Braulio Dueño Colon
    Braulio Dueño Colon
    Braulio Dueño Colón was a Puerto Rican musician and composer.-Early years:Dueño was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At a young age Dueño's father, who also loved music, taught him the basics of music and served as his inspiration. Dueño took music classes with the "Maestro" Aruti, with whom he...

    Composer
    Composer of "Canciones Escolares"
  • Huey Dunbar
    Huey Dunbar
    Huey Dunbar, , is the former singer of Dark Latin Groove. Born to a Puerto Rican mother and a Jamaican father, he was exposed to music since his earliest years due to his parents' musical careers...

    , Singer
    Member of DLG (Puerto Rican mother)
  • Johnathan Dwayne
    Johnathan Dwayne
    Johnatan Dwayne is a musician, composer, and artist who introduced the musical concept of art rock into Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    , Singer, composer


E
  • Rafi Escudero
    Rafi Escudero
    Rafi Escudero is a Puerto Rican musician, singer, composer, poet and a political activist.-Early years:Escudero was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico the capital city of the island. His parents were well aware that their son was musically inclined at a young age...

    , Musician, singer, composer
  • Many Espinal
    Tego Calderón
    Tegui Calderón Rosario is a Puerto Rican rapper and actor.-Early life:Calderón was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the son of Pilar Rosario Parrilla, a schoolteacher, and Esteban Calderón Ilarraza, a government worker for Puerto Rico's Department of Health. Moving at a young age from his native...

    simply known as "Tego Calderón", Reggaeton singer
  • Noel Estrada
    Noel Estrada
    Noel Estrada was the composer of "En mi Viejo San Juan", one of the most famous Boleros in Puerto Rico.-Early years:Estrada was born in the town of Isabela, Puerto Rico where he received his primary education...

    , Composer
    Composer of "En Mi Viejo San Juan"
  • Cano Estremera
    Cano Estremera
    Carlos Enrique Estremera Colón Carlos Enrique Estremera Colón Carlos Enrique Estremera Colón (born 2 September 1958 is a Puerto Rican Salsa singer who is a native of San Juan. Estremera, who is an albino, is nicknamed -and billed- as "El Cano" ("The Light-Colored Haired One"), a word which is...

    , Singer, composer and poet


F
  • Lucy Fabery
    Lucy Fabery
    Lucy Fabery, born Luz Ercilia Fabery Zenón , is a Puerto Rican jazz singer. Fabery is also known as "La Muñeca de Chocolate" in recognition of her dark-skinned beauty.-Early years:...

    , Singer
  • Rene Farrait
    Rene Farrait
    Rene Farrait is a former member of the teen band Menudo. He was a member during the band's most successful period.Rene's trademark song was the hit Subete a mi Moto...

    , Singer
    Former member of "Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

    "
  • Cheo Feliciano
    Cheo Feliciano
    José Feliciano, better known as Cheo Feliciano , is a composer and singer of salsa and bolero music.-Early years:...

    , Salsa singer
  • José Feliciano
    José Feliciano
    José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...

    , Singer
    Composed "Feliz Navidad
    Feliz Navidad
    Feliz Navidad may refer to:* a Spanish phrase meaning "happy Nativity"; comparable to Merry Christmas* Feliz Navidad , an album by José Feliciano** Feliz Navidad , a 1970 song from that album...

    "
  • Ruth Fernández
    Ruth Fernández
    Ruth Fernández, a.k.a. Titi Ruth , is a Puerto Rican singer and former member of the Puerto Rican Senate. According to the "Comisiones Nacionales para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario" is said to be one of three artists whose contributions have helped unite Latin America...

    , Singer
  • Elmer Figueroa
    Chayanne
    Elmer Figueroa Arce , best known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 solo-albums and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.-Early life:...

    simply known as "Chayanne", Singer
  • Narciso Figueroa
    Narciso Figueroa
    Narciso Figueroa is considered to be the "Father of the Modern Danzas".-Early years:Figueroa was the second of eight siblings born to Jesus Figueroa and Carmen Sanabria in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Both his parents performed in concerts and were also music instructors...

    , Composer
    Known as the "Father of the Modern Danza"
  • Pedro Flores
    Pedro Flores (composer)
    Pedro Flores born was one Puerto Rico's best known composers of Ballads and Boleros.-Early years:Flores was one of 12 children born into a poor family in the town of Naguabo, Puerto Rico. Flores' father died when he was only nine years old and therefore, he was forced to work at a young age...

    , Composer
  • Hector Fonseca
    Hector Fonseca
    Hector Fonseca is an internationally acclaimed house music DJ. In addition to his production and DJ work, Fonseca is presently one of the music industry’s most requested remixers due to his ability to transform many commercially released songs into club hits.-Early years:Raised in suburban...

    , Producer/musician
  • Luis Fonsi
    Luis Fonsi
    Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, more commonly known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a Latin Grammy winning Puerto Rican singer and composer.- Early life :...

    , Singer


G
  • Angelo Garcia
    Angelo Garcia
    Angelo Garcia was a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo from 1988 to 1990...

    , Singer
    Former member of "Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

    "
  • Kany García
    Kany García
    Encarnita "Kany" García De Jesus is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter. Born in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, García first appeared on television in 2004 as a contestant on Objetivo Fama...

    , Singer/songwriter
  • Jenilca Giusti
    Jenilca Giusti
    Jenilca Franchesca Giusti is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actress commonly known as Jenilca. Jenilca is a participant of the third season of Objetivo Fama and principal actress in the Broadway musicals Fame and Grease, which were presented at the CBA Luis A...

    , Singer, songwriter, actress, model
  • Eddie Gómez
    Eddie Gómez
    Eddie Gómez is an undefeated Honduran-American professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division.-Amateur career:...

    , Jazz musician and composer

  • Tito Gómez
    Tito Gómez (Puerto Rican singer)
    Tito Gómez was a well-known Puerto Rican salsa singer.-Group career:...

    , Salsa singer
  • Gloria González
    Gloria González (composer)
    Gloria González is a Puerto Rican composer with an extensive repertoire of pop and salsa songs.-Early years:Gloria González, born April 6, 1944, at Antonsanti Street, Stop 22 in Santurce, Puerto Rico...

    , Composer
  • Kenny "Dope" Gonzales, Producer/musician
    Member of Masters At Work
    Masters At Work
    Masters at Work is the house/garage production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. They first worked together using the name, which had been given to them by mutual friend Todd Terry , in 1990...

  • Odilio Gonzalez
    Odilio González
    Odilio González is a Puerto Rican singer.González was born in 1939 in the center of the island of Puerto Rico, in the small town of Lares. His charm, sweet voice and youthful good looks turned him into a popular child star after a series of early radio performances in the capital city of San...

    , Singer


H
  • "Hex Hector
    Hex Hector
    Hex Hector , is an American dance remixer. He won a Grammy in 2001 for "Best Remixer".-Biography:Hector was born in in Manhattan, New York, of a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father, and was raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan...

    "
    , Grammy Award winning remixer and producer
  • Cruz Manuel Hernández
    Manny Manuel
    Cruz Manuel Hernández Santiago , known artistically as Manny Manuel, is a Puerto Rican singer of merengue, boleros, and tropical music. He became famous first as a member of the group Los Sabrosos del Merengue, before launching a successful solo career in 1994.-Early life:Manny Manuel was born in...

    a.k.a. "Manny Manuel", Singer
  • Oscar Hernández, Salsa musician
    Composed the musical theme for the television series "Sex and the City
    Sex and the City
    Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...

    "
  • Rafael Hernández Marín
    Rafael Hernández Marín
    Rafael Hernández , was one of the most important composers of Puerto Rican popular music during the 20th century.-Early years:...

    Composer
    Composer of "Preciosa" and "Lamento Borincano"
  • Giovanni Hidalgo
    Giovanni Hidalgo
    Giovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. "Mañenguito" is an educator and percussionist associated with Latin jazz.-Early years:Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he received his primary education. His grandfather had also been a musician as well as his father, José Manuel Hidalgo "Mañengue", who was...

    , Percussionist
  • Lee Holdridge
    Lee Holdridge
    Lee Holdridge is a Haitian-born American television composer and orchestrator.-Biography:He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, of a Puerto-Rican mother and an American father, the botanist an climatologist Leslie Holdridge...

    , Television and film score composer


I
  • Rafael Ithier
    Rafael Ithier
    Rafael Ithier , is a Salsa musician and the founder of the highly successful orchestra El Gran Combo. Ithier was born in Río Piedras, now a part of greater San Juan.-Early years:...

    , Musician
    Founder of "El Gran Combo
    El Gran Combo
    El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, commonly known as El Gran Combo, is a Puerto Rican Salsa music orchestra. It is Puerto Rico's most successful musical group, and one of the most popular salsa orchestras across Latin America...

    " orchestra


J
  • Andrés Jiménez a.k.a. "El Jíbaro", Singer, trovador, and composer.
    Known for his nationalistic themes.
  • Carmita Jiménez
    Carmita Jiménez
    Carmita Jiménez was a Puerto Rican singer who was considered a diva in Puerto Rico. She was born in San Lorenzo....

    a.k.a. "La Dama de la Canción", singer
  • René Pérez Joglar
    Calle 13 (band)
    Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar , who calls himself Residente and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez , who calls himself Visitante Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978 in Hato Rey, a subsection of San Juan, Puerto Rico), who calls...

    , lead singer of Calle 13
  • Jim Jones
    Jim Jones (rapper)
    Joseph Guillermo Jones II , better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and original member of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is Co-CEO of Diplomat Records...

    , Rapper


K
  • "Kane & Abel", Rap duo
  • "Kurious Jorge
    Kurious Jorge
    Jorge Alvarez, better known as Kurious, is an East Coast underground hip hop artist.-Biography:Kurious is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, and grew up in a Upper Westside neighborhood called Manhattan Valley In NYC . He debuted in 1991 on Powerule's "Young Stars from Nowhere". He then appeared on...

    "
    , Rapper


L
  • "La India
    La India
    La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...

    "
    , Salsa singer
  • George Lamond
    George Lamond
    George Lamond, born George Garcia, is an American Freestyle music singer, who is of Puerto Rican descent.-Career:George Lamond began singing backup for various artists before landing a solo deal with Columbia Records...

    , Pop/salsa singer
  • Tito Lara
    Tito Lara
    Tito Lara , was considered by many to be Puerto Rico's first television singing idol.-Early years:Born as Agustín Enrique Lara Olivencia in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, Lara was raised by his maternal grandmother and received primary education in Santurce. During his spare time, he taught himself to...

    , Singer
  • Héctor Lavoe
    Héctor Lavoe
    Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York...

    , Salsa singer
  • William Landrón
    Don Omar
    Don Omar, also known as El Rey Don Omar, also known as El Rey Don Omar, also known as El Rey (born William Omar Landrón Rivera; February 10, 1978, is a Puerto Rican Reggaetón singer and actor.-Early life:...

    a.k.a. "Don Omar", Reggaeton singer
  • Raphy Leavitt, Composer, musical director
    Founder "La Selecta" orchestra.
  • Toñito Ledee, Salsa singer
  • Manny Lehman
    Manny Lehman
    Manny Lehman is a house music DJ and producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Lehman is one of the most requested remixers presently, transforming many songs into club hits....

    , Music producer/ deejay
  • "Lil' Suzy
    Lil' Suzy
    Suzanne Casale better known as Lil' Suzy is a half Italian, half Puerto Rican American Latin freestyle, pop-, and dance-music singer.-Career:...

    "
    , Freestyle singer
  • "Lisa M
    Lisa M
    Marlisa Marrero Vázquez better known by her stage name Lisa M or her nicknames "The Queen of Spanish Rap" or "La Suprema" , is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, record producer and dancer who fuses genres such as pop, merengue, rap, and reggaetón. She is known as one of first female rap artists...

    "
    , Rapper
  • David Lozada
    Cheka (artist)
    Cheka is a reggaeton artist from Guayama, Puerto Rico.He was born in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, New York, where he lived 10 years until moving to Puerto Rico. In the island he started singing with the hopes of reaching the top. His first opportunity was with DJ Playero with whom he recorded two songs...

    a.k.a. "Cheka", Reggaeton artist
  • Johnny Lozada, Singer,
    Former member of "Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

    "
  • Luis Lozada
    Vico C
    Vico C is an Puerto Rican rapper and rap artist. He is considered one of the founding fathers of rap and has played an influential role in the development of Latin American hip hop....

    a.k.a. "Vico C", Rapper
  • Papo Lucca
    Papo Lucca
    Enrique Arsenio Lucca Quiñonez, better known as Papo Lucca, born on April 10, 1946, Ponce, Puerto Rico.Papo Lucca is a famous Puerto Rican multi-instrumentalist , but is best known as a pianist. Main musical genre focus are Salsa and Latin Jazz...

    ,
    Lead pianist of "La Sonora Ponceña"
  • "Lunna
    Lunna
    Lunna , is a singer of Pop and Jazz who was the director of the television show Objetivo Fama, the Latin version of American Idol.-Early years:...

    "
    , Singer


M
  • "Marc Anthony
    Marc Anthony
    Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...

    "
    , Singer
  • Benjamín Marcantoni
    Benjamín Marcantoni
    Puerto Rican countertenor Benjamin Marcantoni is an opera singer, actor and composer. He is known for his dramatic connection to the material and a voice of uncommon size and range....

    , Opera singer, countertenor
    Countertenor
    A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...

  • Bruno Mars
    Bruno Mars
    Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...

    , Singer and songwriter (Puerto Rican father)
  • Ricky Martin
    Ricky Martin
    Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...

    , Singer,
    Former member of "Menudo"
  • Ana María Martínez
    Ana María Martínez
    Ana María Martínez is a Grammy award–winning operatic soprano from Puerto Rico. "The most beautiful voice of Latin America", [Martínez] "requires ranking among the top lyric sopranos of the day...[with] immaculate musicality underpinning every utterance." -Early life:Ana María Martínez was born...

    , Soprano singer
  • Angie Martínez
    Angie Martinez
    Angela "Angie" Martinez is an American radio personality and occasional rapper.-Radio career:Angie Martinez got her first break in radio at the age of 16 answering hot lines at the urban radio station WQHT . There she met popular DJ Funkmaster Flex, and began working as his protégé...

    , Singer, actress, radio personality
  • Ladislao Martínez
    Ladislao Martinez
    Ladislao Martinez a.k.a. "El Maestro Ladi" , was a master cuatro musician. He became the first Puerto Rican to play a cuatro solo on the radio.-Early years:...

    a.k.a. "El Maestro Ladí"
    Was an accomplished cuatro player and the first Puerto Rican musician to play solo on the radio.
  • Charlie Masso
    Charlie Masso
    Carlos Javier Rivera Masso is a former member of Menudo who joined the band at the height of Menudo's world wide fame. He replaced Rene Farrait and quickly became a fan favorite with his participation on the albums of Es Por Amor and Vamos A Volar, which was the soundtrack of Charlie's first...

    , Singer
    Former member of "Menudo"
  • Paul Masvidal
    Paul Masvidal
    Paul Albert Masvidal is the guitarist, singer and a founding member of the progressive band Cynic and previously led the alternative rock band Æon Spoke. Born in Puerto Rico, Masvidal grew up in Miami, Florida and currently resides in Los Angeles...

    , guitarist, singer, and songwriter with international recording artists Cynic
    Cynic (band)
    Cynic is an American progressive rock band, incorporating experimental music, alternative, metal and jazz fusion elements, founded in Miami, Florida and currently based in Los Angeles, California. Their first album, Focus, released on September 14, 1993, is widely regarded as a landmark release of...

  • "Maxwell
    Maxwell (musician)
    Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...

    "
    , R&B/Neo-Soul singer (Puerto Rican father)
  • Scotty McCreery
    Scotty McCreery
    Scott Cooke "Scotty" McCreery is an American country singer from Garner, North Carolina . He also won the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011. His debut studio album, Clear as Day was released in October 2011...

    , country singer, Winner of the tenth season
    American Idol (season 10)
    The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...

     of American Idol
    American Idol
    American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

  • Lisette Melendez
    Lisette Melendez
    Lisette Melendez is an American freestyle/Latin pop/dance-pop singer. She is best known for her 1991 hits "Together Forever" and "A Day In My Life ". These songs propelled her debut album Together Forever to gold status with over 700,000 copies sold...

    , Freestyle/Latin-pop singer.
  • Ricky Meléndez
    Ricky Meléndez
    Ricky Meléndez is a Puerto Rican singer. He was raised in Guaynabo. He became a member of Menudo at the age of eight. He was one of the original five in the group...

    , Singer
    Former member of "Menudo"
  • Syesha Mercado
    Syesha Mercado
    Syesha Raquel Mercado is an American singer, songwriter, actress and model. Mercado was the third place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Mercado was on The One: Making a Music Star and she won Florida Super Singer...

    , Singer and finalist on American Idol
    American Idol
    American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

     (Puerto Rican father)
  • Julia Migenes
    Julia Migenes
    Julia Migenes is an American mezzo-soprano working primarily in musical theatre repertoire. She was born on the Lower East Side of New York to a family of Greek and Irish-Puerto Rican descent...

    , Opera soprano
  • Ismael Miranda
    Ismael Miranda
    Ismael Miranda a.k.a. El niño bonito de la Salsa is a composer and a singer of salsa music.-Early years:...

    , "El Niño Bonito de la Salsa", Singer and composer
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda, Actor and Tony Award winning composer, and lyricist
    He is best known for writing and acting in the Broadway musical "In the Heights
    In the Heights
    In the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights....

    "
  • Ángel Mislan
    Angel Mislan
    Ángel Mislan , was a composer of Puerto Rican Danzas.-Early years:Mislan was born in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico where he was raised and educated. The small town is located in the western part of Puerto Rico. His father was a music teacher who gave private lessons on the use of musical instruments...

    , Composer of Danzas

  • José Luis Moneró
    José Luis Moneró
    José Luis Moneró was a Puerto Rican musician and band leader. His prominence led Governor Luis Fortuño to order flags flown at half staff for three days when informed of the musician's death....

    , composer and band leader
  • Yolandita Monge
    Yolandita Monge
    Yolandita Monge is an international singer and actress from Puerto Rico and the first Puerto Rican female singer to be nominated to the Grammy Music Awards. She is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female artist. She has been in the music business since adolescence, and has recorded over thirty...

    , singer, TV host, TV and theatrical actress
  • Gilberto Monroig
    Gilberto Monroig
    Gilberto Monroig was a guitarist, and singer of boleros.-Early years:Monroig's parents moved from the countryside to the city in search of a better way of life and settled in the Villa Palmera sector of Santurce, a section of San Juan where the musical sounds of the bomba and plena and of the...

    , Bolero singer
  • Glenn Monroig
    Glenn Monroig
    Glenn Monroig , is a composer, guitarist, and singer of various types of music styles, such as salsa, boleros and rumba. He is credited with having recorded the first rap song in Spanish.-Early years:...

    , Composer, singer
    Sang the "first" rap
    Rapping
    Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

     song in Spanish
  • Andy Montañez
    Andy Montañez
    Andrés Montañez , better known as Andy Montañez, is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico.-Early life:Montañez, like singer Daniel Santos and boxer Ossie Ocasio, is a native of the Tras Talleres area of Santurce San Juan. He is known by the nickname "El Godfather de la Salsa"...

    , Salsa singer
  • David Morales, Deejay/composer/music producer
  • Florencio Morales Ramos
    Florencio Morales Ramos
    Florencio "Flor" Morales Ramos , much more better known as Ramito, was a famous Puerto Rican singer, trovador, and composer who was a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico. He is considered the king of Jíbaro music...

    a.k.a. "Ramito", Bolero and Plena composer and singer
    Ramito composed "Que Bonita Bandera", song which on 19 March 2009 served as the wake-up call for Puerto Rican astronaut Joseph M. Acaba
    Joseph M. Acaba
    Joseph Michael "Joe" Acaba is an educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004 he became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19...

     and the crew aboard the Discovery Space Shuttle.
  • Mark Morales
    Prince Markie Dee
    Mark Anthony Morales, better known by the stage name Prince Markie Dee, is an American rapper, songwriter, producer, and radio personality of Puerto Rican descent...

    a.k.a. "Prince Markie Dee", Rapper, producer
  • Noro Morales
    Noro Morales
    Norosbaldo Morales was a Puerto Rican pianist and bandleader.-Biography:Morales learned several instruments as a child. He played in Venezuela from 1924 to 1930, then returned to Puerto Rico to play with Rafaél Muñoz. He emigrated to New York City in 1935, and played there with Alberto Socarras...

    , Pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader
  • Rafael Muñoz
    Rafael Muñoz (musician)
    Rafael Muñoz was a Puerto Rican contra bass musician and big band director .Muñoz was chosen to replace Don Rivero as the band leader of the Orquesta del Escambron Beach Club in 1934, after which it became known as the Rafael Muñoz Orchestra. Its members included among others the pianist Noro...

    , Orchestra leader


N
  • Ednita Nazario
    Ednita Nazario
    Ednita Nazario is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age, and has released over twenty albums throughout her career....

    , Singer
  • Chuck Negron
    Chuck Negron
    Charles "Chuck" Negron is an American singer-songwriter, best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night, which he helped to form in 1968.-Biography:...

    , Singer
    Lead singer of group Three Dog Night
    Three Dog Night
    Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...

     (cousin of actor Taylor Negron
    Taylor Negron
    Brad Taylor Negron is an American writer, actor, and stand-up comedian.-Personal life:Negron was born in Glendale, California to Conrad Negron, Sr., former mayor of Indian Wells, California. He grew up in Pasadena, California. His cousin is singer Chuck Negron...

    )
  • Joe Negroni
    Joe Negroni
    Joe Negroni was a rock and roll pioneer and founding member of the rock and roll group Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.-Early years:...

    , Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
    Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
    The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...

    r, member of the Teenagers.
  • Tito Nieves
    Tito Nieves
    Humberto "Tito" Nieves became one of the leading Salsa singers of the 1980s and the early 1990s....

    , Salsa singer
  • "Noelia
    Noelia
    Noelia Lorenzo Monge , in San Juan, Puerto Rico), mostly known as Noelia, is a Puerto Rican pop singer who rose to fame in 1999. She is the first daughter of Puerto Rican singer Yolandita Monge....

    "
    , Singer
    Daughter of Yolandita Monge
    Yolandita Monge
    Yolandita Monge is an international singer and actress from Puerto Rico and the first Puerto Rican female singer to be nominated to the Grammy Music Awards. She is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female artist. She has been in the music business since adolescence, and has recorded over thirty...

  • Nova y Jory
    Nova y jory
    Nova & Jory are a reggaeton duo. Nova was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and Jory was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. They started their career in 2003 and are currently signed to Millones Records. Their debut album Mucha Calidad, which after a couple setbacks and push dates, was officially released on...

    , Reggaeton duo
  • "N.O.R.E.
    N.O.R.E.
    Victor Santiago, Jr., best known by his stage name N.O.R.E. or Noreaga , is an American rapper of Puerto Rican descent...

    "
    , Rapper
  • Jorge Nuñez Mendez, Pop singer
    First Puerto Rican finalist in the popular television program American Idol
    American Idol
    American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

     (2009).


Ñ
  • Ñengo Flow
    Ñengo Flow
    Edwin Laureano Rosa, known publicly as "Ñengo Flow" is a puerto rican hip hop and reggaeton artist and composer of Puerto Rican reggaeton. His fast and complex lyrics have him being referred to as the "Real G" of the urban genre....

    , Reggaeton Artist


O
  • Tommy Olivencia
    Tommy Olivencia
    Tommy Olivencia was a renowned bandleader of salsa music.-Early years:Olivencia, was born Ángel Tomás Olivencia Pagán in the Villa Palmeras section of Santurce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the city of Arecibo when he was just a child. There received his primary and secondary education...

    , Salsa singer
  • Tony Orlando
    Tony Orlando
    Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis , better known as Tony Orlando, is an American show business professional, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s. Discovered by producer Don Kirshner, Orlando had songs on the charts in 1961 when he was 16, "Halfway to...

    , Singer, (Puerto Rican mother)
  • Jeannie Ortega
    Jeannie Ortega
    Jeannette "Jeannie" Ortega is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. She made her recording debut in 2006 with the album No Place Like Brooklyn at the age of 19. The album featured the hit single "Crowded," which topped the Billboard Hot 100.- Biography :Jeannie Ortega was born in...

    , R&B/reggaeton singer
  • Claudette Ortiz
    Claudette Ortiz
    Claudette Ortiz is an American singer and model, most famous as the female in the R&B group City High.-Early life:Ortiz was born in Willingboro, New Jersey to Puerto Rican parents....

    , Singer
    R&B group City High.
  • Joell Ortiz
    Joell Ortiz
    Joell Ortiz is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York, and a member of the group Slaughterhouse.-Biography:Joell Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath...

    , Rapper
  • Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Salsa singer, musician, composer, musical arranger and producer
  • Shalim Ortiz
    Shalim Ortiz
    Shalim Gerardo Ortiz Goyco is a singer/actor. He is the eldest son of Puerto Rican entertainer Elin Ortiz and his wife, the Dominican singer, television presenter, and actress Charytín Goyco.-Television:...

    a.k.a. "Shalim", Singer/actor
  • Pedro Ortiz Davila
    Pedro Ortiz Davila
    Pedro Ortiz Davila a.k.a. "Davilita" was a popular singer of boleros and Puerto Rican patriotic songs.-Early years:...

    a.k.a. "Davilita", Bolero
    Music of Puerto Rico
    The music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...

     Singer


P
  • Charlie Palmieri
    Charlie Palmieri
    Charlie Palmieri was a renowned Bandleader and musical director of salsa music. He was known as "The Giant of the Keyboards".-Early years:...

    , Pianist, bandleader.
  • Eddie Palmieri
    Eddie Palmieri
    Eddie Palmieri , is a Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican pianist, bandleader and musician, best known for combining jazz piano and instrumental solos with Latin rhythms.-Early years:...

    , Bandleader
  • Amalia Paoli
    Amalia Paoli
    Amalia Paoli was a Puerto Rican soprano. She was the sister of the prominent Puerto Rican tenor Antonio Paoli, but was herself a recognized musician in her own right.-First years:Amalia Paoli was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...

    , Soprano singer
  • Antonio Paolí
    Antonio Paolí
    Antonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...

    , Tenor, opera singer
    First person in history to record an entire opera
  • José Enrique Pedreira
    José Enrique Pedreira
    José Enrique Pedreira was a Puerto Rican composer noted for danzas.-Early years:Pedreira was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, into a family that belonged to San Juan's "High Society". The family sent him to the best private schools on the island at the time and at a young age had him take private...

    , Danza composer
  • Ángel "Cuco" Peña, Musician, composer and producer
  • René Pérez, Singer
    Member of Calle 13 (band)
    Calle 13 (band)
    Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar , who calls himself Residente and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez , who calls himself Visitante Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978 in Hato Rey, a subsection of San Juan, Puerto Rico), who calls...

  • Lourdes Pérez
    Lourdes Pérez
    Lourdes Pérez is a prolific Puerto Rican contemporary recording artist, songwriter, composer, arranger, poet, contralto vocalist and guitarist. She is also one of few female décimistas...

    , Singer, songwriter
    Acclaimed folk, nueva canción
    Nueva canción
    Nueva canción is a movement and genre within Latin American and Iberian music of folk music, folk-inspired music and socially committed music...

    , nueva trova
    Nueva trova
    Nueva trova is a movement in Cuban music that emerged around 1967/68 after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the consequent political and social changes....

     singer
  • Martha Pesante
    Ivy Queen
    Ivy Queen is a Puerto Rican Latin Grammy nominated reggaeton composer and singer. She is most commonly known as "La Reina del Reggaeton" . She is also known as the Queen of Rivalries.-Early years:...

    a.k.a. "Ivy Queen" and "The Queen of Reggaeton" Reggaeton singer.
  • Plan B
    Plan B
    Plan B is a popular term used to mean a reserved, secondary plan, in case a first plan fails. Plan B is also an FDA-approved emergency contraception drug.It also may refer to:-People:...

    , Reggaeton duo
  • Carlos Ponce
    Carlos Ponce
    Carlos Armando Ponce, Jr. is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer and television personality. Ponce began his acting career by participating in Spanish language soap operas for Televisa and Telemundo. Ponce continued to expand his acting career by participating in various American television...

    , Singer
  • Rebeca Pous Del Toro, Spanish pop singer (cousin of Benicio del Toro)
  • Miguel Poventud
    Miguel Poventud
    Miguel Poventud a.k.a. "El Niño Prodigio de Guayama" and "Miguelito" , was a Puerto Rican musician, singer, actor and composer of Boleros...

    a.k.a. "El Nino Prodigio de Guayama" and "Miguelito"
    Poventud was a Puerto Rican
    Puerto Rican people
    A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

     musician, singer and composer of Boleros whose songs have been intreperted by notable singers such as Paul Anka
    Paul Anka
    Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...

    , Marco Antonio Muñiz
    Marco Antonio Muñiz
    Marco Antonio Muñiz is a singer from Jalisco, Mexico. Known all over Latin America, Muñiz actually has declared publicly and in most countries he has visited, that Puerto Rico is his second country, and many Puerto Ricans consider him to be an "honorary Puerto Rican"...

    , Johnny Albino
    Johnny Albino
    Johnny Albino was a Puerto Rican bolero singer, born in Yauco.-Biography:Albino played and sang through his youth years. It wasn't until years later, however, that he would get a chance to sing as part of an organized act...

    , Héctor Lavoe
    Héctor Lavoe
    Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York...

     and Daniel Santos (singer)
    Daniel Santos
    Daniel Santos may refer to:*Daniel Santos , Puerto Rican singer and composer*Daniel Santos , Puerto Rican boxer*Danny Santos, fictional character...

    .
  • Tito Puente
    Tito Puente
    Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...

    , Musician, composer and producer

tempo(david sanchez badillo) reggeaton rapper
Q
  • Domingo Quiñones
    Domingo Quiñones
    Domingo Quiñones is a singer of salsa music. He is also a composer, producer and actor.Domingo Quinones was born on August 9, 1963 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. When he was four years old he moved to Puerto Rico with his parents and lived in Ceiba. He returned to New York City in 1977. He began his...

    , Singer/actor
  • Luciano Quiñones
    Luciano Quiñones
    Luciano Quiñones Lugo , is a pianist and the foremost composer of Modern Puerto Rican Danzas.-Early years:Quiñones, was born in the town of San German, Puerto Rico where he also received his primary education. He was musically influenced by his family who taught him the basics in music at a young age...

    , Danza composer
  • Ismael Quintana
    Ismael Quintana
    Ismael Quintana is a singer and composer of salsa music.-Early years:Quintana was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the Bronx sector of New York when he was only two weeks old; here he went to school and whilst he was still in high school he formed a band with his neighborhood...

    , Salsa singer
  • José Ignacio Quintón
    Jose Ignacio Quinton
    José Ignacio Quintón , was a pianist and composer of danzas.-Early years:Quintón was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, into a musically talented family. His father a Frenchman by the name of Juan Bautista Quintón y Luzón, was a graduate of the Conservatory of Music of Paris...

    , Pianist/composer of danzas


R
  • Chamaco Ramirez
    Chamaco Ramirez
    Chamaco Ramirez was a famous Puerto Rican salsa singer and composer. He came to prominence and is still mostly remembered for his work as singer of the Tommy Olivencia Orchestra.-Early years:...

    , Salsa singer
  • Val Ramos
    Val Ramos
    Val Ramos is a native of New York City and is considered to be one of the best Nuevo Flamenco guitarists in the United States. Val has toured the United States and Spain with his ensemble which includes his brother Jose Ramon Ramos. At the early age of 14, he studied Flamenco guitar with Spanish ...

    , International Flamenco guitarist
  • Richie Ray
    Richie Ray
    Ricardo "Richie" Ray is a virtuoso pianist, singer, music arranger, composer and religious minister known for his success beginning in 1965 as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz...

    ,
    a.k.a. "The King of Salsa", Singer, composer.
  • Sylvia Rexach
    Sylvia Rexach
    Sylvia Rexach , was a comedy scriptwriter, poet, singer and composer of boleros .-Early years:Rexach was born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico. There she attended public school and received her primary education...

    , Singer, composer
  • Ray Reyes
    Ray Reyes
    Ray Reyes is a Puerto Rican who was born in New York City and was raised in Levittown, Puerto Rico. His father, Rey Reyes, Sr., ran several successful business ventures. He became a member of Menudo in early 1983. Reyes came to substitute Xavier Serbia on the band, and joined the band right in the...

    , Singer, former member of Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

  • Ron Reyes
    Ron Reyes
    Ron Reyes is an American musician most noted as the second singer for the Los Angeles punk rock group Black Flag. Reyes, who is of Puerto Rican descent, joined Black Flag after original vocalist Keith Morris had quit to form the Circle Jerks...

    , Singer
    Singer for Black Flag
    Black Flag (band)
    Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...

    , 1979–1980
  • Gabriel Ríos
    Gabriel Rios
    Gabriel Ríos is a Puerto Rican musician currently residing in Brooklyn.-Biography:As a child Ríos was member of his church choir, and in addition to this early exposure to music his father also taught him to play the guitar. After finishing his studies at the Academia del Perpetuo Socorro high...

    , Musician
  • Danny Rivera
    Danny Rivera
    Danny Rivera is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who was born in San Juan whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is well-known in Puerto Rico for his political activism.-Musical career:...

    , Singer
  • Dr. Graciela Rivera
    Graciela Rivera
    Dr. Graciela Rivera , was the first Puerto Rican to sing a lead role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.-Early years:...

    , Opera singer
  • Ismael Rivera
    Ismael Rivera
    Ismael "Maelo" Rivera , was a renowned Puerto Rican composer and singer of salsa music.-Early life:Ismael Rivera was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on October 5, 1931. He was the first of five children born to Luis and Margarita Rivera. His father, Luis, was a carpenter and his mother a housewife...

    , "El Sonero Mayor", Salsa singer
  • Jerry Rivera
    Jerry Rivera
    -Albums:* Empezando a Vivir Sony Music* Abriendo Puertas * Cuenta Conmigo * Cara de Niño...

    , Salsa singer
  • Mon Rivera
    Mon Rivera
    Mon Rivera is the common name given to two distinct Puerto Rican musicians , namely Monserrate Rivera Alers and his oldest son, Efraín Rivera Castillo Mon Rivera is the common name given to two distinct Puerto Rican musicians (both born in Mayagüez), namely Monserrate Rivera Alers (originally...

    , Trombonist and singer
  • Tomás Rivera Morales
    Tomás Rivera Morales
    Tomás Rivera Morales, simply known as "Maso" Rivera , was a Puerto Rican musician and a major exponent of Puerto Rico’s Jibaro music. Rivera composed over 1,000 instrumental compositions for the Cuatro, Puerto Rico's national instrument.-Early years:Rivera was born in the barrio Galateo in the...

    a.k.a. "Maso" Rivera, Composer
    Child music prodigy who went on to compose over 1,000 instrumental compositions for the cuatro, among which he treasured the waltz.
  • Augusto Rodríguez
    Augusto Rodríguez (musician)
    Augusto Rodríguez a.k.a. "Tito" , was a music composer and chorus director. Rodríguez was the founder of the Choir of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    , Music composer and chorus director
    Rodríguez was the founder of Choir of the University of Puerto Rico.

  • Daniel Rodríguez
    Daniel Rodriguez
    Daniel Rodríguez is an American operatic tenor from New York City. He became known as "The Singing Policeman" in his former work with the New York City Police Department, due to his role as one of the department's designated National Anthem singers...

    , Former police officer turned operatic tenor
  • Felipe Rodríguez
    Felipe Rodríguez
    Luis Felipe Rodriguez, better known as Felipe "La Voz" Rodríguez, born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, was a singer of boleros. He is regarded as the most popular Puerto Rican male singer of the 1950s based on record sales and live audience records...

    a.k.a. "La Voz", Singer of Boleros
    Music of Puerto Rico
    The music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...

    .
  • Julito Rodríguez
    Julito Rodriguez
    Julito Rodríguez born October 5, 1925 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, is a bolero singer, guitarist & composer.Rodriguez was acknowledged to be a child prodigy in music, becoming interested in this topic since his early childhood...

    , Singer
  • Lalo Rodríguez
    Lalo Rodriguez
    Lalo Rodríguez , born in 1958 in Carolina, Puerto Rico is a salsa singer and musician is best known for his hit "Ven Devórame Otra Vez"....

    , Salsa singer
  • Pellin Rodríguez
    Pellin Rodríguez
    Pellín Rodríguez , was a Salsa singer. Rodríguez was a member of the musical group El Gran Combo and toured with them all over Europe and Latin America, gaining fame and popularity as a singer. In addition to his singing capabilities, Rodríguez had great comedic abilities and participated on...

    , Salsa singer
    Rodríguez was a member of the musical group "El Gran Combo" and toured with the group all over Europe and Latin America, gaining fame and popularity as a singer.
  • Tito Rodríguez
    Tito Rodriguez
    Tito Rodríguez was a popular 1950s and 1960s Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He is known by many fans as "El Inolvidable" , a moniker based on his most popular interpretation, a song written by composer Julio Gutierrez.-Early years:Rodríguez , born in Santurce, Puerto Rico,...

    , Singer and band leader
  • Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, Salsa singer
  • Omar Rodríguez-López
    Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
    Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...

    , Composer and guitarist
  • Roberto Roena
    Roberto Roena
    Roberto Roena is a salsa music percussionist, orchestra leader, and dancer. Roena was one of the original members of El Gran Combo Puerto Rican's first successful salsa music orchestra. He later became the leader of his own band, "Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound", arguably one of the best Latin...

    , Percussionist and band leader
  • Kelis Rogers, Singer and television host, (Chinese-Puerto Rican
    Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico
    Large scale Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean began during the 19th century. Unlike their European counterparts, Chinese immigrants had to face various obstacles which prohibited or restricted their entry in Puerto Rico....

     mother).
  • Tito Rojas
    Tito Rojas
    Julio César Rojas better known"El Gallo Salsero" Tito Rojas is a salsa singer and bandleader.-Early years:...

    ,
    Salsa singer
  • Marta Romero
    Marta Romero
    Marta Romero is an actress and singer, who was one of the pioneers in Puerto Rican television.-Early years:Romero was born in barrio Machuelo Abajo of the city of Ponce, on the south coast of Puerto Rico. She is considered by many as a "natural performer" because she never took singing or acting...

    , Singer and actress
  • Robi Dräco Rosa, Singer, composer
    Former member of "Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

    "
  • Ralphi Rosario
    Ralphi Rosario
    Ralphi Rosario was a founding member of the influential Chicago DJ group, The Hot Mix 5. When this group formed in 1981 on radio station WBMX, Rosario, the youngest member of the group, was still in high school...

    , Producer/deejay/musician
    Member of musical duo Rosabel
  • Willie Rosario
    Willie Rosario
    Willie Rosario a.k.a. "Mr. Afinque" is a musician, composer and bandleader of salsa music.-Early years:Rosario was born and raised in Coamo, Puerto Rico into a poor, but hard working family. His parents realized that as a child Willie was musically inclined and had him take guitar lessons at the...

    , Composer, timbalero, bandleader
  • Felipe Rose
    Felipe Rose
    Felipe Ortiz Rose is a founding member of the disco group the Village People, in which he is the Native American. His mother is a Puerto Rican and his father is a Native American .-Early years:...

    , Singer
    The "Indian" in The Village People.
  • Roy Rossello
    Roy Rosselló
    Roy Stephan Rosello Diaz is a former member of Menudo.Rosselló was a member of Menudo from mis 1983 to January 1986. He substituted Miguel Cancel and debuted in the album A Todo Rock. He was replaced by Sergio Blass in 1986. Rosselló did not contribute a lot of lead singing for Menudo. Most of...

    , Singer
    Former member of "Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

    "
  • Julita Ross
    Julita Ross
    Julita Ross was a singer of Puerto Rican danzas, also known as "The Great Lady of the Danzas".-Early years:...

    , Singer of Danzas
  • Frankie Ruiz
    Frankie Ruiz
    Frankie Ruiz was a famous Puerto Rican salsa singer.-Early years:Born Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, he was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in search of a better way of life. In Paterson, Ruiz received his primary and secondary...

    , Salsa singer
  • Hilton Ruiz
    Hilton Ruiz
    Hilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....

    , Jazz composer/musician
  • Víctor Manuelle
    Victor Manuelle
    Víctor Manuelle, born Víctor Manuel Ruiz on November 4, 1968 in Bronx, New York, is a successful Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican American salsa singer, songwriter, and improvisational sonero, known to his fans as El Sonero de la Juventud...

    , Singer


S
  • Jimmy Sabater Sr.
    Jimmy Sabater Sr.
    Jimmy Sabater, Sr. is a Latin musician, who is a three-time winner of the ACE Awards.-Biography:...

    , musician
    He is a three-time winner of the ACE Awards.
  • "Sa-Fire
    Sa-Fire
    Wilma Cosmé better known by her stage name SaFire, is an American singer. While she was one of the few freestyle artist to have major pop-chart success, she is considered an important part of Latin freestyle...

    "
    , Singer
  • Fernando and Nefty Sallaberry
    Fernando and Nefty Sallaberry
    Oscar Neftalí Sallaberry Vals and Fernando Ramón Sallaberry Vals , were part of the original Puerto Rican band Menudo.-Nefty:...

    Singers
    Former members of "Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

    "
  • Bobby Sanabria
    Bobby Sanabria
    Bobby Sanabria is an American drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, producer, and writer specializing in Latin jazz.-Biography:Sanabria was born at St. Francis Hospital in the South Bronx, where he grew up...

    Latin jazz musician, composer, educator
  • Claudio Sanchez
    Claudio Sanchez
    Claudio Paul Sanchez is an American writer and musician best known for being the lead singer and guitarist for the alternative/progressive rock group Coheed and Cambria. He is also the creator of the comic book series, The Amory Wars and Kill Audio, co-written with wife Chondra Echert...

    , Singer
    Lead singer, lyricist and guitarist of Coheed and Cambria
    Coheed and Cambria
    Coheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York. Formed in 1995, the group incorporates aspects of progressive rock, punk rock, metal and post-hardcore....

    .
  • David Sánchez a.k. a. "Tempo", Reggaeton artist
  • Jesús María Sanromá
    Jesús Maria Sanromá
    Jesús María Sanromá was a Puerto Rican pianist. He is considered by many to be one of the 20th century's most accomplished and important pianists.-Early years:...

    , Composer
    The first person ever to be named official pianist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
    Boston Symphony Orchestra
    The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...

  • Gilberto Santa Rosa
    Gilberto Santa Rosa
    Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...

    , Salsa singer
  • Daniel Santos
    Daniel Santos (singer)
    Daniel Santos was a singer and composer of boleros, and an overall performer of multiple Caribbean music genres, including guaracha, plena and rumba...

    , Composer, singer of boleros
    Music of Puerto Rico
    The music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...

  • ""Ray Santos
    Ray Santos
    Father Ray Santos is a fictional character on CBS's daytime drama Guiding Light. He has been portrayed on a recurring basis by George Alvarez since March 30, 1999. The role was portrayed from February 17th to 19th, 1999 by Jaime Passer....

    "", Arranger, Composer, The Mambo Kings
    The Mambo Kings
    The Mambo Kings is a 1992 drama film starring Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas. Directed by Arne Glimcher in his directorial debut, the film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos...

    ,
  • Adalberto Santiago
    Adalberto Santiago
    Adalberto Santiago is a world famous salsa singer.He was born in barrio Pozas of Ciales, Puerto Rico. Adalberto's relaxed and flawless lead vocals are amongst the best in salsa, and for over two decades he has sessioned as a coro singer on countless New York recordings. His early influences...

    , Salsa singer
  • Eddie Santiago
    Eddie Santiago
    Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico. At a young age, Eddie demonstrated great love for salsa music...

    , Salsa singer
  • Herman Santiago
    Herman Santiago
    Herman Santiago is a rock and roll pioneer and songwriter who claimed to have written the iconic hit "Why Do Fools Fall In Love".-Early years:Santiago was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and raised in Manhattan, New York...

    , Rock n Roll singer
    composed song "Why Do Fools Fall in Love
    Why Do Fools Fall in Love (song)
    "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" is a song that was originally a hit for early New York City-based rock and roll group Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers in 1956. It reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, No. 6 on Billboards Pop Singles chart, and number one on the UK Singles Chart...

    "
  • Marvin Santiago
    Marvin Santiago
    Marvin Santiago was a Puerto Rican salsa singer who became famous all across Latin America during the 1970s. He was also a part-time comedian on Puerto Rican television. His brother, Billiván Santiago, had some success in Puerto Rico as a plena singer.- Early life :Santiago was born in San Juan...

    , Salsa singer
  • Dr. Zoraida Santiago
    Zoraida Santiago
    Dr. Zoraida Santiago is a noted composer and singer of Puerto Rican cultural themes.-Early years:Santiago was born and educated in Santurce, Puerto Rico where she developed an interest in musical instruments at a very young age. Her parents had her take piano lessons as a child. She also took...

    , Singer and composer
  • Nino Segarra
    Nino Segarra
    Nino Segarra , is a singer, composer, musician and musical arranger.-Early years:Segarra was born in Maricao, Puerto Rico into a family of musicians. He was always surrounded by many musical instruments and as a child learned how to play the drums, guitar and cuatro. He received his primary and...

    , Salsa singer
  • Ray Sepúlveda
    Ray Sepúlveda
    Ray Sepúlveda is a Puerto Rican American salsa singer, born in Brooklyn, New York.Sepúlveda grew up in Brooklyn & the Bronx, New York, where his father, Ramon Sepulveda sang boleros with his group "Trio Los Romanticos"...

    , Salsa singer
  • Xavier Serbia
    Xavier Serbia
    Xavier Serbiá , is a former member of the boy band Menudo who is now financial commentator, syndicated columnist and personality.-Early years:...

    , Singer
    Former member of "Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

    "
  • Myrta Silva
    Myrta Silva
    Myrta Silva was a Puerto Rican singer, composer and television producer. She was known affectionately as "La Gorda De Oro".-Early years:...

    a.k.a "La Gorda de Oro" and "Madame Chencha", Singer, composer
  • Arturo Somohano
    Arturo Somohano
    Arturo Somohano was a musical composer and the director of the San Juan Symphony Orchestra, which is now named after him.-Early years:...

    , Composer
    Symphony orchestra conductor.
  • "Sophy", Singer
  • Ivette Sosa
    Ivette Sosa
    Ivette Maritza Sosa is a Puerto Rican singer and dancer was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey U.S. Ivette found she had a passion for stage and she began dancing at 3 years old. She attended High School at Bishop George Ahr High School...

    , Singer
    Member of Eden's Crush
    Eden's Crush
    Eden's Crush is a former girl group based in Los Angeles created on the American television series Popstars which aired on AOL Time Warner's WB television network in early 2001, and promoted on the AOL on-line service...

    .
  • Brenda K. Starr
    Brenda K. Starr
    Brenda K. Starr is an American singer-songwriter. She is well known originally in dance-pop, but now mostly in salsa-based music...

    , Salsa singer (Puerto Rican mother)
  • Michael Stuart
    Michael Stuart
    Michael Stuart is an American salsa singer and actor.- Early years :Stuart was born in New York City, to Puerto Rican parents who settled in the 1960s after emigrating from Puerto Rico. There Stuart received his primary and secondary education. He was musically influenced by his uncle Israel...

    , Singer
  • "Sweet Sensation
    Sweet Sensation
    Sweet Sensation was a Puerto Rican female freestyle-dance music trio from The Bronx, New York.-History:Formed in 1986, In The Bronx . The original group members were Betty LeBron and sisters Margie and Mari Fernandez. Originally on Next Plateau Records, in 1988 they were picked up by Atco and...

    ", Freestyle trio


T
  • Olga Tañón
    Olga Tañón
    Olga Tañón is a two-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy-winning Merengue and Latin Pop artist. Tañón has earned 5 Latin Grammy Awards and 19 Premios Lo Nuestro awards during her career.-Early years:...

    , Singer/composer
  • Manuel Gregorio Tavarez
    Manuel Gregorio Tavarez
    Manuel Gregorio Tavarez , was Puerto Rico's first renowned classical and danza composer and the inspiration behind future generations of composers.-Early years:...

    , Composer
    Known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Danzas"
  • Gerardo Teissonniere
    Gerardo Teissonniere
    Gerardo Teissonnière is a Puerto Rican pianist and teacher.-Education:Gerardo Teissonnière studied at the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico with Jesús Maria Sanromá and at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Vitya Vronsky , both disciples of Artur Schnabel and Alfred Cortot, and at the Aspen...

    , Classical pianist and teacher
  • Daniel Ticotin
    Sahaj (musician)
    Daniel "Sahaj" Ticotin , is an American musician, vocalist, record producer, and member of the rock band, Ra. Sahaj was born to a Puerto Rican mother and a Russian-Jewish father. During a pilgrimage to India in 1992, he studied meditation and was given the name "Sahaj"...

    a.k.a. "Sahaj", Singer and musician
    vocalist/guitarist from the Rock band Ra
    Ra (U.S. band)
    Ra is an American alternative metal band from Los Angeles, California, taking their name from the Egyptian sun god. The band has been around since the 1990s, but did not actually evolve into its current form until 2002...

    . Brother of actress Rachel Ticotin
    Rachel Ticotin
    Rachel Ticotin is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Ticotin was born in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Iris Torres, a Puerto Rican educator, and Abe Ticotin, a Russian Jewish used car salesman. Her brother, Sahaj, is a musician and the lead singer for his rock group, Ra...

    .
  • Juan Tizol
    Juan Tizol
    Juan Tizol was a Puerto Rican trombonist and composer.He was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Music was a large part of his life from an early age. His first instrument was the violin, but he soon switched to valve trombone, the instrument he would play throughout his career...

    , Jazz musician and composer
  • "TKA
    TKA
    TKA was a Latin Freestyle trio that was prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s, mainly in New York City and Miami, Florida. Its members were Tony Ortiz, Louis "Kayel" Sharpe, and Alejandro "Aby" Escoto later replaced by Angel "Love" Vasquez. The acronym TKA represents their collective initials...

    ", Freestyle trio
  • Ray Toro, Guitarist
    Lead guitarist of My Chemical Romance
    My Chemical Romance
    My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...

    .
  • Yomo Toro
    Yomo Toro
    Victor Guillermo Toro is a guitarist and one of Puerto Rico's most famous cuatro players...

    Musician, guitarist, and "cuatrista"
  • Manoella Torres
    Manoella Torres
    Manoella Torres, "the woman who was born to sing", is an American singer and actress of Puerto Rican background based in Mexico who has had a extensive career that continues to this day...

    , Singer
  • Eladio Torres
    Eladio Torres
    Eladio Torres , is a Puerto Rican poet, musician,composer and singer, whose danza, "Tu vives en mi pensamiento" is one of the three most popular Puerto Rican Danzas of the 20th century...

    Musician, singer and composer
  • Nestor Torres
    Nestor Torres
    Nestor Torres is a jazz flautist who was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico in 1957. He took flute lessons at age 12 and began formal studies at the Escuela Libre de Música, eventually attending Puerto Rico’s Inter-American University. At 18, he moved to New York with his family...

    , Musician
    Torres is a Latin Grammy award winning preeminent flautist in the Latin jazz genre.
  • Tommy Torres
    Tommy Torres
    Tommy Torres is a Grammy Award winning producer, singer, and songwriter. Named as the No. 1 Hot Latin Tracks producer of 2007 by Billboard Magazine and Composer of the Year at 2010 ASCAP's Latin Music Awards, Torres has written and produced songs for many artists such as Ricardo Arjona, Ednita...

    , Singer, composer, musician
  • Tony Touch
    Tony Touch
    Tony Touch is an American hip hop break dancer, rapper, DJ, producer and actor of Puerto Rican descent.Tony Touch began as a B-boy during the rap music renaissance era of the early 1980s...

    , Singer


V
  • Yolanda Vadiz
    Yolanda Vadiz
    Yolanda Vadiz was a Puerto Rican soprano. She got her Bachelor of Arts degree in Puerto Rico and her Master's degree in Manhattan School of Music in New York. While in New York, she sang the leading role in the zarzuela "Dona Francisquita" for the Repertorio Español theater company housed at the...

    , Gospel
    Gospel
    A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...

     singer
  • Gary Valenciano
    Gary Valenciano
    Edgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano , better known as Gary Valenciano or Gary V., is a Filipino musician. He is also dubbed as Mr. Pure Energy. He has released 26 albums, and won the Awit Awards for "Best Male Performer" 11 times. In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador...

    , Filipino musician (Puerto Rican mother)
  • Bobby Valentín
    Bobby Valentin
    Bobby Valentin, also known as "El Rey del Bajo" , is a musician and salsa bandleader.-Early years:...

    , Musician/bandleader
  • Mario Vázquez
    Mario Vazquez
    Mario Adrián Vázquez is a Puerto Rican-American singer from The Bronx, New York City. He competed on American Idol's fourth season, which aired on the FOX network in early 2005.-Early life:...

    , Pop and R&B singer
    former American Idol
    American Idol
    American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

     contestant (2005).
  • Alan Vega
    Alan Vega
    Alan Vega For several years other sources stated that he was born in 1948 – see 'Myth' section is an American vocalist, primarily known for his work with electronic protopunk duo, Suicide...

    , Rock singer
    Member of Suicide
    Suicide (band)
    Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....

  • Little Louie Vega
    Little Louie Vega
    Luis Fernando Vager , better known as "Little" Louie Vega, is an American musician and one half of the Masters At Work musical production team...

    , Producer/musician
    Member of Masters At Work
    Masters At Work
    Masters at Work is the house/garage production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. They first worked together using the name, which had been given to them by mutual friend Todd Terry , in 1990...

  • Tony Vega
    Tony Vega
    Tony Vega is a renowned salsa singer and bandleader.-Early years:Vega received his primary education in his hometown. He was born into a family of musicians and therefore learned how to play the bongos and conga at an early age. In 1967, when he was 10 years old, he played the conga for a kids...

    , Salsa singer
  • Lisa Velez, Singer
    Singer of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
    Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
    Lisa Lisa and her band Cult Jam were an urban contemporary band and one of first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of guitarist/bassist Alex "Spanador" Moseley, and drummer/keyboardist Mike Hughes...

    .
  • Wilkins Vélez
    Wilkins Vélez
    German Wilkins Vélez, commonly known as Wilkins , is a Puerto Rican pop music singer and composer.-Early years:Wilkins was born in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, but raised in Mexico City, Mexico. His father, Germán Vélez Forestier, was a radio announcer and part-time singer...

    simply known as "Wilkins", Singer and composer
  • "Veronica
    Veronica (singer)
    Veronica is a dance music singer and theatrical actress. Along with singers Ultra Nate, Deborah Cox, she is considered to be one of the divas of the 1990s club music scene...

    ", American dance singer and actress


W
  • "Wisin & Yandel
    Wisin & Yandel
    Wisin & Yandel are a Puerto Rican reggaeton Duo, consisting of Juan Luis Morera Luna and Llandel Veguilla Malavé Salazar . They started their career in 1998 and have been together since, winning several awards during that time....

    "
    , Reggaeton duo,
    Known as "El Duo de la Historia"


Y
  • "Yaga y Mackie", Reggaeton duo
  • "Yomo
    Yomo
    Yomo is a Puerto Rican reggaeton recording artist. He was raised in the barrio of Tres Puntos, Humacao, Puerto Rico...

    , Reggaeton artist


Z
  • "Miguel Zenón
    Miguel Zenon
    Miguel Zenón is an alto saxophonist, composer and bandleader.-Biography:Miguel Zenón was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While studying at the Escuela Libre de Musica in San Juan, he won a scholarship to the “Berklee in Puerto Rico” program of the Berklee College of Music and a scholarship to...

    "
    , jazz saxophonist
  • "Zion y Lennox
    Zion y Lennox
    Zion & Lennox are a reggaeton duo from Carolina, Puerto Rico. As of 2010, Zion & Lennox released their 3rd studio album titled Los Verdaderos under Pina Records.- Career :...

    "
    , Reggaeton duo

Criminals and outlaws

Pre-20th Century
  • Roberto Cofresí
    Roberto Cofresí
    Roberto Cofresí , better known as "El Pirata Cofresí", was the most renowned pirate in Puerto Rico. He became interested in sailing at a young age. By the time he reached adulthood there were some political and economic difficulties in Puerto Rico, which at the time was a colony of Spain...


    Pirate
  • José Maldonado Román
    José Maldonado Román
    José Maldonado Román a.k.a. "Aguila Blanca" was a Puerto Rican revolutionary who fought with the Cuban Liberation Army and whose controversial exploits in Puerto Rico have contributed to making him part of Puerto Rican lore....


    Revolutionary, considered an outlaw by the authorities and a hero along the lines of Robin Hood by the local "Jibaros" (humble farmers).

20th Century
  • Salvador Agron
    Salvador Agron
    Salvador Agron The correct spelling of his surname in Spanish is Agrón. But the biography by Jacoby, his personal friend, uses the americanized spelling Agron exclusively throughout...

    a.k.a. "The Capeman"
    Criminal and poet.
  • Antonio Correa Cotto
    Antonio Correa Cotto
    Antonio Correa Cotto, also known simply as Correa Cotto, , was the first outlaw to gain legendary status in Puerto Rico.-Early years:Correa Cotto was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...


    Outlaw.
  • Lydia Echevarría
    Lydia Echevarría
    Lydia Echevarría is a Puerto Rican actress who was convicted of plotting the murder of her husband, renowned Puerto Rican television show producer, Luis Vigoreaux.-Early years:...


    Actress, criminal.
  • Antonio García López
    Antonio Garcia Lopez (criminal)
    Francisco Antonio García López , also known as Toño Bicicleta , was a Puerto Rican criminal famous for escaping from jail several times. García managed to become part of Puerto Rican folklore and the object of constant references in popular culture...

    a.k.a. "Toño Bicicleta"
    outlaw.
  • Raymond Márquez
    Raymond Márquez
    Raymond Márquez , a.k.a. "Spanish Raymond" is a reputed American gangster of Puerto Rican descent who was considered the "king" of the illegal numbers racket in Harlem from the 1950s until his retirement in 2001.-Early years:...

    a.k.a. "Spanish Raymond"
    Harlem numbers kingpin
  • Isabel la Negra
    Isabel la Negra
    Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer , better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously...


    Madam
    Madam
    Madam, or madame, is a polite title used for women which, in English, is the equivalent of Mrs. or Ms., and is often found abbreviated as "ma'am", and less frequently as "ma'm". It is derived from the French madame, which means "my lady", the feminine form of lord; the plural of ma dame in this...

     of a brothel
    Brothel
    Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...

    .
  • Tony Tursi
    Tony Tursi
    Anthony Tursi was an Italian-American organized crime figure who ran nightclubs in San Juan, Puerto Rico during the 1950s and 1970s....


    Mobster


21st Century
  • José "Junior Cápsula" Figueroa Agosto
    José "Junior Cápsula" Figueroa Agosto
    José Figueroa Agosto, or Junior Cápsula is an international drug kingpin who operated in the United States territory of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republican, captured in 2010 after 11 years as a fugitive...


    Drug kingpin and porn star known as "the Pablo Escobar
    Pablo Escobar
    Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...

     of the Caribbean"
  • José Padilla
    Convicted supporter of terrorism.

Diplomats

20th Century
  • Adrian A. Basora
    Adrian A. Basora
    Adrian Anthony Basora is an American diplomat, and former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic. He is currently a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute researching democratization in the post-Communist states of Europe and Central Asia, and a member of the Council on...


    former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic
    Czech Republic
    The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

  • Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón
    Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón
    Gabriel Guerra-Mondragón was the United States Ambassador to Chile from 1994-1998. Nominated by President Bill Clinton in July 1994, and was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 4 of that year...


    former U.S. Ambassador to Chile
    Chile
    Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

  • Luis Guinot
    former U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica
    Costa Rica
    Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

  • Victor Marrero
    Victor Marrero
    Victor Marrero is a United States federal judge appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by President Bill Clinton in 1999...


    former U.S. Ambassador to the OAS
    Organization of American States
    The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...

  • Spencer Matthews King
    Spencer Matthews King
    Spencer Matthews King is a former U.S. Ambassador to the South American nation of Guyana. Appointed by President Richard Nixon on May 27, 1969, he presented his credentials to Governor-General Sir Richard Edmonds Luyt on October 15, 1969, in the capital city of Georgetown...


    former U.S. Ambassador to Guyana
    Guyana
    Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...

  • Edward G. Miller, Jr.
    Edward G. Miller, Jr.
    Edward G. Miller, Jr. was a United States lawyer who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs from 1949 to 1952.-Biography:...


    Miller was a lawyer who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs from 1949 to 1952.
  • Teodoro Moscoso
    Teodoro Moscoso
    Teodoro Moscoso Mora , was a Puerto Rican politician known as "the architect of "Operation Bootstrap".-Early years:...


    former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela
    Venezuela
    Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

     and head of Alliance for Progress
    Alliance for Progress
    The Alliance for Progress initiated by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 aimed to establish economic cooperation between the U.S. and South America.-Origin and goals:...

     (see also politicians)
  • Horacio Rivero
    Admiral (Ret.), former U.S. Ambassador to Spain (see also Military)
  • Edward Romero
    former U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra
    Andorra
    Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...



21st Century
  • Mari Carmen Aponte
    Mari Carmen Aponte
    Mari Carmen Aponte is a Washington DC-based Puerto Rico-born attorney who serves, due to a recess appointment by President Barack Obama, as ambassador to El Salvador.-Personal life:...


    U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador
    El Salvador
    El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

  • César Benito Cabrera
    Cesar Benito Cabrera
    César Benito Cabrera was the former United States Ambassador to the island nations of Mauritius and the Seychelles, both located in the Indian Ocean. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on June 6, 2006. His appointment was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 13, 2006...


    former U.S. Ambassador to Mauritius
    Mauritius
    Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

     and the Seychelles
    Seychelles
    Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....

  • Hans Hertell
    Hans Hertell
    Hans Helmut Hertell is a former United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Nominated by President George W. Bush in the summer of 2001, Hertell was sworn in as Ambassador on November 8, 2001...


    former U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic
    Dominican Republic
    The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

  • Carmen Martinez
    former U.S. Ambassador to Zambia
    Zambia
    Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....


Educators

  • Dr. Ursula Acosta Educator
    One of the founding members of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía (Puerto Rican Genealogical Society)
  • Alfredo M. Aguayo
    Alfredo M. Aguayo
    Alfredo M. Aguayo was a Puerto Rican educator and writer. He studied and lived in Cuba, and was a professor at the University of Havana. His teachings and his written works molded several generations of Cubans.-Early years:...

    Educator and writer
    Established the first laboratory of child psychology at the University of Havana
  • Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda
    Carlos Albizu Miranda
    Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda is the first Hispanic educator to have a North American University renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D...

    Psychologist
    Psychologist
    Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...

    , educator
    First Hispanic Educator to have a North American University renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a PhD in Psychology in the United States.
  • Dr. Margot Arce de Vázquez
    Margot Arce de Vázquez
    Dr. Margot Arce de Vázquez was a writer, essayist and educator who founded the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language.-Early years:...

    Educator
    Founder of the Department of Hispanic Studies in the University of Puerto Rico.
  • Dr. Jaime Benítez
    Jaime Benitez
    Jaime Benítez Rexach was a Puerto Rican author, academic and politician. He was the longest serving chancellor and the first president of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early life:...

    Former Resident Commissioner
    Longest serving chancellor and president of the University of Puerto Rico
    University of Puerto Rico
    The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...

  • Frank Bonilla
    Frank Bonilla
    Professor Frank Bonilla was an American academic of Puerto Rican descent who became a leading figure in Puerto Rican Studies...

    Educator
    Academic who became a leading figure in Puerto Rican Studies.
  • Dr. Carlos A. Chardón
    Carlos A. Chardón
    for Dr. Carlos E. Chardón, the first Puerto Rican mycologist and the first Puerto Rican to hold the position of Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico, see: Carlos E. Chardón.Dr. Carlos A...

    Educator
    Chardón was the only Puerto Rican to serve twice as Puerto Rico Secretary of Education
  • Dr. Edna Coll
    Edna Coll
    Dr. Edna Coll was an educator and author. Coll, who came from a prominent family of Puerto Rican politicians and writers,See: "Notable family members" section was President of the Society of Puerto Rican Authors in San Juan...

    Educator and author
    Coll was President of the Society of Puerto Rican Authors in San Juan. She was also the founder of the Academy of Fine Arts in Puerto Rico.
  • Rafael Cordero Educator
    Declared Venerable in 2004 by Pope John Paul II; process for beatification is now in motion with Benedictine Fr. Oscar Rivera as Procurator of the Cause.
  • Dr. Waded Cruzado
    Waded Cruzado
    Waded Cruzado-Salas, is a Puerto Rican professor, educator, and university administrator. She is the 12th president of Montana State University-Bozeman.-Education and Biography:...

    first Hispanic president of Montana State University
  • Eugenio María de Hostos
    Eugenio María de Hostos
    Eugenio María de Hostos known as "El Ciudadano de América" , was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate....

    Educator
    In Peru, Hostos helped to develop that country's educational system and spoke against the harsh treatment given to the Chinese who lived there. He stayed in Chile from 1870 to 1873. During his stay there, he taught at the University of Chile and gave a speech titled "The Scientific Education of Women." He proposed in his speech that governments permit women in their colleges. Soon after, Chile allowed women to enter its college educational system. (see also Politicians and Authors)
  • Angelo Falcón
    Angelo Falcón
    Angelo Falcón is a political scientist best known for starting the Institute for Puerto Rican Policy in New York City in the early 1980s, a nonprofit and nonpartisan policy center that focuses on Latino issues in the United States. It is now known as the National Institute for Latino Policy and...

    Political scientist
    Author of "Atlas of Stateside Puerto Ricans" (2004) and co-editor of the book, "Boricuas in Gotham: Puerto Ricans in the Making of Modern New York City" (2004).
  • Dr. José Ferrer Canales
    José Ferrer Canales
    Dr. José Ferrer Canales , was an educator, writer and a pro-independence political activist.-Early years:...

    Educator, writer and activist.
  • Dr. Antonio García Padilla
    Antonio García Padilla
    Antonio García Padilla is a Puerto Rican scholar born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1954. He was president of the University of Puerto Rico.-Training:...


    President, UPR
    UPR
    UPR may refer to:*Popular Republican Union was a Christian democratic party in Alsace, France during the Third Republic. Founded in 1919, the UPR became the dominant party in Alsace during the Interwar era....

    , (2001–2009), former Dean of UPR Law School.
  • Dr. Megh R. Goyal
    Megh R. Goyal
    Megh R. Goyal is an engineer and professor in Puerto Rico. He has been called the father of irrigation engineering in Puerto Rico.-Education:...

    Professor/Historian/Scientist
    Father of Irrigation Engineering in Puerto Rican, Professor in Agricultural & Biomedical Engineering University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez
  • Dr. Concha Meléndez
    Concha Meléndez
    Dr. Concha Meléndez was an educator, poet, and writer.-Early years:Meléndez was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education...

    Educator, writer poet.
  • Ana G. Méndez
    Ana G. Méndez
    Ana G. Méndez was an educator who founded the Ana G. Mendez University System in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    Educator
    Founder of the Ana G. Mendez University System
    Ana G. Mendez University System
    The Ana G. Méndez University System —or Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez in Spanish— is a private institution of higher education in Puerto Rico...

    .
  • Dr. Antonia Pantoja
    Antonia Pantoja
    Dr. Antonia Pantoja , educator, social worker, feminist, civil rights leader and founder of ASPIRA, the Puerto Rican Forum, Boricua College and Producir.-Early years:...

    Educator
    Founder of "ASPIRA" was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
    Presidential Medal of Freedom
    The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...

    .
  • Dr. Ángel Ramos
    Ángel Ramos (educator)
    Dr. Ángel Ramos was the founder of the National Hispanic Council of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Superintendent of the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind, and was one of the few deaf person of Hispanic descent to earn a doctorate from Gallaudet University.-Early years:Ramos was born in San...

    Educator
    Superintendent of the Sequoia Schools for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Ramos is one of the few deaf Hispanics to earn a doctorate from Gallaudet University
  • Dr.Juan A. Rivero
    Juan A. Rivero
    Dr. Juan A. Rivero, the founder of the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo at the University of Puerto Rico's Mayagüez Campus, was born on March 5, 1923 in Puerto Rico.-Education:...

    Educator
    Founded the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo
    Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo
    Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo is a zoo located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It is the only zoo on the island. It is named in honor of Juan A. Rivero, its first director. It has an extensive collection of animals from all continents, as well as new facilities.-History:...

     in Mayagüez, has discovered numerous animal species and has written several books.
  • Ana Roque
    Ana Roque
    Ana Roque de Duprey, also known as "Flor del Valle" , , was an educator, suffragist and one of the founders of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    Educator and suffragist
    Roque was one of the founders of the University of Puerto Rico.
  • Dr. Carlos E. Santiago
    Carlos E. Santiago
    Carlos E. Santiago is a Puerto Rican American labor economist and the 7th chancellor of University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He was named Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic College Fund in 2010 after his resignation from UW-Milwaukee.-Biography:...


    Economist and Educator. Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
  • Ninfa Segarra
    Ninfa Segarra
    Ninfa Segarra is the last President of the New York City Board of Education. She served as President of the Board from 2000 to 2002 when the Board was abolished by the State of New York and power of the city schools of transferred to Mayor Michael Bloomberg....


    President of the New York City Board of Education 2000–2002.
  • Lolita Tizol
    Lolita Tizol
    Lolita Tizol was a Puerto Rican educator.Tizol was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on June 19, 1890. She spent her live educating children at a time when most people in Ponce, as most of Puerto Rico, did not know how to read and write, and when teachers were paid only $50USD per month, even in the large...

    Educator
    Early 1900s Educator: at a time when most people in Ponce, as most of Puerto Rico, did not know how to read and write, and when teachers were paid only $50 per month, even in the large cities, Tizol took it upon herself to overcome all challenges to help others.
  • Nilita Vientos Gaston
    Nilita Vientos Gastón
    Nilita Vientós Gaston was an educator, writer, journalist and the first female lawyer to work for the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    Educator
    Vientos Gaston was the first female lawyer to work for the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico. She defended the use of the Spanish language in the courts of Puerto Rico, before the Supreme Court, and won
  • Mariano Villaronga-Toro
    Mariano Villaronga-Toro
    Mariano Villaronga-Toro was a Puerto Rican educator and Commissioner of Public Instruction in Puerto Rico from 1946 to 1957. Under his leadership as Commissioner of Public Instruction, three major institutions that still stand today were put in place: the Department Press, the public radio and...

    Educator and public servant
    Villaronga Toro was the first Commissioner of Public Instruction after the creation of the Estado Libre Asociado. He instituted the use of Spanish as the official language of instruction in the Puerto Rico public education system, displacing instruction in English which had been pushed by the US-appointed colonial governors.

Governors

Pre-20th Century
  • Juan Ponce de León II
    Juan Ponce de Leon II
    Juan Ponce de León II , was the first Puerto Rican to assume, though temporarily, the governorship of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    ,
    First Puerto Rican acting governor, in 1579.


20th Century
  • Luis A. Ferré
    Luis A. Ferré
    Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...

    ,
    3rd elected governor of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973. (see also Industrialists).
  • Rafael Hernández Colón
    Rafael Hernández Colón
    Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...

    ,
    4th elected governor of Puerto Rico from 1973 to 1977, and then again from 1985 to 1993.
  • Juan Bernardo Huyke
    Juan Bernardo Huyke
    Juan Bernardo Huyke served as interim Governor of Puerto Rico several months in 1923.-Background:Huyke was born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico on June 11, 1880. He was the son of Don Enrique Huyke and Doña Carmen Bozello. He was an attorney, writer, publisher, educator, and statesman. He served as...

    ,
    He was the second Puerto Rican native to serve as temporary Governor of Puerto Rico. In 1923, he served as interim governor between the administrations of Emmet Montgomery Reily
    Emmet Montgomery Reily
    Emmet Montgomery Reily , sometimes E. Mont Reily, was a Texas and, later, Missouri politician who served a number of local offices, especially in Fort Worth and Kansas City. He was active in the Republican Party. He was later appointed as Governor of Puerto Rico by President Warren G...

     and Horace Mann Towner.
  • Luis Muñoz Marín
    Luis Muñoz Marín
    Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...

    ,
    1st elected governor of Puerto Rico from 1949 to 1965.
  • Jesús T. Piñero
    Jesus T. Piñero
    Jesús Toribio Piñero Jiménez was the first native Puerto Rican to be appointed governor of Puerto Rico by the Government of the United States.-Early years:...

    ,
    First Puerto Rican to be named governor of the Island by a U.S. President; served from 1946 to 1949.
  • Carlos Romero Barceló
    Carlos Romero Barceló
    Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...

    ,
    5th elected governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985.
  • Dr. Pedro Rosselló
    Pedro Rosselló
    Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...

    ,
    6th elected governor of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001.
  • Roberto Sánchez Vilella
    Roberto Sánchez Vilella
    Roberto Sánchez Vilella was the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969. He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...

    ,
    2nd elected governor of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969.


21st Century
  • Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
    Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
    Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...

    ,
    8th elected governor of Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2009.
  • Sila Calderón,
    7th elected and first female governor of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005.
  • Luis Fortuño
    Luis Fortuño
    Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

    ,
    9th elected governor of Puerto Rico from 2009 to present.

First Spouses of Puerto Rico

  • Kate Donnelly
    Kate Donnelly
    Kate Donnelly is the wife of former Governor of Puerto Rico Carlos Romero Barceló, and served as First Lady from 1977 to 1984. Prior to that, she served for eight years as First Lady of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital city....

    ,
    First Lady of Puerto Rico (1977–1985), Trustee, Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
    Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
    The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, the brainchild of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall, is a private, non-profit, Congressionally created, entity that owns and manages many of the most environmentally sensitive properties in Puerto Rico.The Trust is led by...

    .
  • Luisa Gándara
    Luisa Gándara
    Luisa "Piti" Gándara is the wife of former Governor of Puerto Rico Aníbal Acevedo Vilá and served as First Lady from 2005 to 2009.Following the tradition of previous Puerto Rico First Ladies, Gándara refrained from holding a remunerative job while a resident of La Fortaleza...

    ,
    First Lady of Puerto Rico (2005–2009).
  • Lila Mayoral Wirshing
    Lila Mayoral Wirshing
    Lila de las Mercedes Mayoral Wirshing was the wife of Governor of Puerto Rico Rafael Hernández Colón, and served as First Lady during his three terms as Governor .-Early years and marriage:...

    ,
    Youngest First Lady of Puerto Rico (1973–77, 1985–92).
  • Inés Mendoza
    Inés Mendoza
    Inés María Mendoza Rivera de Muñoz Marín , was a former First Lady of Puerto Rico, teacher, writer and socialite. She was the second wife of Governor Luis Muñoz Marín.-Biography:...

    ,
    First Lady of Puerto Rico, revered teacher and cultural leader.

Historians

  • Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra
    First historian to extensively document Puerto Rico's history, nationality and culture.
  • Dr. Delma S. Arrigoitia
    Delma S. Arrigoitia
    Dr. Delma S. Arrigoitia, PhD, J.D., is a historian, author, educator and lawyer whose written works cover the life and works of some of Puerto Rico's most prominent politicians of the early 20th century. Arrigoitia was also the first person in the University of Puerto Rico to earn a Masters Degree...

    , historian, author
    Arrigoitia was the first person in the University of Puerto Rico to earn a Masters Degree in the field of history. In 2010, her book, "Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo: Vida y Obra de Antonio R. Barcelo, 1868–1938", was recognized among the best in the category of "research and criticism" and awarded a first place prize by the Ateneo Puertorriqueño.
  • Dr. Pilar Barbosa
    Pilar Barbosa
    Dr. Pilar Barbosa de Rosario was an educator, historian and political activist.-Early years:Barbosa born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, was one of twelve children of Jose Celso Barbosa, also known as the "Father of the Puerto Rican Statehood Movement". Her father was a member of the Puerto Rican Senate...

    UPR
    UPR
    UPR may refer to:*Popular Republican Union was a Christian democratic party in Alsace, France during the Third Republic. Founded in 1919, the UPR became the dominant party in Alsace during the Interwar era....

     Professor, author
    First modern-day Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Pursuant to a law approved in 1903, "An Act for the Approval and Conservation of Certain Historical Data of Puerto Rico", the Puerto Rico Legislature created the Office of the Official Historian of Puerto Rico. The historians who held the position during the early decades of the 20th century...

    .
  • Dr. Salvador Brau
    Salvador Brau
    Dr. Salvador Brau Asencio , was a journalist, poet and writer from Puerto Rico. He was also a renowned historian.-Early years:...

    , historian
    Second Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Pursuant to a law approved in 1903, "An Act for the Approval and Conservation of Certain Historical Data of Puerto Rico", the Puerto Rico Legislature created the Office of the Official Historian of Puerto Rico. The historians who held the position during the early decades of the 20th century...

    .
  • Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste
    Cayetano Coll y Toste
    Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste , was a Puerto Rican historian and writer. He was the patriach of a prominent family of Puerto Rican, educators, politicians and writers.-Early years:...

    , writer
    Third Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Pursuant to a law approved in 1903, "An Act for the Approval and Conservation of Certain Historical Data of Puerto Rico", the Puerto Rico Legislature created the Office of the Official Historian of Puerto Rico. The historians who held the position during the early decades of the 20th century...

    .
  • Adolfo de Hostos
    Adolfo de Hostos
    Adolfo de Hostos served in the mid twentieth century, from January 1936 to 1950, as the fifth Official Historian of Puerto Rico, a position created in March, 1903, by the Puerto Rico Legislature....

    , historian
    Fifth Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Pursuant to a law approved in 1903, "An Act for the Approval and Conservation of Certain Historical Data of Puerto Rico", the Puerto Rico Legislature created the Office of the Official Historian of Puerto Rico. The historians who held the position during the early decades of the 20th century...

    .
  • Dr. Luis González Vale
    Luis González Vale
    Dr. Luis González Vale is the latest in a long line of historians who have held the post of Official Historian of Puerto Rico, having succeeded Dr. Pilar Barbosa in the post....


    Current Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Pursuant to a law approved in 1903, "An Act for the Approval and Conservation of Certain Historical Data of Puerto Rico", the Puerto Rico Legislature created the Office of the Official Historian of Puerto Rico. The historians who held the position during the early decades of the 20th century...

    .
  • Eduardo Neumann Gandía
    Eduardo Neumann Gandía
    Eduardo Neumann Gandía , was one of Puerto Rico's most accomplished historians. He is particularly best known for his 19th century "History of Ponce." He was born in San Juan, but died in Ponce, his "beloved city."...


    Respected historian, best known for his 19th-century "History of Ponce."
  • Francisco Mariano Quiñones
    Francisco Mariano Quiñones
    Francisco Mariano Quiñones was a proponent of the abolition of slavery and of the self-determination of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    , historian
    First Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Official Historian of Puerto Rico
    Pursuant to a law approved in 1903, "An Act for the Approval and Conservation of Certain Historical Data of Puerto Rico", the Puerto Rico Legislature created the Office of the Official Historian of Puerto Rico. The historians who held the position during the early decades of the 20th century...

    .

Journalists

  • José Julián Acosta
    José Julián Acosta
    José Julián Acosta Calbo , born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was a distinguished journalist and a fervent advocate of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    ,
    Acosta was a distinguished journalist and a fervent advocate of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico.
  • José Andino y Amezquita
    Jose Andino y Amezquita
    José Andino y Amezquita was a Nationalist and the first Puerto Rican journalist.-Early years:Andino y Amezquita was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico into a prominent and wealthy family. He was a direct descendant of Captain Juan de Amezquita, a Puerto Rican soldier who defended Puerto Rico from an...

    ,
    First Puerto Rican journalist.
  • María Celeste Arrarás
    María Celeste Arrarás
    Maria Celeste Arrarás is a Puerto Rican journalist and actress and the host and producer of Spanish language news program Al Rojo Vivo Con Maria Celeste.- Biography :...

    ,
    Anchor for "Al Rojo Vivo".
  • Isabel Cuchí Coll
    Isabel Cuchí Coll
    Isabel Cuchí Coll was a journalist, author and the Director of the "Sociedad de Autores Puertorriqueño"...

    , journalist and author
    Cuchi Coll was the granddaughter of Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste
    Cayetano Coll y Toste
    Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste , was a Puerto Rican historian and writer. He was the patriach of a prominent family of Puerto Rican, educators, politicians and writers.-Early years:...

     and niece of José Coll y Cuchí
    José Coll y Cuchí
    José Coll y Cuchi was a lawyer, writer and the founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. He was a member of a prominent Puerto Rican family of politicians, educators and writers See: "Notable family members" section .-Early years:Coll y Cuchi was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico...

    . She served as Director of the "Sociedad de Autores Puertorriqueño
  • Lynda Baquero
    Lynda Baquero
    Lynda Baquero is an American correspondent for WNBC news in New York City. Baquero has filed numerous reports for the station both at home and abroad, including a trip to Puerto Rico where she filed stories on the island’s economy and tourism...

    ,
    Reporter, WNBC
    WNBC
    WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...

     in New York City
  • Bárbara Bermudo
    Barbara Bermudo
    Bárbara Bermudo is a Puerto Rican journalist of Cuban descent.-Biography:Bermudo was born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. She hosts Primer Impacto, a Spanish language news program which covers predominantly human interest stories and is popular among the Hispanic population in the United States...

    ,
    Journalist, co-host of Univision
    Univision
    Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...

    s "Primer Impacto".
  • Marysol Castro
    Marysol Castro
    Marysol Castro is a television journalist and was weather anchor for the The Early Show on CBS in 2011. Prior to that, she was the weather and features correspondent for the weekend edition of Good Morning America on ABC from 2004 to 2010.-Early life and career:Born to Puerto Rican parents in New...

    ,
    Co-host for ABC
    American Broadcasting Company
    The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

    's "Good Morning America
    Good Morning America
    Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...

    ".
  • Christopher Crommett
    Christopher Crommett
    Christopher Crommett , was the CNN senior vice president in charge of CNN en Español, CNN's Spanish language division, from 2002-2009. Crommett is currently a media strategist with NewsCertified Exchange. He also serves as a consultant to businesses in the U.S. and Latin America.-Early...

    ,
    Atlanta-based Exec VP CNN en Español.
  • Carmen Dominicci
    Carmen Dominicci
    Carmen Lourdes Dominicci Ramos is a news anchor, television reporter and PSA representative.-Career:...

    ,
    Co-host of Univision
    Univision
    Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...

    s "Primer Impacto".
  • Manuel Fernández Juncos
    Manuel Fernández Juncos
    Manuel Fernández Juncos was a Spanish journalist, poet, author and humanitarian who wrote the official lyrics to La Borinqueña, Puerto Rico's official anthem.-Early years:...

    ,
    Journalist, wrote lyrics to "La Borinqueña
    La Borinqueña
    La Borinqueña is the official anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico became the "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952, the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, signed law #2 of July 24, 1952 that stated that the musical composition known as "La Borinqueña" was to...

    ".
  • Juan González
    Juan Gonzalez (journalist)
    Juan González is an American progressive broadcast journalist and investigative reporter. He has also been a columnist for the New York Daily News since 1987...

    ,
    New York City investigative journalist.
  • Aníbal González Irizarry
    Aníbal González Irizarry
    Aníbal González Irizarry - educator, journalist and news broadcaster.-Early years:Irizarry was born and raised in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, where he also received his primary and secondary education. He completed 3 years of high school at Sabana Grande High School before his family moved to...

    ,
    Former newscaster for "Telenoticias en accion".
  • Jackie Guerrido
    Jackie Guerrido
    Jackie Guerrido , is a television weather forecaster and journalist.-Early years:Guerrido was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education...

    ,
    Journalist and meteorologist for Univision
    Univision
    Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...

    s "Despierta America".
  • Kimberly Guilfoyle
    Kimberly Guilfoyle
    Kimberly Guilfoyle is an American cable news personality and is currently one of the rotating co-hosts on The Five on Fox News Channel at 5 pm EST , as well as the host of an Internet-only crime-related program for Fox News...

    ,
    Court TV Journalist and former first-lady of San Francisco (Puerto Rican mother).
  • Taina Hernandez
    Taina Hernandez
    Tai Hernandez is a reporter for WNYW and a former correspondent for ABC News.A native of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, Hernandez joined ABC News in 2001 as a correspondent for NewsOne, ABC's affiliate news service...

    ,
    former ABC
    American Broadcasting Company
    The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

     News television journalist.
  • César Andreu Iglesias
    César Andreu Iglesias
    César Andreu Iglesias was a Puerto Rican journalist, novelist, and short-story writer. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on July 31, 1915.-Independentista activities:...

    ,
    Founding editor of Claridad
    Claridad
    Claridad is a Spanish-language weekly newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was first published in June, 1959. Claridad served as the official publication of the Pro-Independence Movement and later the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. The paper has been praised for its strong political and...

     newspaper; novelist/political activist.
  • Carmen Jovet
    Carmen Jovet
    Carmen Jovet, , is a journalist, the first Puerto Rican woman news anchor in Puerto Rico.-Early years:Jovet was born and rasied in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico into a family where having a good education was important. She was considered a gifted child and quickly advanced in school...

    ,
    Journalist, first Puerto Rican woman named news anchor in Puerto Rico.
  • Michele LaFountain
    Michele LaFountain
    Michele LaFountain is the first Puerto Rican to become anchor of ESPN's Spanish version of SportsCenter.-Early years:Michele was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She earned a Bachelor's degree in English and American Literature at Harvard University...

    ,
    Anchor for the Spanish version of ESPN Sports Center
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

    .
  • Alycia Lane
    Alycia Lane
    Alycia Lane is an American television journalist. She serves as weekday morning anchor at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. Until January 2008, she was co-anchor of the weekday evening newscasts on KYW-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

    ,
    Journalist and news anchor on KYW-TV
    KYW-TV
    KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...

     in Philadelphia.
  • Lynda López
    Lynda Lopez
    Lynda López is an Emmy Award-winning Puerto Rican American journalist and the youngest sister of actress and singer Jennifer Lopez.-Early years:...

    ,
    New York City television news personality (sister of Jennifer Lopez
    Jennifer Lopez
    Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...

    ).
  • Natalie Morales
    Natalie Morales
    Natalie Leticia Morales is the news anchor for NBC's Today.-Career:Morales was an anchor and correspondent for MSNBC from 2002 to 2006...

    ,
    Journalist and news anchor on NBC
    NBC
    The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

    's The Today Show
  • Denisse Oller
    Denisse Oller
    Denisse Oller is a chef, broadcaster, journalist, newspaper columnist, and a former Emmy award winning and acclaimed national news anchor for Univision Network and Telemundo Network....

    ,
    Emmy-award winning New York City television news anchor.
  • Audrey Puente
    Audrey Puente
    Audrey Puente is a meteorologist for WWOR-TV in New York City. She is the daughter of legendary Latin percussionist Tito Puente and the sister of musician Tito Puente, Jr.. Puente succeeded WWOR veteran meteorologist Storm Field in January 2007 as the station's main meteorologist...

    ,
    New York City meteorologist (daughter of Tito Puente
    Tito Puente
    Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...

    ).
  • Carlos D. Ramirez
    Carlos D. Ramirez
    Carlos D. Ramirez was an American publisher who purchased El Diario La Prensa — the oldest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States — from the Gannett Company in 1989, and succeeded in turning around the paper's longstanding decline in readership and returned it to profitability.Ramirez was...

    ,
    Publisher of El Diario La Prensa
    El Diario La Prensa
    El Diario la Prensa is the largest and oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in New York City, and the oldest Spanish-language daily in the United States. Published by ImpreMedia, the paper covers local, national and international news with an emphasis on Latin America, as well as human-interest...

    , New York City's largest Spanish-language newspaper.
  • Jorge L. Ramos
    Jorge L. Ramos
    This article is about the New York-based journalist. For the Mexican news anchor, see Jorge Ramos .Jorge L. Ramos is the five-time Emmy Award winning senior anchor of the evening news on Telemundo's New York City affiliate, WNJU...

    ,
    Emmy-award winning New York City television news anchor.
  • Geraldo Rivera
    Geraldo Rivera
    Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...

    ,
    Attorney, journalist, writer, reporter and former talk show host. Rivera hosts the newsmagazine program Geraldo at Large, and appears regularly on Fox News Channel.
  • Darlene Rodriguez
    Darlene Rodriguez
    Darlene Rodriguez is co-anchor of Today in New York on WNBC. Rodriguez became co-anchor of the show in July 2003 after serving as a reporter for WNBC and then co-anchor of Weekend Today in New York....

    ,
    New York City television news anchor
  • Rubén Sánchez
    Rubén Sánchez
    Rubén Sánchez is the main radio news personality at Univisión Radio in San Juan, Puerto Rico as well as anchorman for several TV daily news interview programs....

    ,
    Radio and television journalist.
  • Edna Schmidt
    Edna Schmidt
    Edna Schmidt is a Journalist who was a news anchor for Noticiero Univision Edicion Nocturna. The journalist, who is of Puerto Rican descent, covered the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, the panic caused by the Anthrax threat and the execution of the Oklahoma bomber Timothy...

    ,
    Anchor for "Telefutura".
  • Ray Suarez
    Ray Suarez
    Rafael Suarez, Jr. , known as Ray Suarez, is an American broadcast journalist. Suarez joined the PBS NewsHour in 1999 and became a senior correspondent for the evening news program on the PBS television network. He is also host of the international news and analysis public radio program America...

    ,
    Senior Correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
  • Guillermo José Torres
    Guillermo José Torres
    Guillermo José Torres is a Puerto Rican television reporter and news anchorman.-External links:*...

    ,
    Journalist and news anchor for WAPA-TV
    WAPA-TV
    WAPA-TV is an independent television station located in San Juan, Puerto Rico transmitting over digital channel 27, virtual channel 4. The station is owned by InterMedia Partners and is branded as WAPA Television....

    .
  • Elizabeth Vargas
    Elizabeth Vargas
    Elizabeth Vargas is an American television journalist who is anchor of ABC's television newsmagazine 20/20 and ABC News Specials. She was previously an anchor of World News Tonight.-Early years:...

    ,
    Former co-anchor ABC
    American Broadcasting Company
    The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

     World News Tonight.
  • Jane Velez-Mitchell
    Jane Velez-Mitchell
    Jane Velez-Mitchell is an award winning television journalist and bestselling author. She currently has her own show on HLN, Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell . She is often seen commenting on high-profile cases for CNN, TruTV, E! and other national cable TV shows...

    ,
    Anchor for the HLN news network (Puerto Rican mother)

Judges and law enforcement

  • José Andreu García
    José Andreu García
    José Antonio Andreu García is a Puerto Rican jurist who served as Chief Justice of Puerto Rico from 1992 to 2003. He was known for his moderate approach to Constitutional Law.- Career and Education :...

    , PR Chief Justice
    Former PR Chief Justice and sports official.
  • José A. Cabranes
    José A. Cabranes
    José Alberto Cabranes , is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Formerly a practicing lawyer, government official, and law teacher, he was the first Puerto Rican appointed to a federal judgeship in the continental United States .-Background:Cabranes was born in...

    , 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
    First Puerto Rican to serve as a federal judge in the continental United States, mentioned as possible U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.Jose A. Diaz, Administrative Law Judge,N.Y.S.D.M.V.(1985–2001).
  • Albert Diaz, 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
    First Puerto Rican and first Hispanic Judge to serve the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Diaz was an Appellate Judge for the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals.
  • Nicholas Estavillo
    Nicholas Estavillo
    NYPD Chief of Patrol Nicholas Estavillo , is a former member of the New York Police Department who in 2002 became the first Puerto Rican and the first Hispanic in the history of the NYPD to reach the three-star rank of Chief of Patrol.-Early years:Estavillo was born and raised in the sector Hato...

    , NYPD Chief of Patrol (Ret.)
    In 2002, Estavillo became the first Puerto Rican and the first Hispanic in the history of the NYPD to reach the three-star rank of Chief of Patrol.
  • Luis Estrella Martínez
    Luis Estrella Martínez
    Attorney Luis Estrella-Martínez, born on November 17, 1971 in Puerto Rico, has been nominated by Governor Luis Fortuño to become the youngest Associate Justice of the current Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Confirmed by the Senate on May 11, 2011, he took office on May 25, 2011 at the age of 39 and...

    , youngest Associate Justice
    Associate Justice
    Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...

    , at 39, of the current 9-member Puerto Rico Supreme Court
  • Faith Evans
    Faith Evans (U.S. Marshal)
    Faith Evans is a former Hawaii state legislator and the first woman to serve as a United States Marshal. Evans, of Hawaiian and Puerto Rican descent, was appointed U.S. Marshal for the District of Hawaii by President Ronald Reagan on August 12, 1982...

    , U.S. Marshal
    Hawaiian-Puerto Rican, first woman to be named U.S. Marshal.
  • Julio M. Fuentes
    Julio M. Fuentes
    Julio M. Fuentes is a United States Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Fuentes is the first Hispanic judge to serve the Third Circuit.- Early life and education :...

    , 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
    First Puerto Rican and first Hispanic Judge to serve the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Gustavo Gelpí
    Gustavo Gelpí
    Gustavo Antonio Gelpí, Jr. is the youngest United States District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico.-Early life and career:Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gelpí received a B.A. from Brandeis University in 1987 and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1991 . He was a law clerk to Juan M...

    , U.S. District Judge
    Youngest United States District Judge (2006–present).
  • Alejandro González Malave
    Alejandro González Malavé
    Alejandro González Malavé was a Puerto Rican undercover agent who gained infamy with the Cerro Maravilla case scandal.González Malavé, an outspoken university political leader, graduated as a policeman in 1979, the same year he went to work undercover...

    , Undercover police officer
    controversial undercover police officer.
  • Federico Hernández Denton
    Federico Hernández Denton
    Federico Hernández Denton is the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Hernández received his Law Degree from Harvard University in 1969.-Biography:...

    , Chief Justice of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court
    Puerto Rico's first Consumer Affairs Secretary, current Chief Justice of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court.
  • Dora Irizarry
    Dora Irizarry
    Dora L. Irizarry is a Federal Judge in New York. She was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, on January 26, 1955, and was raised in the Bronx in New York City. She attended the Bronx High School of Science and went on to graduate from Yale University in 1976 and Columbia University Law School in...

    , Federal District Judge
    First female Hispanic state judge in New York.
  • Erick Kolthoff
    Erick Kolthoff
    Erick Kolthoff-Caraballo is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.Prior to being appointed on February 4, 2009 to the Supreme Court by Governor Luis Fortuño he had been appointed by former Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá as a Superior Court judge, for which he was unanimously...

    , Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
    Is the first Puerto Rican of African descent to be named Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
  • Irma Lozada, New York City Transit Police
    Lozada was the first female police officer to die in the line of duty in New York City.
  • Victor Marrero
    Victor Marrero
    Victor Marrero is a United States federal judge appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by President Bill Clinton in 1999...

    , Circuit Judge
  • José Meléndez-Pérez
    Jose Melendez-Perez
    José Meléndez-Pérez is a Puerto Rican-born United States Customs and Border Protection Inspector at Orlando International Airport who became a key figure for the 9/11 Commission when he refused entry to an alleged terrorist prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks.- Actions on August 4, 2001 :A...

    , INS officer
    INS
    Immigration and Naturalization Service
    The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...

     Officer who was named in 9/11 Commission Report; denied entry to terrorist in August 2001.
  • Roberto Rivera-Soto, New Jersey State Supreme Court Justice
    First Puerto Rican and Latino New Jersey State Supreme Court Justice.
  • Benito Romano
    Benito Romano
    Benito Romano is the first Puerto Rican to hold the United States Attorney's post in New York on an interim basis.-Early years:Romano's parents moved to New York City from Puerto Rico and settled down in the Bronx where he was born and raised. His grandfather, a dairy farmer, immigrated from...

    ,United States Attorney in New York
    First Puerto Rican to hold the United States Attorney's post in New York on an interim basis.
  • Clemente Ruiz Nazario
    Clemente Ruiz Nazario
    Clemente Ruiz Nazario was the first Puerto Rican appointed as a District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, which is the federal court for Puerto Rico. Since his appointment, all other appointments have been of Puerto Rican men and women...

    , U.S. Federal Judge of Puerto Rico
    First Puerto Rican U.S. Federal Judge of Puerto Rico.
  • Vanessa Ruiz
    Vanessa Ruiz
    Vanessa Ruiz is an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest court for the District of Columbia....

    , Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
    Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest court for the District of Columbia.
  • Joe Sánchez
    Joe Sánchez
    Joe Sánchez , is a former New York City police officer and author who published books about corruption within the New York City Police Department, or NYPD. Upon exposing the illegal acts committed by some high-ranking NYPD officers, Sánchez was arrested on the basis of false allegations which were...

    , Former New York City police officer
    Sánchez is a highly decorated former New York City police officer and author whose books give an insight as to the corruption within the department."
  • A. Cecil Snyder
    A. Cecil Snyder
    Aaron Cecil Snyder was an American lawyer who served as a prosecutor and judge in Puerto Rico.Snyder was born in Baltimore, Maryland. After attending Baltimore City College and Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate, he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1930.Snyder practiced law briefly...

    , Chief Justice and U.S. Attorney in Puerto Rico
    Controversial Chief Justice and U.S. Attorney in Puerto Rico.
  • Sonia Sotomayor
    Sonia Sotomayor
    Sonia Maria Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice....

    , U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
    First Puerto Rican woman to serve as an (2d Cir.) U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge and to be nominated and confirmed as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
  • Pedro Toledo
    Pedro Toledo
    Pedro Toledo Dávila is a former Superintendent of the Puerto Rico Police Department. He is known for serving as such for two non-consecutive terms, under two different administrations...

    , Puerto Rico Police Superintendent
    Retired FBI senior agent and longest-serving state police superintendent.
  • Juan R. Torruella
    Juan R. Torruella
    Juan R. Torruella is a Puerto Rican jurist, who currently serves as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He is the first and to date only Hispanic to serve in that court.-Education:...

    , 1st Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
    First Puerto Rican to serve as Chief Judge of the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • José Trías Monge
    José Trías Monge
    José Trías Monge was a lawyer and judge in Puerto Rico. He served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1974 to 1985. He was appointed, without any prior court service, by Gov...

    , Chief Justice
    Former Chief Justice, Attorney General of Puerto Rico and author.
  • Carmen Consuelo Vargas, Puerto Rican Federal District Judge
    First female Puerto Rican federal district judge and Chief Judge.

Military


17th century
  • Juan de Amezquita
    Juan de Amezquita
    Captain Juan de Amezquita , was a Puerto Rican soldier who defended Puerto Rico from an invasion by the Dutch in 1625. He fought and wounded Captain Balduino Enrico who was ordered by the Dutch Government to capture Puerto Rico.-Early years:Amezquita was born and raised in the town of San...

    , Captain, Puerto Rican Militia
    Defeated Captain Balduino Enrico (Boudewijn Hendricksz), who in 1625 was ordered by the Dutch to capture Puerto Rico.


18th century
  • Rafael Conti
    Rafael Conti
    Colonel Rafael Conti, also spelled "Conty" was a Puerto Rican who joined the Spanish Army and was placed in charge of the Puerto Rican Militia in the town of Aguadilla. In 1790, he captured 11 enemy ships involved in smuggling stolen goods. In 1797, he helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defend...

    , Colonel, Spanish Army
    In 1790, Conti captured 11 enemy ships involved in smuggling stolen goods. In 1797, he helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defend Puerto Rico from a British invasion in his hometown, Aguadilla. In 1809, he organized a military expedition fight with the aim of returning Hispaniola, which now comprise the nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, back to Spanish rule.
  • Antonio de los Reyes Correa
    Antonio de los Reyes Correa
    Capt. Antonio de los Reyes Correa , also known as El Capitán Correa, was a Puerto Rican soldier who defended the town of Arecibo from a British invasion.-Early years:...

    , Captain, Spanish Army
    Puerto Rican hero who defended the town Arecibo
    Arecibo
    Arecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...

     in 1702 from an invasion by defeating the British. He was awarded "La Medalla de Oro de la Real Efigie" (The Gold Medal of the Royal Image), by King Philip V of Spain and given the title of "Captain of Infantry"
  • José and Francisco Díaz
    Jose and Francisco Diaz
    Sergeants José "Pepe" Díaz and Francisco Díaz were two cousins in the Toa Alta Militia who helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defend Puerto Rico from a British invasion in 1797.-Early years:...

    , Sergeants, Puerto Rican militia
    The Díaz were cousins in the Toa Baja Militia who helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defend Puerto Rico from a British invasion in 1797.
  • Miguel Henríquez, Captain, Spanish Navy
    In 1713, Henríquez defeated the British in Vieques and was awarded the La Medalla de Oro de la Real Efigie (The Gold Medal of the Royal Effigy).


19th century
  • Juan Alonso Zayas
    Juan Alonso Zayas
    Second Lieutenant Juan Alonso Zayas , was a Puerto Rican in the Spanish Army who was the commander of the 2nd Expeditionary Battalion stationed in Baler which fought in the Siege of Baler in the Philippines.-Early years:...

    , 2nd Lieutenant, Spanish Army
    Alonso Zayas was the commander of the 2nd Expeditionary Battalion of the Spanish Army
    Spanish Army
    The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...

     stationed in Baler
    Baler, Aurora
    Baler is a 4th class municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines. It is the provincial capital of Aurora. According to the latest census, it has a population of 34,492 people and 5.955 members per household....

     which fought in the Siege of Baler
    Siege of Baler
    The Siege of Baler, from July 1, 1898 to June 2, 1899, was a battle of the Philippine Revolution and concurrently the Spanish-American War. Filipino revolutionaries laid siege to a fortified church manned by colonial Spanish troops in the town of Baler, Philippines for 11 months.The battle is...

     in the Philippines
    Philippines
    The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

    .
  • Francisco Gonzalo Marín
    Francisco Gonzalo Marin
    Lieutenant Francisco Gonzalo Marín, also known as Pachín Marín , considered by many as the designer of the Puerto Rican Flag was a poet and journalist who fought alongside José Martí as a member of the Cuban Liberation Army....

    , Lieutenant, Cuban Liberation Army
    Gonzalo Marin is considered by many as the designer of the Puerto Rican Flag
    Flag of Puerto Rico
    The flags of Puerto Rico represent and symbolize the island and people of Puerto Rico. The most commonly used flags of Puerto Rico are the current flag, which represents the people of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico; municipal flags, which represent the different regions of the island; political...

    . He was also a poet and journalist who fought alongside José Martí
    José Martí
    José Julián Martí Pérez was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. In his short life he was a poet, an essayist, a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was also a part of the Cuban...

     for Cuba's independence.
  • Demetrio O'Daly
    Demetrio O'Daly
    Field Marshal Demetrio O'Daly , was the first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Field Marshal in the Spanish Army. O'Daly was awarded the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando , the highest military decoration awarded by the Spanish government. He represented Puerto Rico as a delegate to the Spanish Courts...

    , Field Marshal, Spanish Army
    O'Daly was the first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Field Marshal
    Field Marshal
    Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...

     in the Spanish Army. O'Daly also was also elected as delegate to the Spanish Courts in representation of Puerto Rico.
  • Luis Padial
    Luis Padial
    Brigadier General Luis Padial , was a soldier, politician and one of the most important figures who was responsible for the abolishment of slavery in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...

    , Brigadier General, Spanish Army
    In 1863, Padial's battalion was deployed with the intention of "squashing" a pro-independence rebellion in the Dominican Republic
    Dominican Republic
    The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

     in which he was wounded. Padial played an essential role in the abolishment of slavery in Puerto Rico.
  • Ramón Power y Giralt
    Ramon Power y Giralt
    Captain Ramón Power y Giralt , commonly known only as "Ramón Power", was, according to Puerto Rican historian Lidio Cruz Monclova, among the first native born Puerto Ricans to refer to himself as a "Puerto Rican" and to fight for the equal representation of Puerto Rico in front of the parliamentary...

    , Captain, Spanish Navy
    Power y Giralt was a distinguished naval officier who during the years of 1808–1809 led the defense of the Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) against an invasion from Napoleon's French forces by enforcing a blockade in support of the Spanish ground troops.
  • Ángel Rivero Méndez
    Ángel Rivero Méndez
    Ángel Rivero Méndez was a Puerto Rican soldier, writer, journalist and a businessman who is credited with inventing the "Kola Champagne" soft drink...

    Captain, Spanish Army
    Rivero Méndez fired the first shot against the United States in the Spanish-American War
    Spanish-American War
    The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

     in Puerto Rico. Rivero Méndez later invented the "Kola Champagne", a soft drink .
  • Juan Ríus Rivera
    Juan Rius Rivera
    General Juan Ríus Rivera , was the General of the Cuban Liberation Army of the West upon the death of General Antonio Maceo.-Early years:...

    , Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Liberation Army.
    Ruis Rivera fought in "El Grito de Lares" under the command of Mathias Brugman
    Mathias Brugman
    Mathias Brugman , a.k.a. Mathias Bruckman, was a leader in Puerto Rico's independence revolution against Spain known as El Grito de Lares .-Early years:...

    . He also fought in Cuba's Ten Years' War
    Ten Years' War
    The Ten Years' War , also known as the Great War and the War of '68, began on October 10, 1868 when sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed Cuba's independence from Spain...

     (1868–1878) against Spain under the command of General Máximo Gómez
    Máximo Gómez
    Máximo Gómez y Báez was a Major General in the Ten Years' War and Cuba's military commander in that country's War of Independence ....

     and became the General of the Cuban Liberation Army of the West upon the death of General Antonio Maceo
    Antonio Maceo
    Antonio Maceo may refer to:*Antonio Maceo Grajales, commander in the Cuban revolutionary army*Antonio Maceo, a municipality of Santiago de Cuba named for the general*Antonio Maceo Airport, serving Santiago de Cuba...

    .
  • Augusto Rodríguez, Lieutenant, United States Union Army.
    Rodriguez was a member of the 15th Connecticut Regiment (a.k.a. Lyon Regiment) and served in the defenses of Washington, D.C.. He led his men in the Battles of Fredericksburg
    Battle of Fredericksburg
    The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...

     and Wyse Fork
    Battle of Wyse Fork
    The Battle of Wyse Fork was a battle fought in the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, resulting in a Union Army victory.-Background:...

      in the American Civil War
    American Civil War
    The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

    .
  • Manuel Rojas, Commander in Chief of the Puerto Rican Liberation Army
    On 28 September 1868, Manuel Rojas led 800 men and women in a revolt against Spanish rule and took the town of Lares in what is known as the Grito de Lares
    Grito de Lares
    El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...

    .
  • José Semidei Rodríguez
    José Semidei Rodríguez
    Brigadier General José Semidei Rodríguez . Before becoming a Brigadier General in the Cuban National Army,...

    , Brigadier General, Cuban Liberation Army.
    Semidei Rodríguez fought in Cuba's War of Independence
    Cuban War of Independence
    Cuban War of Independence was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War and the Little War...

     (1895–1898) and after Cuba gained its independence he continued to serve in that country as a diplomat.
  • Antonio Valero de Bernabé
    Antonio Valero de Bernabe
    Brigadier General Antonio Valero de Bernabé , aka The Liberator from Puerto Rico, was a military leader who fought for the independence of South America together with Simón Bolívar and who wanted the independence of Puerto Rico...

    , Brigadier General Latin American revolutions
    Latin American revolutions
    Latin American revolutions may refer to*Latin American wars of independence, the 18th- and 19th-century revolutionary wars against European colonial rule that led to the independence of the Latin American states....


    Valero de Bernabe fought against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte
    Napoleon I of France
    Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...

     at the Siege of Saragossa
    Siege of Saragossa (1808)
    The First Siege of Saragossa was a bloody struggle in the Peninsular War. A French army under General Jean-Antoine Verdier besieged, repeatedly stormed, and was repulsed from the Spanish city of Saragossa over the summer of 1808....

    . He joined the Mexican Revolutionary Army headed by Agustín de Iturbide
    Agustín de Iturbide
    Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...

     and was named Chief of Staff. He successfully fought for Mexico's independence from Spain. Later he fought alongside Simón Bolívar
    Simón Bolívar
    Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...

     and helped liberate South America from Spanish Colonial rule. Bernabe is known as the "Puerto Rican Liberator"


20th century
  • Humberto Acosta-Rosario
    Humberto Acosta-Rosario
    PFC Humberto Acosta-Rosario was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry ; 25th InfantryDivision, United States Army who is currently the only Puerto Rican MIA whose body has never been recovered....

    , Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
    Acosta-Rosario was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry (Mechanized); 25th Infantry Division, United States Army
    United States Army
    The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

    . He is currently the only Puerto Rican MIA
    Missing in action
    Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...

     whose body has never been recovered.
  • Ricardo Aponte
    Ricardo Aponte
    Brigadier General Ricardo "Rico" Aponte is a United States Air Force officer who was the first Hispanic Director, J-7, of the United States Southern Command, located in Miami, Florida.-Early years:...

    , Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
    Aponte is the former Director of the Innovation and Experimentation Directorate, United States Southern Command
    United States Southern Command
    The United States Southern Command , located in Miami, Florida, is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning and operations in Central and South America, the Caribbean The United States Southern Command...

    , the first Puerto Rican to hold said position.
  • Félix Arenas Gaspar
    Felix Arenas Gaspar
    Captain Félix Arenas Gaspar , a Puerto Rican, was a Captain in the Spanish Army who was posthumously awarded the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando for his actions in the Rif War....

    , Captain, Spanish Army
    Arenas Gapar was posthumously awarded the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando (Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand
    Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand
    The Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand , commonly known as Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand , is Spain's highest military award for gallantry...

     – Spain's version of the Medal of Honor) for his actions in the Rif War
    Rif War (1920)
    The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...

    .
  • Domingo Arroyo, Jr., Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps
    Arroyo was the first Puerto Rican
    Puerto Rican people
    A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

     and American serviceman to be killed in Operation Restore Hope during the Somalian Civil War.
  • Joseph (José) B. Aviles, Sr.
    Joseph B. Aviles, Sr.
    CWO2 Joseph B. Aviles, Sr. , served in the U.S. Navy and later in the Coast Guard. On September 28, 1925, Aviles became the first Hispanic Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard...

    , CWO2, U.S. Coast Guard
    On 28 September 1925, Aviles became the first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard
    United States Coast Guard
    The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

    . During World War II he received a war-time promotion to Chief Warrant Officer, becoming the first Hispanic to reach that level as well.
  • Rafael Celestino Benítez
    Rafael Celestino Benitez
    Rear Admiral Rafael Celestino Benítez was a highly decorated submarine commander who led the rescue effort of the crew members of the during the Cold War. After retiring from the Navy, he was Pan American World Airways' vice president for Latin America...

    , Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
    Benítez was a highly decorated submarine commander who led the rescue effort of the crew members of the USS Cochino which was involved in the first American undersea spy mission of the Cold War
    Cold War
    The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

    .
  • Carlos Betances Ramírez
    Carlos Betances Ramirez
    Colonel Carlos Betances Ramírez , was the only Puerto Rican to command a Battalion in the Korean War.-Early years:...

    , Colonel, U.S. Army
    Betances Ramírez was the first Puerto Rican to command a battalion in the Korean War
    Korean War
    The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

    . In 1952, he assumed the command of the 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment.
  • José M. Cabanillas
    Jose M. Cabanillas
    Rear Admiral José M. Cabanillas , was an Executive Officer of the USS Texas which participated in the invasions of North Africa and the Battle of Normandy during World War II.-Early years:...

    , Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
    In World War II Cabanillas was Executive Officer of the USS Texas
    USS Texas
    Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Texas, in honor of the state of Texas:, the US Navy's first battleship, which served from 1895 until 1911, a New York-class dreadnought battleship that served in both World Wars, the second Virginia-class nuclear guided missile cruiser ,...

     and participated in the invasions of Africa and Normandy (D-Day
    D-Day
    D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

    ).
  • Richard Carmona
    Richard Carmona
    Richard Henry Carmona is an American physician, public health administrator, and politician. He was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as the seventeenth Surgeon General of the United States. Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002, Carmona left office...

    M.D., Vice Admiral, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
    Carmona served as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States
    Surgeon General of the United States
    The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government...

     under President George W. Bush
    George W. Bush
    George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

    .
  • Modesto Cartagena
    Modesto Cartagena
    Sergeant First Class Modesto Cartagena , was a member of the United States Army who served in the 65th Infantry Regiment, an all-Puerto Rican regiment also known as "The Borinqueneers," during World War II and the Korean War...

    , Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
    Cartagena, the most decorated Hispanic soldier in history, distinguished himself in combat during the Korean War as a member of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry and is being considered for the Medal of Honor.
  • Carmen Contreras-Bozak
    Carmen Contreras-Bozak
    Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak was the first Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps where she served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions.-Early years:...

    , Tech4, U.S. Women's Army Corps
    Contreras-Bozak was the first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps
    Women's Army Corps
    The Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...

    . She served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions during World War II.
  • Juan César Cordero Dávila
    Juan Cesar Cordero Davila
    Major General Juan César Cordero Dávila , was the commanding officer of the 65th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War, rising to become one of the highest ranking ethnic officers in the United States Army.-Early years:...

    , Major General, U.S. Army
    Cordero Dávila was the commanding officer of the 65th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War, thus becoming one of the highest ranking ethnic officers in the Army.
  • Encarnación Correa
    Puerto Ricans in World War I
    Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. One of the consequences of the Spanish-American War was that Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States...

    , Sergeant, U.S. Army
    Correa was the person who fired the first warning shots in World War I on behalf of the United States against a ship flying the colors of the Central Powers, when on 21 March 1915, under the orders of then-Lieutenant Teófilo Marxuach, he manned a machine gun and opened fire on the "Odenwald" an armed German supply ship trying to force its way out of the San Juan Bay.
  • Ruben A. Cubero
    Ruben A. Cubero
    Brigadier General Ruben A. Cubero was a highly decorated member of the United States Air Force who became the first Hispanic graduate of the United States Air Force Academy to be named Dean of the Faculty of the academy.-Early years:...

    , Brigadier General U.S. Air Force
    Cubero was a highly decorated member of the United States Air Force
    United States Air Force
    The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

     who in 1991, became the first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     graduate of the United States Air Force Academy
    United States Air Force Academy
    The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

     to be named Dean of the Faculty of the academy.
  • Pedro Del Valle
    Pedro del Valle
    Lieutenant General Pedro Augusto del Valle was a United States Marine Corps officer who became the first Hispanic to reach the rank of Lieutenant General...

    , Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps
    Del Valle was the first Hispanic three-star Marine general. His military career included service in World War I, Haiti
    Haiti
    Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

     and Nicaragua
    Nicaragua
    Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

     during the so-called Banana Wars
    The Banana Wars
    The Banana Wars were a series of occupations, police actions, and interventions involving the United States in Central America and the Caribbean. This period started with the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the subsequent Treaty of Paris, which gave the United States control of Cuba and Puerto Rico...

     of the 1920s, and in the seizure of Guadalcanal
    Guadalcanal
    Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...

     and later as Commanding General of the U.S. 1st Marine Division during World War ll played an instrumental role in the defeat of the Japanese forces in Okinawa.
  • Carmelo Delgado Delgado
    Carmelo Delgado Delgado
    Lieutenant Carmelo Delgado Delgado was a leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party . Delgado joined the Abraham Lincoln International Brigade and fought against General Francisco Franco and the Spanish Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War...

    , Lieutenant, Abraham Lincoln International Brigade
    Abraham Lincoln Brigade
    The Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. They fought for Spanish Republican forces against Franco and the Spanish Nationalists....


    Delgado was the first Puerto Rican and one of the first U.S. citizens to fight and to die in the Spanish Civil War
    Spanish Civil War
    The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

     against General Francisco Franco
    Francisco Franco
    Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

     and the Spanish Nationalists.
  • Alberto Diaz, Jr.
    Alberto Diaz, Jr.
    Rear Admiral Alberto Díaz, Jr. is the first Hispanic to become the Director of the San Diego Naval District and Balboa Naval Hospital.-Early years:...

    Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
    Diaz is the first Hispanic to become the Director of the San Diego Naval Medical District.
  • Luis R. Esteves
    Luis R. Esteves
    Major General Luis R. Esteves was the first Hispanic to graduate from the United States Military Academy , on June 19, 1915, and the founder of the Puerto Rico National Guard.-Early years:...

    , Major General, U.S. Army
    In 1915, Esteves became the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Military Academy
    United States Military Academy
    The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

    . Esteves also organized the Puerto Rican National Guard.
  • Salvador E. Felices
    Salvador E. Felices
    Major General Salvador E. Felices was the first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Major General in the United States Air Force. In 1957, he participated in "Operation Power Flite", the first round-the-world nonstop flight by a jet airplane.-Early years:Felices was born in the Santurce section of...

    , Major General, U.S. Air Force
    Felices was the first Puerto Rican general in the U.S. Air Force. In 1953, Felices flew in 19 combat missions over North Korea, during the Korean War. In 1957, he participated in a historic project that was given to Fifteenth Air Force by the Strategic Air Command headquarters known as "Operation Power Flite
    Operation Power Flite
    Operation Power Flite was a United States Air Force mission in which three Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses became the first jet aircraft to circle the world nonstop, when they made the journey in January 1957 in 45 hours and 19 minutes, using in-flight refueling to stay aloft...

    ", the first around the world non-stop flight by all-jet aircraft.
  • Rose Franco
    Rose Franco
    CWO3 Rose Franco , a Puerto Rican, was the first Hispanic woman to become a Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Marine Corps.-Early years:...

    , CWO3, U.S. Marine Corps
    Franco was the first Hispanic woman Chief Warrant Officer in the Marine Corps. In 1965, Franco was named Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, Paul Henry Nitze by the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson
    Lyndon B. Johnson
    Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...

    .
  • Edmund Ernest García
    Edmund Ernest García
    Rear Admiral Edmund Ernest Garcia was a United States Navy officer who commanded the destroyer escort USS Sloat during World War II and participated in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and France.-Early years:...

    , Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
    During World War II García was commander of the Destroyer USS Sloat
    USS Sloat
    USS Sloat may refer to:, a destroyer commissioned in 1920 and decommissioned in 1930, a destroyer escort commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1947...

     and saw action in the invasions of Africa, Sicily
    Sicily
    Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

    , and France.
  • Fernando Luis García
    Fernando Luis García
    Private First Class Fernando Luis García , a member of the United States Marines, was the first Puerto Rican, from a total of five, to be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.-Early years:...

    , Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps
    Garcia was the first Puerto Rican awarded the Medal of Honor. He was posthumously awarded the medal for his actions against enemy aggressor forces in the Korea War on 5 September 1952.
  • Linda Garcia Cubero
    Linda Garcia Cubero
    Captain Linda Garcia Cubero is a former United States Air Force officer, of Mexican-American-Puerto Rican descent.In 1980 Cubero was a member of the first class of women to graduate from the United States Air Force Academy, and thus became the first Hispanic woman to graduate from any service...

    , Captain, U.S. Air Force
    In 1980, Garcia Cubero became the first Hispanic woman graduate of the United States Air Force Academy
    United States Air Force Academy
    The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

     and the first to graduate from an American Military Academy.
  • Carmen García Rosado
    Carmen García Rosado
    PFC Carmen García Rosado is an educator, author and activist for the rights of women veterans who was among the first 200 Puerto Rican women to be recruited into the WAC's during World War II...

    , Private First Class, U.S. Women's Army Corps
    García Rosado was among the first 200 Puerto Rican women to be recruited into the WAC
    Women's Army Corps
    The Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...

    's during World War II and the author of "LAS WACS-Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Segunda Guerra Mundial" (The WACs-The participation of the Puerto Rican women in the Second World War), which is the first book which documents the experiences of the first 200 Puerto Rican women to participate in said conflict as members of the armed forces of the United States.
  • Mihiel Gilormini
    Mihiel Gilormini
    Brigadier General Mihiel "Mike" Gilormini , was a United States Air Force officer who served in the Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. He was the recipient of the Silver Star, the Air Medal with four clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross 5 times...

    , Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
    World War II hero, recipient of 5 Distinguished Flying Cross's and who together with Brig. General Alberto A. Nido and Lt. Col. Jose Antonio Muñiz founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. Gilormini had previously flown for the Royal Canadian Air Force
    Royal Canadian Air Force
    The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...

    (1941) and the Royal Air Force
    Royal Air Force
    The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

     (1941–1942).
  • Manuel Goded Llopis
    Manuel Goded Llopis
    Manuel Goded Llopis was a Spanish Army general who was one of the key figures in the July 1936 revolt against the Second Spanish Republic. Having unsuccessfully led an attempted insurrection in Barcelona, he was captured and executed by the Republican government...

    , General, Spanish Army
    Goded Llopis was a high ranking Puerto Rican
    Puerto Rican people
    A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

     in the Spanish Army
    Spanish Army
    The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...

     who was one of the first generales to join Spanish General Francisco Franco
    Francisco Franco
    Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

    , in the revolt against the Spanish Republican government (also known as Spanish loyalists) in what is known as the Spanish Civil War
    Spanish Civil War
    The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

    . Previously, Goded Llopis had distinguished himself in the Battle of Alhucemas of the Rif War
    Rif War (1920)
    The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...

    .
  • César Luis González
    César Luis González (Aviator)
    First Lieutenant César Luis González was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Gonzalez was the first Puerto Rican pilot in the United States Army Air Force and the first Puerto Rican pilot to die in World War II...

    , First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Force
    Gonzalez was the first Puerto Rican pilot in the United States Army Air Force and the first Puerto Rican pilot to die in World War II.
  • Diego E. Hernández
    Diego E. Hernandez
    Vice Admiral Diego E. Hernandez is a retired United States Navy officer who was the first Hispanic to be named Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command.-Early years:...

    , Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy
    Hernández was the first Hispanic to be named Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command
    North American Aerospace Defense Command
    North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...

    . He flew two combat tours in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and in 1980, took command of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVA/CV-67). The Kennedy is one of two non-nuclear aircraft carriers still on active duty with the United States Navy.
  • Zak Hernández
    Zak Hernández
    Sergeant Zak Hernández Laporte , was a 22-year-old member of the United States Army who was killed in Panama City when the Humvee in which he was riding was ambushed on the eve of President George H. W. Bush's visit to Panama. His accused murderer, Pedro Miguel González Pinzón, was acquitted in...

    , Sergeant, U.S. Army
    Hernández was killed in Panama
    Panama
    Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

     on the eve of President George H. W. Bush
    George H. W. Bush
    George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

    's visit. His accused murderer, Pedro Miguel González Pinzón, was acquitted and later elected President of Panamá's National Congress, an event which has generated protests from the governments of the United States and Puerto Rico.
  • Haydee Javier Kimmich, Captain, U.S. Navy
    Kimmich was the highest ranking Hispanic female in the Navy. She was assigned as the Chief of Orthopedics at the Navy Medical Center in Bethesda and she reorganized Reservist Department of the medical center during Operations Desert Shield
    Gulf War
    The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

     and Desert Storm
    Gulf War
    The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

    .
  • Orlando Llenza
    Orlando Llenza
    Major General Orlando Llenza is the second Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Major General in the United States Air Force. Llenza served as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard .-Early years:...

    , Major General, U.S. Air Force
    Llenza is the second Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Major General (two-star General) in the United States Air Force. He was the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard.
  • Carlos Lozada
    Carlos Lozada
    Private First Class Carlos James Lozada , was a member of the United States Army who was one of five Puerto Ricans who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their actions in combat.-Early years:...

    , Private First Class, U.S. Army
    Lozada was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on 20 November 1967, at Dak To
    Dak To
    Đắk Tô is a village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and in the so-called "tri-border" area where the borders of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia all come together. Located just north of the Vietnamese town of Tan Canh , Dak To is populated by a Montagnard tribal people known as the Degar...

     in the Republic of Vietnam
    South Vietnam
    South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

    .
  • Carmen Lozano Dumler, 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Women's Army Corps
    Dumler was one of the first Puerto Rican women Army officers. In 1944, she was sworn in as a 2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the 161st General Hospital in San Juan.
  • Antonio Maldonado
    Antonio Maldonado
    Brigadier General Antonio Maldonado , was an officer of the United States Air Force, who in 1967 became the youngest pilot and Aircraft Commander of a B-52 Stratofortress nuclear bomber. He served as Chief, U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation, Madrid, Spain. He was the senior Department of Defense...

    , Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
    In 1965, Maldonado became the youngest person to pilot a B-52 aircraft. His active participation in the Vietnam War included 183 air combat missions.
  • Joseph (José) R. Martínez
    Puerto Rican recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross
    Puerto Ricans have served as members of the United States Armed Forces and have fought in every major conflict in which the United States has been involved from World War I onward. Many Puerto Ricans, including those of Puerto Rican descent, have distinguished themselves during combat as members...

    , Private First Class, U.S. Army
    Martinez destroyed a German Infantry unit and tank in Tuniz by providing heavy artillery fire, saving his platoon from being attacked in the process. He received the Distinguished Service Cross from General George S. Patton, becoming the first Puerto Rican recipient of said military decoration.
  • Lester Martínez López
    Lester Martinez Lopez
    Major General Lester Martínez López , MD, MPH, is the first Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland...

    , MPH, Major General, U.S. Army
    Martínez López was first Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command.
  • Gilberto José Marxuach
    Gilberto Jose Marxuach
    Colonel Gilberto José Marxuach a.k.a. "The Father of the San Juan Civil Defense" , was a former officer in the United States Army who in 1951 founded and became the first director of the Civil Defense in the City of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Early years:Marxuach was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to...

    , Colonel, U.S. Army
    Marxuach, the son of Teofilo Marxuach, is "The Father of the San Juan Civil Defense"
  • Teófilo Marxuach
    Teofilo Marxuach
    Lieutenant Colonel Teófilo Marxuach, , was the person who ordered the first shot fired in World War I on behalf of the United States on an armed German supply ship trying to force its way out of the San Juan Bay...

    , Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
    "Marxuach fired a hostile shot from a cannon located at the Santa Rosa battery of "El Morro" fort, in what is considered to be the first shot of World War I fired by the regular armed forces of the United States against any ship flying the colors of the Central Powers
    Central Powers
    The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...

    , forcing the Odenwald to stop and to return to port where its supplies were confiscated.
  • George E. Mayer
    George E. Mayer
    Rear Admiral George E. "Rico" Mayer is a retired United States Naval officer and Naval Aviator. At the time of his retirement, he was the first Puerto Rican Commander of the Naval Safety Center.-Early years:...

    , Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
    Mayer was the first Hispanic Commander of the Naval Safety Center. He led an international naval exercise known as Baltic Operations (BALTOPS
    BALTOPS
    BALTOPS is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it....

    ) 2003 from his flagship, the USS Vella Gulf (CG-72). It was the first time in the 31 year history of BALTOPS that the exercise included combined ground troops from Russia, Poland, Denmark and the United States.
  • Angel Mendez
    Angel Mendez
    Angel Mendez was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Mendez saved the life of his platoon commander, Lieutenant Ronald D. Castille, who is currently the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. U.S...

    Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
    Mendez was awarded the Navy Cross
    Navy Cross
    The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

     in Vietnam and is being considered for the Medal of Honor. He saved the life of his Lieutenant – Ronald D. Castille
    Ronald D. Castille
    Ronald D. Castille is the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. He was the District Attorney of the City of Philadelphia from 1986 until 1991 and is a member of the Republican Party...

    , who went on to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
  • Enrique Méndez, Jr.
    Enrique Mendez, Jr.
    Major General Enrique Méndez, Jr. , was a United States Army officer who was also the first Puerto Rican to hold the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs...

    , Major General, U.S. Army
    Méndez was the first Puerto Rican to assume the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
  • Virgil R. Miller
    Virgil R. Miller
    Colonel Virgil Rasmuss Miller was a United States Army officer who served as Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team , a unit which was composed of "Nisei" , during World War II...

    , Colonel, U.S. Army
    Miller was the Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a unit which was composed of "Nisei
    Nisei
    During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...

    " (second generation Americans of Japanese descent), during World War II. He led the 442nd in its rescue of the Lost Texas Battalion
    Lost Battalion (World War II)
    "The Lost Battalion" refers to the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry , which was surrounded by German forces in the Vosges Mountains on 24 October 1944....

     of the 36th Infantry Division, in the forests of the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France.
  • José Antonio Muñiz
    José Antonio Muñiz
    Lieutenant Colonel José Antonio Muñiz was a former United States Air Force officer who during World War II served in the United States Army Air Forces. Together with then-Colonels Alberto A. Nido and Mihiel Gilormini he founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard...

    Lieutenant Colonel, , U.S. Air Force
    Muñiz together with then-Colonels Alberto A. Nido and Mihiel Gilormini founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 1963, the Air National Guard Base, at the San Juan International airport in Puerto Rico, was renamed "Muñiz Air National Guard Base" in his honor.
  • William A. Navas, Jr.
    William A. Navas, Jr.
    Major General William A. Navas, Jr. is the first Puerto Rican to be named an Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Navas, who served in the Department of Veterans Affairs resigned in 2007.-Early years:...

    , Major General, U.S. Army
    Navas is the first Puerto Rican named Assistant Secretary of the Navy. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Navas was nominated in 2001 by President George W. Bush to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs).
  • Héctor Andrés Negroni
    Hector Andres Negroni
    Colonel Héctor Andrés Negroni is a historian, senior aerospace defense executive, author and the first Puerto Rican graduate of the United States Air Force Academy...

    , Colonel, U.S. Air Force
    Negroni was the first Puerto Rican graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Negroni was awarded the Aeronautical Merit Cross, Spains highest Air Force peacetime award for his contributions to the successful implementation of the United States-Spain Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
  • Alberto A. Nido
    Alberto A. Nido
    Brigadier General Alberto A. Nido is a former United States Air Force officer who during World War II served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, the British Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Forces. He was also the co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.-Early years:Nido was...

    , Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
    Nido was a World War II hero who together with Lt. Col. Jose Antonio Muñiz, co-founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard and served as its commander for many years. Nido served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, the British Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
  • Ramón Núñez-Juárez
    Ramón Núñez-Juarez
    -Postscript:PFC Ramón Núñez-Juárez's remains have never been recovered and a symbolic burial with full military honors was held on October 25, 1970. There is a headstone with his name inscribed above an empty grave in the Puerto Rico National Cemetery, located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico...

    , Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps
    Núñez-Juárez was listed as Missing in Action during the Korean War and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, second highest medal after the Medal of Honor, that can be awarded by the Department of the Navy. He was the only Puerto Rican member of the United States Marine Corps whose remains have never been recovered and who was listed as Missing in Action
    Missing in action
    Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...

     during the Korean War
    Korean War
    The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

    .
  • Jorge Otero Barreto
    Jorge Otero Barreto
    Sergeant First Class Jorge Otero Barreto a.k.a. "The Puerto Rican Rambo" , was a member of the United States Army who was the most decorated soldier in the Vietnam War-Early years:...

    , Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
    Otero Barreto was the most decorated United States soldier in the Vietnam War (38 decorations), which included 3 Silver Star Medals, 5 Bronze Star Medals with Valor, 5 Purple Heart Medals and 5 Air Medals..
  • Dr. Dolores Piñero
    Dolores Piñero
    Dr. Dolores Piñero, was one of the first four Puerto Rican women to earn a medical degree. She was also one of the first civilian doctors, and the first Puerto Rican female doctor to serve under contract in the U.S. Army during World War I...

    , U.S. Army Medical Corps
    Army Medical Department (United States)
    The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army – known as the AMEDD – comprises the Army's six medical Special Branches of officers and medical enlisted soldiers. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the...


    Piñero was first Puerto Rican woman doctor to serve in the Army under contract during World War I. At first she was turned down, however after writing a letter to the Army Surgeon General in Washington, D.C. she was ordered her to report to Camp Las Casas
    Camp Las Casas
    Camp Las Casas was a United States military instalation established in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1904. The camp was the main training base of the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry," On January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of Puerto Rico to Porto Rico a segregated U.S...

     at Santurce, Puerto Rico. On October 1918, She signed her contract with the Army.
  • José M. Portela
    Jose M. Portela
    Brigadier General José M. Portela , is a retired officer of the United States Air Force who served in the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air while also serving as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 1972, Portela became the youngest C-141 Starlifter aircraft commander...

    , Brigadier General U.S. Air Force
    Portela served in the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air while also serving as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard
    Puerto Rico Air National Guard
    The Puerto Rico Air National Guard is the air force militia of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is, along with the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, an element of the Puerto Rico National Guard.History=...

    . In 1972, Portela became the youngest C-141 Starlifter
    C-141 Starlifter
    The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...

     aircraft commander and captain at age 22. Portela is also the only reservist ever to serve as director of mobility forces for Bosnia.
  • Marion Frederic Ramírez de Arellano
    Marion Frederic Ramírez de Arellano
    Captain Marion Frederic Ramirez de Arellano , was a submarine commander in the United States Navy and the first Hispanic submarine commanding officer...

    , Captain, U.S. Navy
    Ramírez de Arellano was the first Hispanic submarine
    Submarine
    A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

     commander. He was awarded two Silver Star
    Silver Star
    The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

    s and a Bronze Star
    Bronze Star Medal
    The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...

     for his actions against the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II.
  • Antonio J. Ramos
    Antonio J. Ramos
    Brigadier General Antonio J. Ramos was an officer of the United States Air Force. He was the first Hispanic to serve as commander, Air Force Security Assistance Center, Air Force Materiel Command, and dual-hatted as Assistant to the Commander for International Affairs, Headquarters Air Force...

    , Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
    Ramos was the first Hispanic to serve as commander, Air Force Security Assistance Center, Air Force Materiel Command, and dual-hatted as Assistant to the Commander for International Affairs, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command.
  • Agustín Ramos Calero
    Agustin Ramos Calero
    Sergeant First Class Agustín Ramos Calero was awarded 22 decorations and medals from the U.S. Army for his actions during World War II, thus becoming the most decorated Hispanic soldier in the United States military during that war.-Early years:Calero was born and raised in the town of Isabela,...

    , Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
    With 22 military decorations Ramos Calero was the most decorated soldier in all of the United States during World War II.
  • Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci
    Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci
    Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci , was an F-111F pilot in the United States Air Force. He was killed in action during Operation El Dorado Canyon, the April 15, 1986 U.S. air raid on Libya.-Early years:...

    , Major, U.S. Air Force
    Ribas-Dominicci was one of the pilots who participated in the Libyan air raid as member of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing. His F-111F was shot down in action over the disputed Gulf of Sidra off the Libyan coast. Ribas-Dominicci and his weapons systems officer, Capt. Paul Lorence, were the only U.S. casualties of Operation El Dorado Canyon.
  • Frederick Lois Riefkohl
    Frederick Lois Riefkohl
    Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl , a native of Maunabo, Puerto Rico, was an officer in the United States Navy and the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and to be awarded the Navy Cross. The Navy Cross is the second highest medal, after the Medal of Honor, that...

    , Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
    Riefkohl was the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and in World War I became the first Puerto Rican to be awarded the Navy Cross.
  • Rudolph W. Riefkohl
    Rudolph W. Riefkohl
    Colonel Rudolph William Riefkohl , was an officer in the United States Army, who played an instrumental role in helping the people of Poland overcome the 1919 typhus epidemic.-Early years:...

    , Colonel, U.S. Army
    Riefkohl played an instrumental role in helping the people of Poland overcome the 1919 typhus epidemic.
  • Félix Rigau Carrera
    Felix Rigau Carrera
    First Lieutenant Félix Rigau Carrera , known as "El Águila de Sabana Grande" , was the first Puerto Rican pilot and the first Hispanic fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps...

    , Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps
    Rigau Carrera was the first Puerto Rican pilot
    Aviator
    An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

     and the first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     fighter pilot
    Fighter pilot
    A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...

     in the United States Marine Corps
    United States Marine Corps
    The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

    . Rigau Carrera was also the first Puerto Rican parachutist and the first pilot to fly on air mail carrying duties in Puerto Rico.
  • Manuel Rivera, Jr., Captain, U.S. Marine Corps
    Rivera was the first Puerto Rican and U.S. servicemen to die in Operation Desert Shield.
  • Pedro N. Rivera
    Pedro N. Rivera
    Brigadier General Pedro N. Rivera, M.D. is a retired United States Air Force officer who in 1994 became the first Hispanic to be named medical commander in the Air Force. He was responsible for the provision of health care to more than 50,000 patients.-Early years:Rivera was born in San German,...

    , M.D., Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force
    In 1994, Rivera became the first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     to be named medical commander in the Air Force. He was responsible for the provision of health of health care to more than 50,000 patients.
  • Horacio Rivero, Admiral, U.S. Navy
    In 1964, Rivero became the first Puerto Rican and second Hispanic four-star admiral. Rivero participated in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and in 1962, Admiral Rivero was the commander of the American fleet sent by President John F. Kennedy
    John F. Kennedy
    John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

     during the Cuban Missile Crisis
    Cuban Missile Crisis
    The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...

     to set up a quarantine (blockade) of the Soviet ships in an effort to stop the Cold War from escalating into World War III.
  • Pedro Rodríguez
    Pedro Rodriguez (soldier)
    Rodríguez, PedroOrganization:HEADQUARTERS 3D INFANTRY DIVISION G.O. # 261 – 8 July 19512nd Citation:-Later years:Sgt. Rodríguez retired from the Army with the rank of Master Sergeant and went to work as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Puerto Rico. In 1979, Rodríguez went to live at...

    , Master Sergeant, U.S. Army
    Rodriguez was a member of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry. He earned two Silver Star
    Silver Star
    The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

    s within a seven day period during the Korean War
    Korean War
    The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

    ..
  • Antonio Rodríguez Balinas
    Antonio Rodriguez Balinas
    Brigadier General Antonio Rodríguez Balinas was the first commander of the Office of the First U.S. Army Deputy Command.-Early years:...

    , Brigadier General, U.S. Army
    Rodríguez Balinas was the first commander of the Office of the First U.S. Army Deputy Command. During the Korean War he fought with Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment and was awarded the Silver Star Medal
    Silver Star
    The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

  • Maria Rodriguez Denton, Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
    Rodriguez Denton was the first woman from Puerto Rico who became an officer in the United States Navy as member of the WAVES
    WAVES
    The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...

    . It was Lt. Denton who forwarded the news (through channels) to President Harry S. Truman
    Harry S. Truman
    Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

     that the war had ended.
  • Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas
    Fernando E. Rodriguez Vargas
    Major Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas, DDS was an odontologist , scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army who discovered the bacteria which causes dental caries.-Early years:...

    , DDS, Major, U.S. Army
    Rodríguez Vargas was an odontologist
    Dentist
    A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...

     (dentist), scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army who in 1921 discovered the bacteria which causes dental caries
    Dental caries
    Dental caries, also known as tooth decay or a cavity, is an irreversible infection usually bacterial in origin that causes demineralization of the hard tissues and destruction of the organic matter of the tooth, usually by production of acid by hydrolysis of the food debris accumulated on the...

    .
  • Eurípides Rubio
    Euripides Rubio
    Captain Eurípides Rubio , born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was a United States Army officer and one of five Puerto Ricans who were posthumously awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor — the Medal of Honor for actions on November 8, 1966 during the Vietnam War...

    , Captain, U.S. Army
    Rubio was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Tay Ninh Province in the Republic of Vietnam
    South Vietnam
    South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

     on 8 November 1966.
  • José L. Santiago
    José L. Santiago
    Sergeant Major Jose Luis Santiago is a member of the United States Marine Corps who has the distinction of being the 2nd Battalion 9th Marines' first Hispanic Sergeant Major and its first Sergeant Major since its reactivation on July 13, 2007...

    , Sergeant Major, U.S. Marine Corps
    Santiago has the distinction of being the 2nd Battalion 9th Marines
    2nd Battalion 9th Marines
    The 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I, the unit played an instrumental role in the defeat of the Japanese forces in the Battles of Guam and Iwo Jima during the World War II...

     first Hispanic Sergeant Major and its first Sergeant Major since its reactivation on 13 July 2007.
  • Héctor Santiago-Colón
    Hector Santiago-Colon
    Specialist Four Héctor Santiago-Colón is one of five Puerto Ricans who have been posthumously presented with the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States...

    , Specialist Four, U.S. Army
    In 1968, Santiago-Colón was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Quang Tri Province
    Quang Tri Province
    Quảng Trị is a province on the North Central Coast of Vietnam, north of the former imperial capital of Huế.-Geography:Located in North Central Vietnam, Quang Tri Province is surrounded by Quang Binh Province on the north, Thua Thien-Hue Province on the south, Savannakhet Province of Laos on the...

    , Vietnam as member of Company B of the 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division.
  • Antulio Segarra
    Antulio Segarra
    Colonel Antulio Segarra , was a United States Army officer who in 1943 became the first Puerto Rican in history to command a Regular Army Regiment. Segarra served as Military Aide to the Military Governor of Puerto Rico Theodore Roosevelt, Jr...

    , Colonel, U.S. Army
    In 1943, Segarra became the first Puerto Rican Regular Army officer to command a Regular Army Regiment when he assumed the command of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment which at the time was conducting security missions in the jungles of Panama
    Panama
    Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

    .
  • Frankie Segarra
    Frankie Segarra
    Master Gunnery Sergeant Frankie Segarra , is the first Hispanic to reach the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant in his Military Occupational Specialty, 0451 air delivery specialist.-Early years:...

    , Master Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
    Segarra is the first Puerto Rican to reach the grade of Master Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps within his MOS.
  • Rafel Toro
    Rafel Toro
    Private Rafel Toro was a United States Marine Corps private who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his "extraordinary heroism in battle" while fighting in Nicaragua during the second Nicaragua campaign in 1927....

    , Private, U.S. Marine Corps
    Toro was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
    Navy Cross
    The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

     for his "extraordinary heroism in battle" while fighting in Nicaragua during the second Nicaragua campaign in 1927.
  • Humbert Roque Versace
    Humbert Roque Versace
    Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace was a United States Army officer of Puerto Rican-Italian descent who was awarded the United States' highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his heroic actions while a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He was the first member of...

    , Captain, U.S. Army
    In 2002, Versace was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions while a prisoner of war
    Prisoner of war
    A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

     (POW) during the Vietnam War. He was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity.
  • Raúl G. Villaronga
    Raúl G. Villaronga
    Colonel Raúl G. Villaronga is a retired United States Army officer who has the distinction of being the first Puerto Rican mayor of a Texas city...

    , Colonel, U.S. Army
    Villaronga was the first Puerto Rican to be elected as Mayor of a Texas city (Killeen
    Killeen
    -Places:* Killeen, County Armagh - a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland* Killeen, County Cork - a village in County Cork, Ireland* Killeen, County Down - a townland in County Down, Northern Ireland...

    ).

21st century
  • Iván Castro, Captain, U.S. Army
    Castro is one of three blind active-duty officers who serves in the US Army and the only blind officer serving in the United States Army Special Forces
    United States Army Special Forces
    The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...

    .
  • Ramón Colón-López
    Ramón Colón-López
    Chief Master Sergeant Ramón Colón-López is pararescueman with the U.S. Air Force, who in 2007, was the only Hispanic amongst the first six airmen to be awarded the newly created Air Force Combat Action Medal...

    , Chief Master Sergeant, U.S. Air Force
    On 13 June 2007, Colon-López a pararescueman, was the first and only Hispanic among the first six airmen to be awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal
    Air Force Combat Action Medal
    The Air Force Combat Action Medal is a relatively new medal issued by the United States Air Force. It was first awarded on June 12, 2007 for actions from September 11, 2001 to a date to be determined and may be awarded posthumously.-Criteria:...

    . He is the Commandant of the Pararescue and Combat Rescue Officer School
  • Emilio Díaz Colón
    Emilio Díaz Colón
    Major General Emilio Díaz Colón , is a former United States National Guard officer who served as the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard...

    , Major General, U.S. Army; PRNG
    Díaz-Colón is the first Superintendent of the Puerto Rican Police who once served as the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard.
  • Hila Levy
    Hila Levy
    First Lieutenant Hila Levy is an officer in the United States Air Force who made history in 2007 when she became the first Puerto Rican to be awarded a Rhodes scholarship.-Early years:...

    , First Lieutenant, U.S. Air Force
    In 2007 Levy became the first Puerto Rican Rhodes scholar.
  • María V. Martínez
    María V. Martínez
    Command Sergeant Major María V. Martínez is the first Puerto Rican female to reach the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the United States Army. She serves as Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director of the Army Diversity Office in the Pentagon, Washington D.C....

    , Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army
    Martínez is the first Puerto Rican female to reach the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the United States Army. She serves as Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director of the Army Diversity Office in the Pentagon, Washington D.C..
  • Rafael O'Ferrall
    Rafael O'Ferrall
    Brigadier General Rafael O'Ferrall is a United States Army officer who is the first Hispanic of Puerto Rican descent to become the Deputy Commanding General for the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba while simultaneously serving as Assistant Adjutant General and Deputy Commanding General of...

    , Brigadier General, U.S. Army
    O'Ferrall is the first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     and Puerto Rican
    Puerto Rican people
    A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

     to become the Deputy Commanding General for the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo
    Guantánamo
    Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...

    , Cuba while simultaneously serving as Assistant Adjutant General (Army) and Deputy Commanding General of the Joint Force Headquarters at San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • María Inés Ortiz
    María Inés Ortiz
    Captain María Inés Ortiz , was the first American nurse to die in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Army nurse to die in combat since the Vietnam War.-Early years:...

    , Captain, U.S. Army
    Ortiz was the first Puerto Rican nurse to die in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Army
    United States Army
    The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

     nurse to die in combat since the Vietnam War..
  • Hector E. Pagan
    Hector E. Pagan
    Brigadier General Hector E. Pagan is a United States Army officer who is the first Hispanic of Puerto Rican descent to become Deputy Commanding General of the U.S.Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina....

    , Brigadier General, U.S. Army
    Pagan is the first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     of Puerto Rican descent to become Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg
    Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
    Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...

    , North Carolina
    North Carolina
    North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

    .
  • Lizbeth Robles
    Lizbeth Robles
    SPC Lizbeth Robles , was a female soldier born in Puerto Rico that died in Operation Iraqi Freedom.-Early years:...

    , SPC., U.S. Army
    In 2005, Robles was the first female soldier born in Puerto Rico to die in combat as an active soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  • Maritza Sáenz Ryan
    Maritza Sáenz Ryan
    Colonel Maritza Sáenz RyanThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name "Sáenz" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Ryan". , is a United States Army officer and the head of the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy...

    , Colonel, U.S. Army
    Sáenz Ryan is the head of the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy
    United States Military Academy
    The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

    . She is the first woman and first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     (Puerto Rican and Spanish heritage) West Point graduate to serve as an academic department head. She also has the distinction of also being the most senior ranking Hispanic Judge Advocate.
  • Frances M. Vega
    Frances M. Vega
    SPC Frances M. Vega, also known as "That Girl Benitez" , was the first female soldier of Puerto Rican descent to die in a combat zone in Operation Iraqi Freedom.-Early years:...

    , SPC., U.S. Army
    On 2 November 2003, Vega became the first female soldier of Puerto Rican descent to die in a combat zone during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Physicians and Scientists

  • Joseph M. Acaba
    Joseph M. Acaba
    Joseph Michael "Joe" Acaba is an educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004 he became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19...

    Astronaut, scientist, educator
    First Puerto Rican astronaut
  • Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda
    Carlos Albizu Miranda
    Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda is the first Hispanic educator to have a North American University renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D...

    Psychologist
    Psychologist
    Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...

    , educator
    First Hispanic Educator to have a North American University renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a PhD in Psychology in the United States.
  • Dr. Ricardo Alegría
    Ricardo Alegría
    Ricardo Alegría was a Puerto Rican scholar, cultural anthropologist and archeologist known as the "Father of Modern Puerto Rican Archaeology".-Early years:...

    Anthropologist, archaeologist and educator
    "Father of Modern Puerto Rican Archaeology".
  • Dr. Pedro Beauchamp
    Pedro Beauchamp
    Dr. Pedro Beauchamp is an endocrinologist who is the first Puerto Rican specialist certified by the American Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Board. In 1985, he performed the first in vitro fertilization technique in Puerto Rico....

    Surgeon
    The first Puerto Rican specialist certified by the American Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Board, who performed the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique on the island in 1985.
  • Dr. Víctor Manuel Blanco
    Victor Manuel Blanco
    Dr. Víctor Manuel Blanco, PhD, was a Puerto Rican astronomer who in 1959 discovered "Blanco 1," a galactic cluster. Blanco was the second Director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, which had the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. In 1995, the telescope...

    Astronomer
    In 1959, Blanco discovered a "Blanco 1", a galactic cluster. Blanco was the second Director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile
    Chile
    Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

    , which has the largest 4-m telescope in the Southern Hemisphere
    Southern Hemisphere
    The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...

    , In 1995, the telescope was dedicated in his honor and named the "Víctor M. Blanco Telescope" and is also known as the "Blanco 4m"
  • Dr. Rafael L. Bras
    Rafael L. Bras
    Dr. Rafael L. Bras is an American Civil Engineer and currently serves as Provost to the Georgia Institute of Technology.-Academic:...

    Former chair of Civil Engineering at MIT
    One of the world's leading experts in hydrometeorology
    Hydrometeorology
    Hydrometeorology is a branch of meteorology and hydrology that studies the transfer of water and energy between the land surface and the lower atmosphere....

     and global warming
    Global warming
    Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...

    .
  • Anthony M. Busquets Electronic engineer, aerospace technologist
    Busquets is involved in the development and application of multifunction control/display switch technology in 1983 and Development and application of a microprocessor-based I/O system for simulator use in 1984.
  • Dr. Carlos E. Chardón
    Carlos E. Chardón
    Dr. Carlos E. Chardón, D.Sc., D.Litt, was the first Puerto Rican mycologist. He was also known as "the Father of Mycology in Puerto Rico". He discovered the aphid "Aphis maidis", the vector of the sugar cane Mosaic virus. Mosaic viruses are plant viruses...

    a.k.a. the "Father of Mycology in Puerto Rico"
    Chardón is the first Puerto Rican mycologist. Discovered the aphid "Aphis maidis", the vector of the mosaic of sugar cane, in 1922. Author of the "Chardón Plan" and first Puerto Rican to hold the position of Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico.
  • Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintron
    Nitza Margarita Cintron
    Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintron is a scientist who is currently the Chief of Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center.-Early years:...

    Scientist
    Chief of NASA
    NASA
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

    's (JSC) Space and Health Care Systems Office.
  • Dr. Antonia Coello Novello
    First Hispanic and first woman U.S. Surgeon General (1990–93).
  • Dr. José F. Cordero
    José F. Cordero
    Dr. José F. Cordero is a pediatrician, epidemiologist, teratologist and Dean of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Puerto Rico...

    Pediatrician
    Cordero is the founding director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Dr. Milagros J. Cordero
    Milagros J. Cordero
    Dr. Milagros J. Cordero a.k.a. "Mili" is a pediatrician and a licensed, registered occupational therapist with board certification in Pediatrics...

    pediatrician
    She is the founder and President of Team Therapy Services For Children (ITT’S for Children)
  • Dr. María Cordero Hardy
    María Cordero Hardy
    Dr. María Cordero Hardy,This name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name "Cordero" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Hardy". M.D., a.k.a...

    physiologist, educator and scientist,br>Cordero Hardy's research on vitamin E helped other scientists understand about how the vitamin works in the human body.
  • Dr. Juan R. Correa-Pérez
    Juan R. Correa-Pérez
    Juan R. Correa-Pérez, Ph.D. is a scientist credited with becoming the first clinical Andrologist and Embryologist established in Puerto Rico . He has a particular interest and expertise in male-factor infertility with an impressive resume of research. Dr...

    PhD, scientist, clinical andrologist and embryologist
    Dr. Correa-Pérez is a scientist who is credited with becoming the first clinical Andrologist and Embryologist in Puerto Rico.
  • Dr. Juan R. Cruz
    Juan R. Cruz
    Dr. Juan R. Cruz, Ph.D., is a Puerto Rican scientist who played an instrumental role in the design and development of the Mars Exploration Rover parachute.-Early years:...

    NASA scientist
    Played an instrumental role in the design and development of the Mars Exploration Rover
    Mars Exploration Rover
    NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission is an ongoing robotic space mission involving two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, exploring the planet Mars...

     (MER) parachute
    Parachute
    A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...

    .
  • Dr. Manuel De la Pila Iglesias
    Manuel De la Pila Iglesias
    Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias was a Puerto Rican physician practicing in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was a physician who specialized in a half-dozen medical specialities. He founded a medical clinic in Ponce that grew into a large medical center. Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias is considered "one of...


    Multi-faceted physician who specilized in various medical disciplines. Introduced the first EKG and X-ray machines into Puerto Rico. Founded a medical clinic that today is a respected medical center in Ponce, Puerto Rico
    Ponce, Puerto Rico
    Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

    . He is considered to be "one of the giants of Puerto Rican medicine".
  • Dr. Alfonso Eaton Mechanical Engineer, Aero-Space Technologist
    First Puerto Rican to work for NASA.
  • Angelo Falcón
    Angelo Falcón
    Angelo Falcón is a political scientist best known for starting the Institute for Puerto Rican Policy in New York City in the early 1980s, a nonprofit and nonpartisan policy center that focuses on Latino issues in the United States. It is now known as the National Institute for Latino Policy and...

    Political scientist
    Author of "Atlas of Stateside Puerto Ricans" (2004) and co-editor of the book, "Boricuas in Gotham: Puerto Ricans in the Making of Modern New York City" (2004).
  • Dr. Enectalí Figueroa-Feliciano
    Enectalí Figueroa-Feliciano
    Dr. Enectalí Figueroa-Feliciano a.k.a. "Tali", Ph.D., is an astrophysicist and researcher with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center who pioneered the development position-sensitive detectors. He is an expert and researcher on dark matter....

    Astronaut applicant and astrophysicist in NASA
    NASA
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

     
    Figueroa pioneered the development of position-sensitive detectors.
  • Dr. Orlando Figueroa
    Orlando Figueroa
    Orlando Figueroa , previously the NASA Mars Czar Director for Mars Exploration and the Director for the Solar System Division in the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters and the Deputy Center Director for Science and Technology of the Goddard Space Flight Center...

    Mechanical engineer at NASA
    previously the NASA
    NASA
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

     Mars
    Mars
    Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

     Czar
    Czar (political term)
    Czar or tsar is an informal title for certain high-level officials in the United States and United Kingdom. Political czars can run or organize governmental departments, and may devote their expertise to a single area of work...

    Director for Mars Exploration and the Director for the Solar System Division in the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters is now the Director, Applied Engineering & Technology at the NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center (as the "Director of Engineering" he manages the full scope of engineering activities at Goddard.
  • Dr. Adolfo Figueroa-Viñas
    Adolfo Figueroa-Viñas
    Adolfo Figueroa-Viñas, Ph.D. is the first Puerto Rican astrophysicist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and is an expert in solar and space plasma physics at the Heliophysics Science Division...

    Astrophysicist at NASA
    NASA
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

     
    Figueroa-Viñas is the first Puerto Rican astrophysicist at NASA working in solar plasma physics. As a senior research scientist he is involved in many NASA missions such as Wind, SOHO, Cluster and MMS projects in which he is the author and co-author of numerous scientific papers in his field.
  • Dr. José N. Gándara
    José N. Gándara
    Dr. José Narciso Gándara Cartagena was a Puerto Rican physician. He is best remembered for having led teams of doctors in the medical care necessary to threat the hundreds of wounded of the infamous Ponce Massacre that occurred on Palm Sunday, 1937, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, at the hands of the...


    Lead physician attending to the wounded of the Ponce Massacre
    Ponce massacre
    The Ponce massacre occurred on 21 March 1937 when a peaceful march in Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party commemorating the ending of slavery in Puerto Rico by the governing Spanish National Assembly in 1873, and coinciding with a protest against the incarceration by the...

    , and later the expert witness
    Expert witness
    An expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...

     at the trials of the accused Nacionalistas
    Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
    The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...

     as well as before the Hays Commission. Held numerous government positions, including Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico. He was also one of the founders of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
    Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
    The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....

    .
  • Dr. Joxel García
    Joxel García
    Joxel García is a Puerto Rican physician and a former four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as the thirteenth Assistant Secretary for Health , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from March 13, 2008 to January 20, 2009...


    First Puerto Rican Assistant Secretary for Health
    United States Assistant Secretary for Health
    The United States Assistant Secretary for Health serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active member in the regular corps, is the highest ranking uniformed officer in the Public Health Service...

     (ASH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and an Admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

  • Asdrubal Garcia Ortiz Technology Engineer
    Together with fellow inventors Sunggyu Lee and John R. Wootton, Garcia Ortiz was granted various patents. A sample of these patents includes: US Patent No 6,177,885, "System and method for detecting traffic anomalies", US Patent No 7,186,345, "Systems for water purification through supercritical oxidation", and US Patent No 7,688,605, "Systems and methods for reducing the magnitude of harmonics produced by a power inverter".
  • Dr. Mario R. García Palmieri
    Mario R. García Palmieri
    Dr. Mario Rubén García Palmieri Phd; MACC; is a cardiologist and the first Hispanic to have the distinction of being designated a "Master" by the American College of Cardiology in recognition of his contributions to the field of cardiology...

    , Cardiologist
    García Palmieri is the first Hispanic
    Hispanic
    Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

     to have the distinction of being designated a "Master" by the American College of Cardiology
  • Dr. Sixto González
    Sixto Gonzalez
    Dr. Sixto González was the first Puerto Rican to be named Director of the Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest single dish radio telescope.-Early years:...

    Scientist
    First Puerto Rican Director of the Arecibo Observatory
    Arecibo Observatory
    The Arecibo Observatory is a radio telescope near the city of Arecibo in Puerto Rico. It is operated by SRI International under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation...

     the world's largest single dish radio telescope.
  • Rosa González
    Rosa González
    Rosa González, RN, was a nurse, author, feminist and activist. She established various health clinics throughout Puerto Rico and was the founder of The Association of Registered Nurses of Puerto Rico. Gonzalez authored two books related to her field, in which she denounced the discrimination...

    , RN
    Registered nurse
    A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...

    ,
    Founder of "The Association of Registered Nurses of Puerto Rico" and author of various books related to her field where she denounced the discrimination against women and nurses in Puerto Rico.
  • Dr. Isaac González Martínez
    Isaac González Martínez
    Dr. Isaac González Martínez was the first Puerto Rican urologist, and a pioneer in the fight against cancer throughout the island. Dr. González Martínez conducted many investigations and experiments in parasitology, bilharzia, lepra and typhoid fever. Dr. González Martínez and Dr. Bailey K...

    urologist
    González Martínez was the first Puerto Rican urologist and a pioneer in the fight against cancer in the island.
  • Olga D. González-Sanabria
    Olga D. González-Sanabria
    Olga D. González-Sanabria is a Puerto Rican scientist and inventor. She is the highest ranking Hispanic at NASA Glenn Research Center, and a member of the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame...

    NASA engineer
    Is the highest ranking Hispanic at NASA Glenn Research Center and a member of the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame.
  • Dr. Megh R. Goyal
    Megh R. Goyal
    Megh R. Goyal is an engineer and professor in Puerto Rico. He has been called the father of irrigation engineering in Puerto Rico.-Education:...

    Professor/Historian/Scientist
    Father of Irrigation Engineering in Puerto Rican, Professor in Agricultural & Biomedical Engineering University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez
  • Amri Hernández-Pellerano
    Amri Hernandez-Pellerano
    Amri Hernández-Pellerano is a Puerto Rican electronics engineer and scientist who designs, builds and tests the electronics that will regulate the solar array power in order to charge the spacecraft battery and distribute power to the different loads or users inside various spacecraft at NASA's...

    NASA engineer
    Hernández-Pellerano designs, builds and tests the electronics that will regulate the solar array power in order to charge the spacecraft battery and distribute power to the different loads or users inside various spacecraft at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
  • Lucas G. Hortas Aerospace engineer, aerospace technologist
    Hortas is the author and or co-author of over 35 technical papers in the areas of system identification, vibration control and isolation, optimal control design and implementation, optimal actuator/sensor placement, model testing, and experimental verification of control methodologies
  • Dr. Ramón E. López Physicist
    Dr. Lopez, a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Texas at Arlington, is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and recipient of the 2002 Nicholson Medal for Humanitarian Service. He is the co-author of a book on space weather entitled "Storms from the Sun"
  • Fernando López Tuero
    Fernando López Tuero
    Fernando López Tuero was an agricultural scientist and agronomist who discovered the bug which was destroying Puerto Rico sugar canes.-Agricultural epidemic:...

    Agricultural scientist and agronomist
    López Tuero discovered the bug (believed at first to be a germ) which was destroying Puerto Rico's sugar canes.
  • Carlos A. Liceaga Electronic engineer, aerospace technologist
    Liceaga leads the development of proposal guidelines; and the technical, management, and cost evaluation of the proposals For the Explorer Program.
  • Dr. Gerónimo Lluberas
    Gerónimo Lluberas
    Gerónimo "Gerry" Lluberas was a Puerto Rican physician, humanitarian, writer and composer. His medical mission work in Haiti led to the foundation of the nonprofit HERO and his music is extant through recordings and live performances.-Life and profession:José Gerónimo Lluberas Acosta was the...

    Physician, writer, educator, medical missionary
  • Dr. Ariel Lugo
    Ariel Lugo
    Dr. Ariel Lugo is a scientist, ecologist and Director of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry within the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, based in Puerto Rico...

    Scientist and ecologist
    Dr. Lugo is the Director of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry within the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, based in Puerto Rico. He is a founding Member of the Society for Ecological Restoration and Member-at-Large of the Board of the Ecological Society of America.
  • Debbie Martínez Computer engineer, aero-space technologist
    Martinez is the "Flight Systems and Software Branch" software manager for the new Cockpit Motion Facility at NASA Langley Research Center.
  • Lissette Martinez
    Lissette Martinez
    Lissette Martinez , is the lead electrical engineer for the Space Experiment Module program at the Wallops Flight Facility which is part of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.-Early years:...

    Electronic engineer, rocket scientist
    Martinez is the lead electrical engineer for the Space Experiment Module program at the Wallops Flight Facility located in Virginia which is part of NASA's Goddard Flight Facility.
  • Dr. Manuel Martínez Maldonado
    Manuel Martínez Maldonado
    Dr. Manuel Martínez Maldonado , MD; MACP, is a Nephrologist, educator, poet and author. He discovered a natriuretic hormone and has authored numerous scientific publications. His research interests are the regulation of blood pressure and the effect of high blood pressure on the kidneys...

    MD; MACP, is a Nephrologist, educator, poet and author
    Martínez Maldonado has authored numerous scientific publications and discovered a natriuretic hormone.
  • Dr. Antonio Mignucci
    Antonio Mignucci
    Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, PhD is a biological oceanographer specializing in the biology, management and conservation of marine mammals...


    Marine Biologist and oceanographer. Founder of the Red Caribeña de Varamientos.
  • Dr. Carlos Ortiz Longo
    Carlos Ortiz Longo
    Carlos Ortiz Longo used to be the Constellation Program Division System Manager for the Structural Engineering Division at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He is responsible for integrating Constellation Program items related to structures, mechanics, materials, and thermal...

    Mechanical engineer
    Chief of Crew Health Care Systems and Exercise Countermeasures in NASA.
  • Dr. Joseph O. Prewitt Díaz
    Joseph O. Prewitt Diaz
    Joseph Orlando Prewitt Díaz, PhD is a retired psychologist who specialized in psychosocial theory. He was the recipient of the American Psychological Association's 2008 International Humanitarian Award.-Early years:...

    psychologist
    Psychologist
    Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...


    Prewitt Díaz specialized in psychosocial
    Psychosocial
    For a concept to be psychosocial means it relates to one's psychological development in, and interaction with, a social environment. The individual needs not be fully aware of this relationship with his or her environment. It was first commonly used by psychologist Erik Erikson in his stages of...

     theory. He was the recipient of the American Psychological Association
    American Psychological Association
    The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...

    's 2008 International Humanitarian Award.
  • Mercedes Reaves
    Mercedes Reaves
    Mercedes Reaves is a Puerto Rican research engineer and scientist. She is responsible for the design of a viable full-scale solar sail and the development and testing of a scale model solar sail at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia.-Early years:...

    Research engineer and scientist
    Reaves is responsible for the design of a viable full-scale solar sail and the development and testing of a scale model solar sail at NASA Langley Research Center.
  • Ron Rivera
    Ron Rivera (public health)
    Ronald "Ron" Rivera was an American activist best known for developing an inexpensive ceramic water filter used to treat gray water in impoverished communities and for establishing community-based factories to produce the filters around the world.-Life and career:Born in The Bronx of Puerto Rican...

    Inventor and workshop organizer
    Invented life-saving water filters based on pottery.
  • Dr. Juan A. Rivero
    Juan A. Rivero
    Dr. Juan A. Rivero, the founder of the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo at the University of Puerto Rico's Mayagüez Campus, was born on March 5, 1923 in Puerto Rico.-Education:...

    Scientist, educator
    Founded the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo
    Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo
    Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo is a zoo located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It is the only zoo on the island. It is named in honor of Juan A. Rivero, its first director. It has an extensive collection of animals from all continents, as well as new facilities.-History:...

     in Mayagüez, has discovered numerous animal species and has written several books.
  • Dr. Miriam Rodon-Naveira
    Miriam Rodon-Naveira
    Dr. Miriam Rodón-Naveira, Ph. D., is a Puerto Rican scientist. She was the first Hispanic woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division within the National Exposure Research Laboratory. She is now responsible for developing, coordinating and maintaining research and...

    PhD, Puerto Rican NASA scientist
    Rodón-Naveira was the first Hispanic woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division within the National Exposure Research Laboratory.
  • Miguel Rodríguez, mechanical engineer,
    Chief of the Integration Office of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport Management Office.
  • Dr. Pedro Rodriguez
    Pedro Rodriguez (NASA)
    Dr. Pedro Rodriguez, Ph.D., , is the Director of a test laboratory at NASA and inventor of a portable, battery-operated lift seat for people suffering from knee arthritis.-Early years:...

    Inventor, Mechanical Engineer
    Rodríguez is the director of a test laboratory at NASA. He invented a portable, battery-operated lift seat for people suffering from knee arthritis.
  • Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias
    Helen Rodriguez-Trias
    Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias M.D. was a pediatrician, educator and women rights activist. She was the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association, a founding member of the Women's Caucus of the American Public Health Association, and the recipient of the Presidential Citizen's...

    Physician and activist
    Rodriguez-Trias was a physician and activist. She was the first Latina president of The American Public Health Association, a founding member of the Women's Caucus of the American Public Health Association and the recipient of the Presidential Citizen's Medal.(see also Civil rights activists)
  • Dr. Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas
    Fernando E. Rodriguez Vargas
    Major Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas, DDS was an odontologist , scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army who discovered the bacteria which causes dental caries.-Early years:...

    , Dentist, scientist
    Rodríguez Vargas discovered the bacteria which causes dental cavity (See also: Military).
  • Monserrate Roman
    Monserrate Roman
    Monserrate Roman, is a Puerto Rican scientist in NASA who helped NASA build part of the International Space Station. She is the Chief Microbiologist for the Environmental Control and Life Support System project who determines how microbes will behave under different situations and in different...

    Scientist, microbiologist
    Roman helped build the International Space Station
    International Space Station
    The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...

    .
  • Dr. Gualberto Ruano
    Gualberto Ruano
    Dr. Gualberto Ruaño, MD, PhD, is a pioneer in the field of personalized medicine and the inventor of molecular diagnostic systems used worldwide for the management of viral diseases...

    biotechnology pioneer and founder of Genomas, Inc.
    Ruaño is a pioneer in the field of personalized medicine and the inventor of molecular diagnostic systems, Coupled Amplification and Sequencing (CAS) System (U.S. patent 5,427,911), used worldwide for the management of viral diseases. Ruaño is President and Founder of Genomas, a genetics-related company and now the bio-tech anchor of Hartford Hospital's Genetic Research Center; he also serves as Director of genetics research at the Center.
  • Dr. Eduardo Santiago Delpín
    Eduardo Santiago Delpín
    Dr. Eduardo Santiago Delpín is a physician, surgeon, educator and author who wrote the first book in Spanish about organ transplants. Dr. Santiago Delpín is the founder of the Latin American Transplant Register, The Pan-American Society of Dialysis and Transplants, plus the Latin American and...

    Surgeon
    Santiago Delpin wrote the first book in Spanish about organ transplant.
  • Dr. Diego R. Solís
    Diego R. Solís
    Dr. Diego R. Solís is the founder and director of the "Centro de Cirugias de Higado y Pancreas" . He made Puerto Rican medical history when he performed the first simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant in Puerto Rico....

    Physician
    Solís made Puerto Rican medical history when he performed the first simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant in Puerto Rico.
  • Dr. Félix Soto Toro
    Felix Soto Toro
    Dr. Félix Soto Toro , is an astronaut applicant and an Electrical Designs Engineer in NASA, who developed the Advanced Payload Transfer Measurement System .-Early years:...

    Electrical engineer, astronaut applicant
    Soto Toror developed the Advanced Payload Transfer Measurement System (ASPTMS)(Electronic 3D measuring system).
  • Dr. Agustín Stahl
    Agustín Stahl
    Dr. Agustín Stahl , was a medical doctor and the first renowned Puerto Rican scientist, with diverse interests in the fields of ethnology, botany and zoology. He advocated Puerto Rico's independence from Spain....

    Botanist
    Stahl is considered to be Puerto Rico's first renowned scientist, conducted investigations and experiments in the fields of botany
    Botany
    Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

    , ethnology
    Ethnology
    Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...

     and zoology
    Zoology
    Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...

    .
  • Dr. Ramón M. Suárez Calderon
    Ramón M. Suárez Calderon
    Dr. Ramón M. Suárez Calderon was a scientist, cardiologist, educator and hematologíst whose investigations led him to identify the proper and effective treatment of a specific anemia known as tropical sprue...

    Scientist, cardiologist, educator and hematologist
    His investigations led to the identification of the proper and effective treatment of a type of anemia
    Anemia
    Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...

     known as Tropical Espru, the application of complex methods, such as electrocardiography and radioisotope, to be used in clinics and the identification and treatment of the disease which causes heart rheumatism
    Rheumatism
    Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...

    .
  • Fermín Tangüis
    Fermín Tangüis
    Fermín Tangüis , was a Puerto Rican businessman, agriculturist and scientist who developed the seed that would eventually produce the Tanguis cotton in Peru and save that nation's cotton industry.-Early years:...

    Scientist, businessman, agriculturist and
    Tangüis developed the Tanguis cotton in Peru and saved that nation's cotton industry.

Politicians

19th Century
  • Román Baldorioty de Castro
    Román Baldorioty de Castro
    Román Baldorioty de Castro distinguished himself as one of Puerto Rico's foremost abolitionists and spokesman for the island's right to self-determination...


    "The Father of Puerto Rico's Autonomy".
  • Dr. José Celso Barbosa
    José Celso Barbosa
    Dr. José Celso Barbosa was a medical Physician, sociologist, and political leader of Puerto Rico.Known within Puerto Rico's New Progressive Party as "The father of the Statehood for Puerto Rico movement", Barbosa was also the first Puerto Rican to be awarded an American medical degree.-Early...


    "The Father of Puerto Rico's Statehood Movement"
  • Eugenio María de Hostos
    Eugenio María de Hostos
    Eugenio María de Hostos known as "El Ciudadano de América" , was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate....

    a.k.a. "El Ciudadano de las Américas" (The Citizen of the Americas)
    educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, and independence advocate.
  • José M. Dávila Monsanto
    José M. Dávila Monsanto
    José M. Dávila Monsanto was a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer who in 1938 co-founded the political party Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico , otherwise known as the PPD...

    , Senator, politician and lawyer
    Dávila Monsanto was a co-founder of the "Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico".
  • Federico Degetau
    Federico Degetau
    Federico Degetau y González, born in Ponce was a Puerto Rican politician, lawyer, writer, author, and the first Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the United States House of Representatives.-Early years:...


    The first resident commissioner to the United States.
  • José María Marxuach Echavarría (1848–1910)
    Marxuach Echavarría was the only Puerto Rican to serve as the Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
    San Juan, Puerto Rico
    San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

     under both Spanish and American rule. He served in 1897 for the Liberal Reformista Party and again from 1900–1901 for the Puerto Rican Republican Party.
  • Antonio Mattei Lluberas
    Antonio Mattei Lluberas
    Antonio Mattei Lluberas , was a businessman and politician who in 1897 planned and led the second and last major uprising against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, known as the Intentona de Yauco.-Early years:...

    (1857–1908)
    Leader of the second and last major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico in what is known as the Intentona de Yauco
    Intentona de Yauco
    The Intentona de Yauco a.k.a. the "Attempted Coup of Yauco" of 1897, was the second and last major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, staged by Puerto Rico's pro-independence movement....

     of 1897. Mattei Lluberas served as Mayor of Yauco from 1904 to 1906
  • Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón
    Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón
    Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón was a lawyer, a member of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives, and a lifelong political contrarian. He favored Puerto Rican autonomy when Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony. After the Spanish-American War, when the island was ceded to the United States, he advocated...


    Matienzo Cintrón was a political leader who in his early political career favored Puerto Rican statehood and later became an advocate for Puerto Rico's independence and founder of the Independence Party of Puerto Rico.
  • Luis Muñoz Rivera
    Luis Muñoz Rivera
    Luis Muñoz Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico....


    former Resident Commissioner, journalist, politician (father of Luis Muñoz Marín
    Luis Muñoz Marín
    Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...

    ).
  • Ramón Power y Giralt
    Ramon Power y Giralt
    Captain Ramón Power y Giralt , commonly known only as "Ramón Power", was, according to Puerto Rican historian Lidio Cruz Monclova, among the first native born Puerto Ricans to refer to himself as a "Puerto Rican" and to fight for the equal representation of Puerto Rico in front of the parliamentary...


    First Vice President of the Cortes de Cádiz (1810–1813)
  • Francisco Mariano Quiñones
    Francisco Mariano Quiñones
    Francisco Mariano Quiñones was a proponent of the abolition of slavery and of the self-determination of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...


    The first president of Puerto Rico's Autonomic Cabinet.
  • Francisco Ramírez Medina
    Francisco Ramírez Medina
    Francisco Ramírez Medina , was one of the leaders of "El Grito de Lares", the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico in 1868...


    President of the Republic of Puerto Rico (23 September 1868), during the Grito de Lares
    Grito de Lares
    El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...

     revolt.
  • Segundo Ruiz Belvis
    Segundo Ruiz Belvis
    Segundo Ruiz Belvis , was a dedicated abolitionist who also fought for Puerto Rico's right to independence.-Early years:...


    Leader of the Grito de Lares
    Grito de Lares
    El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...

     revolt.
  • Manuel Zeno Gandía
    Manuel Zeno Gandía
    Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía wrote the novel La Charca , which is considered by many to be the first Puerto Rican novel.-Early years:...


    Puerto Rico patriot and leader of cooperative movement in Puerto Rico.


20th Century
  • Héctor Luis Acevedo
    Héctor Luis Acevedo
    Héctor Luis Acevedo is a politician from Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the son of Héctor N. Acevedo and Toñita, both public servants...


    Former Mayor of San Juan, 1996 PDP gubernatorial candidate.
  • Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
    Pedro Albizu Campos
    Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...


    President and principal leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
  • Santos P. Amadeo
    Santos P. Amadeo
    Santos Primo Amadeo Semidey , a.k.a "Champion of Hábeas Corpus", was an educator, lawyer and former Senator in the Puerto Rico legislature., constitutional law scholar and is one of the founders of Phi Sigma Alpha Fraternity....


    The "Champion of Hábeas Corpus" and former Senator in the Puerto Rico legislature.
  • María Luisa Arcelay
    María Luisa Arcelay
    María Luisa Arcelay , was an educator, businesswoman and politician who on November 1932, became the first woman in Puerto Rico to be elected to a government legislative body.-Early years:...


    First woman in Puerto Rico and in all of Latin America to be elected to a government legislative body.
  • Carmen E. Arroyo
    Carmen E. Arroyo
    Carmen E. Arroyo is the first Puerto Rican and Hispanic woman elected to the New York State Assembly. She was also first female of Puerto Rican descent housing developer in the State of New York...


    First Puerto Rican woman elected to any state assembly, chair New York Hispanic Legislative Caucus.
  • Herman Badillo
    Herman Badillo
    Herman Badillo is a Bronx, New York politician who has been a borough president, United States Representative, and candidate for Mayor of New York City. He was the first Puerto Rican to be elected to these posts and be a mayoral candidate in the continental United States.-Early years:Badillo was...


    First Puerto Rican to serve in U.S. Congress.
  • Joaquín Balaguer
    Joaquín Balaguer
    Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo was the President of the Dominican Republic from 1960 to 1962, from 1966 to 1978, and again from 1986 to 1996.-Early life and introduction to politics:...


    Former president of Dominican Republic
    Dominican Republic
    The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

     (Puerto Rican father).
  • Antonio R. Barceló
    Antonio R. Barceló
    Antonio Rafael Barceló y Martinez was a lawyer, businessman and the patriarch of what was to become one of Puerto Rico's most prominent political families...


    Founder of the Puerto Rican Liberal Party, first president of the Senate of Puerto Rico.
  • Ángel O. Berrios
    Ángel O. Berríos
    Ángel O. Berríos was a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico. An engineer of profession, Berríos became the 22nd mayor of Caguas for the first time in 1973, after winning the 1972 elections, as a member of the Popular Democratic Party .Berrios was defeated in the 1976 elections by the New Progressive...


    Former Mayor of Caguas
    Caguas, Puerto Rico
    Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....

    .
  • Rubén Berríos
    Rubén Berríos
    Rubén Ángel Berríos Martínez is a lawyer, a Puerto Rican politician, and the current president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party...


    President of the Puerto Rican Independence Party
    Puerto Rican Independence Party
    The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....

     (PIP).
  • Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances
    Ramón Emeterio Betances
    Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán was a Puerto Rican nationalist. He was the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution, and as such, is considered to be the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement...


    "The Father of the Puerto Rican Nation", main leader of the Grito de Lares
    Grito de Lares
    El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...

     revolution.
  • Juan Bosch
    Juan Bosch
    Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño was a politician, historian, short story writer, essayist, educator, and the first cleanly elected president of the Dominican Republic for a brief time in 1963. Previously, he had been the leader of the Dominican opposition in exile to the dictatorial regime of Rafael...


    Former president of Dominican Republic
    Dominican Republic
    The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

     (Puerto Rican mother).
  • Adolfo Carrión, Jr.
    Former Bronx (New York City) borough president
  • Adam Clayton Powell IV
    Adam Clayton Powell IV (politician)
    Adam Clayton Powell IV , was a member of the New York State Assembly. From 1992-1997 he served as New York City Council Member representing East Harlem and parts of the Upper West Side and the South Bronx. Since 2000, Powell has represented the 68th Assembly District, which includes parts of Harlem...


    former member of the New York State Assembly.
  • Dr. Gilberto Concepción de Gracia
    Gilberto Concepción de Gracia
    Dr. Gilberto Concepción de Gracia was a lawyer, journalist, author, politician and founder of the Puerto Rican Independence Party.-Early years:Concepción de Gracia was born in the town of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico...


    Founder of the Puerto Rican Independence Party.
  • Cayetano Coll y Cuchí
    Cayetano Coll y Cuchí
    Cayetano Coll y Cuchí was a politician, writer and an advocate of Puerto Rican Independence. In 1917, he became the first President of Puerto Rico House of Representatives after the island was ceded to the United States by Spain as a result of the Spanish-American War...


    The first President of Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
  • José Coll y Cuchi
    José Coll y Cuchí
    José Coll y Cuchi was a lawyer, writer and the founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. He was a member of a prominent Puerto Rican family of politicians, educators and writers See: "Notable family members" section .-Early years:Coll y Cuchi was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico...


    Founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
    Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
    The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...

    .

  • Rafael Cordero
    Former Mayor of Ponce
    Ponce, Puerto Rico
    Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

    .
  • Miguel del Valle
    Miguel del Valle
    Miguel del Valle is an American politician and the former City Clerk of Chicago. He was an Illinois State Senator for two decades, representing the 2nd district of Chicago from 1987 – 2006...


    Former Illinois State Senator, Present (and first Latino) City Clerk of Chicago, and mayoral candidate for the 2011 Chicago mayoral election.
  • Nelson Antonio Denis
    Nelson Antonio Denis
    Nelson Antonio Denis is a former New York politician who represented East Harlem in the New York State Assembly.-Early life:Denis was born and raised in New York City...


    Former New York State Assemblyman
  • Rubén Díaz
    New York State Senator and religious leader
  • Pedro Espada, Jr.
    New York State Senator
  • Dr. Antonio Fernós-Isern
    Antonio Fernós-Isern
    Dr. Antonio Fernós-Isern was the first Puerto Rican cardiologist and its longest serving resident commissioner.-Early years:...


    First Puerto Rican cardiologist and Resident Commissioner.
  • Maurice Ferre
    Maurice Ferre
    Maurice A. Ferre is a former six-term Mayor of Miami. Ferre was the first United States mayor born in Puerto Rico and the first Hispanic Mayor of Miami. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2010 elections for the U.S...


    Former Mayor of Miami, Florida.
  • Fernando Ferrer
    Fernando Ferrer
    Fernando James "Freddy" Ferrer was the Borough President of The Bronx from 1987 to 2001, and was a candidate for Mayor of New York in 2001 and the Democratic Party nominee for Mayor in 2005.- Background :...


    Former Bronx (New York City) borough president and New York City mayoral candidate.
  • Rogelio Figueroa
    Rogelio Figueroa
    Rogelio Figueroa was the 2008 gubernatorial candidate for the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico party, a registered political party in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico....


    2008 gubernatorial candidate and founder of Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party (PPR).
  • Bonnie García
    Bonnie Garcia
    Bonnie Garcia was the representative of California's 80th Assembly District, serving eastern Riverside County and all of Imperial County....


    former California State Assemblywoman.
  • Robert García
    Robert García
    Robert García is a former Democratic United States Representative who represented New York's 21st district between 1978 and 1990.-Biography:...


    Former New York State Assemblyman, State Senator and U.S. Representative.
  • Oscar Garcia Rivera, Sr.
    Oscar Garcia Rivera, Sr.
    Oscar Garcia Rivera, Sr. was a politician, lawyer and activist. Garcia Rivera made history when in 1937 he became the first Puerto Rican to be elected to public office in the continental United States...


    Former New York State Assemblyman, in 1937 he became the first Puerto Rican to be elected to public office in the continental United States and in 1956, he also became the first Puerto Rican to be nominated as the Republican candidate for Justice of the City Court.
  • Lcdo. Miguel A. García Méndez
    Miguel A. García Méndez
    Miguel Angel García Méndez was a recognized businessman, lawyer, statesman, and banker in Puerto Rico. He was a lifelong statehood supporter for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico...


    Youngest Speaker of the House in Puerto Rico's history. The Mayagüez General Post Office was named after him.
  • Luis Gutiérrez
    Luis Gutiérrez
    Luis Vicente Gutiérrez is an American politician and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. Gutiérrez was the first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest. From 1986 until his election to Congress he served as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 26th ward...


    Illinois Congressman.

  • Santiago Iglesias
    Santiago Iglesias
    Santiago Iglesias Pantín , a supporter of statehood for Puerto Rico, was the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the U.S...


    Founder of the first Puerto Rico Socialist Party, labor activist and former Resident Commissioner.
  • Margarita López
    Margarita Lopez
    Margarita López is an openly lesbian former New York City Council Member who represented New York City Council's 2nd district from 1998 to 2005. The 2nd district comprises the Lower East Side, Alphabet City, and the East Village. López was elected to the Council in 1997. Born in Puerto Rico, she...


    Former New York City Council member/activist.
  • Juan Francisco Luis
    Juan Francisco Luis
    Juan Francisco Luis was a U.S. Virgin Island politician who served as the third elected Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the territory's 23rd Governor overall. Luis assumed the governorship on January 2, 1978, succeeding Governor Cyril King, who died in office...


    Was the 24th governor of the United States Virgin Islands
    United States Virgin Islands
    The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...

    , serving from 1978 to 1987.
  • Martin Malave Dilan
    Martin Malave Dilan
    Martin Malave Dilan is a member of the New York State Senate representing the 17th Senatorial District. The 17th Senate District encompasses the North Brooklyn communities of Bushwick, Brooklyn, Williamsburg Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, City-Line, East New York,...


    New York State Senator
  • Evelyn Mantilla
    Evelyn Mantilla
    Evelyn Mantilla is an American politician from Connecticut who served from 1997 to 2007 as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.-Biography:...


    Connecticut House of Representatives.
  • Juan Marí Bras
    Juan Mari Brás
    Juan Mari Brás was an advocate for Puerto Rican independence from the United States who founded the Puerto Rican Socialist Party...


    Founder of the Movimiento Pro Independencia and the modern Puerto Rican Socialist Party.
  • Olga A. Méndez
    Olga A. Méndez
    Olga A. Méndez was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to a state legislature in the United States mainland.-Early years:...


    First Puerto Rican New York State Senator.
  • Rosie Méndez
    Rosie Mendez
    Rosie Mendez is an American Democratic Party politician in New York. She is a member of the New York City Council from Manhattan, representing the 2nd council district, which includes the Lower East Side, Alphabet City and the East Village...


    New York City councilwoman/activist.
  • Teodoro Moscoso
    Teodoro Moscoso
    Teodoro Moscoso Mora , was a Puerto Rican politician known as "the architect of "Operation Bootstrap".-Early years:...


    Architect of Operation Bootstrap
    Operation Bootstrap
    For other uses, see Bootstrapping and Bootstrapping .Operation Bootstrap is the name given to the ambitious projects which industrialized Puerto Rico in the mid-20th century.-History:...

    , former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela
    Venezuela
    Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

     (1961–1964).
  • Victoria Muñoz Mendoza
    Victoria Muñoz Mendoza
    Victoria "Melo" Muñoz Mendoza is a former politician from Puerto Rico. She is the daughter of the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín, founder of the Popular Democratic Party and his second wife, Inés Mendoza...


    1992 PDP candidate for governor (daughter of Luis Muñoz Marín
    Luis Muñoz Marín
    Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...

    ).
  • Luis Muñoz Rivera
    Luis Muñoz Rivera (senator)
    Luis Muñoz Rivera was born the same year in which his more famous namesake, Resident Commissioner Luis Muñoz Rivera, died. Former senator Luis Muñoz Rivera was the last surviving delegate of Puerto Rico's Constitutional Convention, which met in 1951 and 1952.- Public life :Muñoz Rivera entered...


    Senator, last surviving drafter of Puerto Rico Constitution.
  • Félix Ortiz
    Felix Ortiz
    Félix W. Ortiz is an American politician, currently representing New York's 51st Assembly District. He is a Democrat.-Early life:...


    New York State Assemblyman, author of nation's first cellphone driving ban.
  • George Pabey
    George Pabey
    George Pabey is a former mayor of East Chicago, Indiana, United States. He was elected into office in an October 2004 special election, and assumed office in January 2005...


    Mayor of East Chicago, Indiana
    East Chicago, Indiana
    East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....

    .
  • Hernán Padilla
    Hernán Padilla
    Hernán Padilla in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, is a retired physician and former two-term Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest city in the United States....


    Former Mayor of San Juan, founder Puerto Rican Renewal Party.
  • Antonio Pagán
    Antonio Pagán
    Antonio Pagán was an American politician, who held roles in the municipal government of New York City. He served on New York City Council for six years, and was subsequently appointed the city's commissioner of employment by mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1998.Pagán, a native of Manhattan who spent much...


    Former New York City Council member
  • Eddie Perez
    Eddie Pérez (politician)
    Eduardo Alberto "Eddie" Perez is a politician of Puerto Rican origin and former Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut. Prior to entering politics, Perez worked as a community activist...


    former Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut
    Hartford, Connecticut
    Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

    .
  • Adam Clayton Powell IV
    Adam Clayton Powell IV (politician)
    Adam Clayton Powell IV , was a member of the New York State Assembly. From 1992-1997 he served as New York City Council Member representing East Harlem and parts of the Upper West Side and the South Bronx. Since 2000, Powell has represented the 68th Assembly District, which includes parts of Harlem...


    New York State Assemblyman, son of former congressman.
  • Samuel R. Quiñones
    Samuel R. Quiñones
    Samuel R. Quiñones was a prominent attorney in Puerto Rico who served for twenty years as the fifth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico, from 1949 to 1968, by far the longest serving Senate President. He had previously served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico in the...


    "Longest serving President of the Senate of Puerto Rico"
  • Ernesto Ramos Antonini
    Ernesto Ramos Antonini
    Ernesto Ramos Antonini was the President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico and co-founder of the Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico .-Early years:...


    Former Speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives.
  • Charles Rangel
    United States Congressman (Puerto Rican father).
  • Roberto Rexach Benítez
    Roberto Rexach Benítez
    Roberto Rexach Benítez is a Puerto Rican politician, and former Senator and Representative. Rexach Benítez served as the tenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 1996...


    Former Senate President, educator, current columnist for El Vocero newspaper.
  • Felisa Rincón de Gautier
    Felisa Rincón de Gautier
    Felisa Rincón de GautierThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name "Rincón" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Gautier"...


    First woman to be elected Mayor of an American capital city.
  • Ramón Luis Rivera
    Ramón Luis Rivera
    Ramón Luis Rivera is a Puerto Rican politician affiliated with the New Progressive Party. He was Mayor of Bayamón from 1977 until 2000. He is considered by many, public and political critics alike, to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest mayors in history, as well as Bayamón's greatest.Rivera became...


    Mayor of Bayamón 1977–2001.
  • Samuel Rivera
    Samuel Rivera
    Samuel Rivera was the Democratic mayor of the U.S. city of Passaic, New Jersey, from 2001 until 2008. Rivera came to national attention on September 6, 2007, when he was indicted and arrested on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for agreeing to direct municipal contracts to an insurance...


    Mayor of Passaic, New Jersey
    Passaic, New Jersey
    Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...

    .
  • María de Lourdes Santiago
    María de Lourdes Santiago
    María de Lourdes Santiago is a lawyer and journalist from Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. She is the current vice-president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party and in 2004 became the first woman from that party to be elected into the Senate in the history of Puerto Rico.-Biography:Santiago has a...


    Only female Puerto Rico Independence Party (PIP) member to be elected to the Puerto Rican Senate.
  • Manuela Santiago Collazo
    Manuela Santiago Collazo
    Manuela Santiago Collazo was a Puerto Rican politician who was the mayor of the city of Vieques .Santiago Collazo became Vieques' first female mayor during the 1984 general elections...


    Mayor of Vieques (1985–2000).

  • Jorge Santini
    Jorge Santini
    Jorge Santini Padilla in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is an Puerto Rican Politician and current Mayor of San Juan City.-Biography:...


    Current three-term Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
    San Juan, Puerto Rico
    San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

     and Vice President of the New Progressive Party
    New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
    The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...

    , former senator.
  • José E. Serrano
    Most senior Puerto Rican congressman, Chair of House Appropriations subcommittee on Financial Services.
  • Gloria Tristani
    Gloria Tristani
    Gloria Tristani served from 1997 to 2001 as the first Hispanic woman member of the Federal Communications Commission . Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she is married to Judge Gerard W. Thomson and is the mother of Vanesa and Jorge. A graduate of Barnard College, she obtained her Juris...


    First Hispanic woman appointed as one of the five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
  • Nydia Velázquez
    Nydia Velázquez
    Nydia Margarita Velázquez is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes residential areas of three boroughs...


    First Puerto Rican congresswoman, Chair of House Small Business Committee.
  • Raúl G. Villaronga
    Raúl G. Villaronga
    Colonel Raúl G. Villaronga is a retired United States Army officer who has the distinction of being the first Puerto Rican mayor of a Texas city...


    First Puerto Rican to be elected mayor in Texas. Mayor of Killeen, Texas.


21st Century
  • Richard Carmona
    Richard Carmona
    Richard Henry Carmona is an American physician, public health administrator, and politician. He was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as the seventeenth Surgeon General of the United States. Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002, Carmona left office...


    17th Surgeon General of the United States, physician
  • Ruth Noemí Colón
    Ruth Noemí Colón
    Ruth Noemí Colón was the 66th Secretary of State of New York, serving in the Cabinets of Governors David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo. She was appointed by Governor Paterson to replace outgoing Secretary Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez who officially resigned on September 1, 2010. She is the state's second...


    66th Secretary of State for the State of New York
  • Pedro Cortés
    Pennsylvania's former Secretary of the Commonwealth, Past President of National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).
  • Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
    Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
    Lorraine A. Cortés-Vázquez was the 65th Secretary of State of New York, serving in the Cabinet of Governor David Paterson. She originally served in the Cabinet of former Governor Eliot Spitzer and remained in office following Paterson's taking over the governorship on March 17, 2008...


    Former Secretary of State for the State of New York
  • Ruben Diaz, Jr.
    Former New York State Assemblyman and Bronx Borough President (2009–present).
  • Wilda Diaz
    Wilda Diaz
    Wilda Diaz was elected Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey in May 2008. She defeated incumbent Joseph Vas, by a 58% to 42% margin. She is Perth Amboy's first female mayor and the first female mayor of Puerto Rican and Latina ancestry elected mayor of a city in New Jersey...


    First female mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey and first Puerto Rican woman elected mayor in that state.
  • Jennifer González
    Jennifer González
    Jenniffer A. González Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who serves as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, a commonwealth with the United States. She is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico and the United States Republican Party...


    Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
  • Raúl Labrador
    Raúl Labrador
    Raúl Rafael Labrador is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously represented District 14B in the Idaho House of Representatives.-Early life, education, and law career:...


    Congressman representing Idaho's 1st congressional district
    Idaho's 1st congressional district
    Idaho's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Idaho. The district encompasses the western and northern parts of the state and includes the western third of the state capital, Boise, and most of its suburbs, including Nampa, Caldwell, and Meridian...

     in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • Kenneth McClintock
    Kenneth McClintock
    Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...


    Thrteenth President of the Puerto Rico Senate, and current Secretary of State/Lieutenant Governor of Puerto Rico.
  • Hiram Monserrate
    Hiram Monserrate
    Hiram Monserrate is a former member of the New York State Senate. He represented the 13th District which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and Woodside...


    former New York State Senator
  • Antonia Novello
    Antonia Novello
    Antonia Coello Novello, M.D., is a Puerto Rican physician and public health administrator. She was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as fourteenth Surgeon General of the United States from 1990 to 1993...


    14th Surgeon General of the U.S., Vice Admiral, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
  • Cesar A. Perales
    Cesar A. Perales
    Cesar Augusto Perales is the Secretary of State of New York currently serving in the Cabinet of Governor Andrew Cuomo. On March 31, 2011, he was nominated by Governor Cuomo to replace outgoing Secretary Ruth Noemí Colón, and took office on May 2, 2011. He was confirmed by the State Senate on June 7...


    67th Secretary of State for the State of New York
  • Pedro Pierluisi
    Pedro Pierluisi
    Pedro R. Pierluisi Urrutia is a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician affiliated with the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico and the United States Democratic Party...


    Former PR Attorney General, Resident Commissioner
    Resident Commissioner
    Resident Commissioner is the title of several, quite different types of Commissioner in overseas possession or protectorate of the British Crown or of the United States.-British English:...

    , 2008–present.
  • Roberto Prats
    Roberto Prats
    Roberto Prats Palerm is a former Senator of Puerto Rico, a lawyer, and a former candidate for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the elections of 2004...


    Co-chair of winning Hillary Clinton primary campaign, Democratic State Chair and former senator and PDP congressional candidate.
  • John Quiñones
    John Quiñones (politician)
    John P. Quiñones IV was the first Republican of Puerto Rican ancestry elected to the Florida House of Representatives. Quiñones, who was elected in 2002, represented the 49th District of the state, which stretches between Osceola and Orange counties...


    First Republican Party candidate of Puerto Rican ancestry elected to Florida House of Representatives.
  • Thomas Rivera Schatz
    Thomas Rivera Schatz
    Thomas "Tommy" Rivera Schätz is a Puerto Rican politician currently serving as the fourteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico and the United States Republican Party...


    Fourteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico
    Senate of Puerto Rico
    The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...

    .
  • Melinda Romero Donnelly
    Melinda Romero Donnelly
    Melinda Kathleen Romero Donnelly is a Puerto Rican politician, Senator, and former Representative. She is the youngest daughter of former Governor of Puerto Rico Carlos Romero Barceló and Kate Donnelly.-Early years:...


    Three-term at-large legislator, two terms in House, recently elected to Senate.
  • Pedro Segarra
    Pedro Segarra
    Pedro E. Segarra is an American politician of Puerto Rican origin and Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut. Prior to becoming mayor, Segarra was president of Hartford's City Council. He succeeded former Mayor Eddie Perez who resigned in disgrace after he was convicted by a state Superior Court jury of...


    Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut
    Hartford, Connecticut
    Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

    .
  • Darren Soto
    Darren Soto
    Darren Soto is an Orlando-based attorney and Democratic politician who serves the member of the Florida House of Representatives for District 49. He was first elected to the Florida House in April 2007 and was re-elected in 2008 and 2010.Representative Soto was born in Ringwood, New Jersey to a...


    Only Puerto Rican Representative in Florida House of Representatives

Religion

Pre-20th century
  • Juan Alejo de Arizmendi
    Juan Alejo de Arizmendi
    Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi was a patriot and the first Puerto Rican to be consecrated Bishop.-Early years:...

    , Bishop
    First Puerto Rican to become a bishop.
  • Francisco Ayerra de Santa María
    Francisco Ayerra de Santa María
    Father Francisco Ayerra de Santa María is considered to be Puerto Rico's first native born poet.-Early years:Santa Maria was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he received his primary and secondary education. He went to Mexico as a young and enrolled in the University of Mexico, where he earned...

    , Father
    Puerto Rico's first poet.
  • Diego de Torres Vargas
    Diego de Torres Vargas
    Father Diego de Torres Vargas , a priest, was the first person to write a book about the history of Puerto Rico.-Early years:Torres Vargas was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to a prosperous family...

    , Father
    First to write about the history of Puerto Rico.


20th century
  • David Andrés Álvarez-Velázquez
    David Andres Alvarez-Velazquez
    David Andrés Álvarez-Velázquez is Bishop of the Diocese of Puerto Rico of the Episcopal Church of the United States, or "Iglesia Episcopal Puertorriqueña", succeeding the late Right Reverend Francisco Reus-Froylan, the first Puerto Rican to serve as Diocesan Bishop...

    , Bishop
    The second native Puerto Rican to serve as Bishop of the Diocese of Puerto Rico of the Episcopal Church.
  • Luis Aponte Martínez
    Luis Aponte Martínez
    Luis Aponte Martínez is the only Puerto Rican ever to be consecrated a cardinal of the Catholic Church, and for 34 years was the Archbishop of San Juan. Cardinal Aponte was a cardinal elector in the two conclaves of 1978....

    , Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of San Juan
    Only Puerto Rican to become a Roman Catholic cardinal.
  • Yiye Avila
    Yiye Avila
    Jose Joaquin Avila , better known as Yiye Avila, is one of the most famous and respected evangelists in Latin America and a former [Mr. America].-Early life:...

    , Reverend
    Pentecostal leader.
  • Nicky Cruz
    Nicky Cruz
    Nicky Cruz is a Christian evangelist, the founder of Nicky Cruz Outreach, an evangelistic Christian ministry. He was also once the director of Teen Challenge, serving under David Wilkerson before founding another ministry home himself in California...

    , Reverend
    Former gangster turned minister.
  • Isolina Ferre
    Isolina Ferré
    Isolina Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican Roman Catholic nun. Known as the "Mother Teresa of Puerto Rico", she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her humanitarian work....

    , Sor
    Catholic nun awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
    Presidential Medal of Freedom
    The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...

    .
  • Juanita García Peraza
    Juanita García Peraza
    Juanita Garcia Peraza, also known as "Mita" was the founder of the "Mita congregation", the only Protestant religion of Puerto Rican origin.-Early years:...

    , "Mita"
    Founder of "Mita" religion.
  • Roberto González Nieves
    Roberto González Nieves
    Roberto Octavio González Nieves, OFM is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Puerto Rico and the current Archbishop of San Juan.-Early life and education:...

    , Archbishop of San Juan
  • Jorge Raschke
    Jorge Raschke
    Jorge Raschke is a Puerto Rican pentecostal pastor who is well known for his opinions on many subjects as well as for his religious campaigns....

    , Reverend
    Outspoken Pentecostal pastor.
  • Francisco Reus-Froylan
    Francisco Reus-Froylan
    The late Right Reverend Francisco Reus-Froylan retired as the fifth Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Puerto Rico of the Episcopal Church of the United States in 1989, two years after consecrating his eventual successor as Bishop Coadjutor. He died on November 19, 2008, at the age of 89 after a...

    , Reverend
    First Puerto Rican Episcopal Bishop.
  • Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago, "Beato Charlie"
    Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He is the first Puerto Rican and the first Caribbean
    Caribbean
    The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

    -born layperson to be beatified.
  • Teófilo Vargas Sein, "Aaron"
    Current leader of the "Mita" religion.


21st century
  • Alberto Cutié, Father
    Episcopal priest, author and television host.
  • José Luis de Jesús Miranda
    José Luis de Jesús Miranda
    José Luis de Jesús Miranda is the founder and leader of Creciendo en Gracia , based in Miami, Florida. He claims to be both Jesus Christ returned and the Antichrist, and exhibits a "666" tattoo on his forearm...


    Controversial religious leader who refers to himself as the Antichrist
    Antichrist
    The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...

    .
  • Bavi Edna Rivera
    Bavi Edna Rivera
    Right Reverend Bavi Edna Rivera a.k.a. "Nedi" , is a suffragan bishop and Episcopal priest She is the first Hispanic woman bishop and the 12th woman bishop in the Episcopal Church. Her father, Bishop Victor Manuel Rivera, was a prominent opponent of the ordination of women.-Early years:Rivera is...

    , Episcopal Bishop
    Rivera is the first Hispanic woman bishop and the 12th woman bishop in the Episcopal Church.

Sports

A
  • Benjamin Agosto
    Benjamin Agosto
    Benjamin Alexandro Agosto is an American ice dancer. With partner Tanith Belbin, Agosto is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2004–2006 Four Continents champion, and 2004–2008 U.S. champion....


    figure skater and Olympic medalist.
  • Roberto Alomar
    Roberto Alomar
    Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez is a former Major League Baseball player , regarded by many as one of the best second basemen in MLB history. During his career he won more Gold Gloves than any other second baseman in history, and also won the second-most Silver Slugger Awards for a second...


    former baseball player, MLB All-Star, third Puerto Rican inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame (2011).
  • Sandy Alomar, Jr.
    Sandy Alomar, Jr.
    Santos "Sandy" Alomar, Jr., or in the Spanish-language naming system Santos Alomar Velázquez , is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the San Diego Padres , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox and , Colorado Rockies , Texas Rangers , Los Angeles Dodgers , and New York Mets...


    former baseball player.
  • Sandy Alomar, Sr.
    Sandy Alomar, Sr.
    Santos "Sandy" Alomar, Sr., or in the Spanish naming system Santos Alomar Conde is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves , New York Mets , Chicago White Sox , California Angels , New York Yankees , and Texas Rangers . Alomar was a...


    former baseball player.
  • Carmelo Anthony
    Carmelo Anthony
    Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...


    NBA player, Denver Nuggets
    Denver Nuggets
    The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

     (Puerto Rican father).
  • Orlando Antigua
    Orlando Antigua
    Orlando Antigua a.k.a. "Hurricane" , an American basketball player, became the first Hispanic and the first non-black to play for the Harlem Globetrotters in 52 years when he signed in 1995....


    Born to a Puerto Rican mother, in 1995, the first Hispanic and the first non-black in 52 years to play for the Harlem Globetrotters
    Harlem Globetrotters
    The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...

    .
  • Chris Armas
    Chris Armas
    Chris Armas is a retired American soccer player. He is currently the head women's soccer coach at Adelphi University. He was also a teacher of physical education at St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York.-College:Armas is of Puerto Rican descent...


    soccer player, (Puerto Rican mother).
  • Carlos Arroyo
    Carlos Arroyo
    Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez is a Puerto Rican professional basketball point guard who last played for the Boston Celtics. Arroyo is the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA...


    NBA player, Orlando Magic
    Orlando Magic
    The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...

    .
  • Harry Arroyo
    Harry Arroyo
    Harry Arroyo is a former American boxer who gained international recognition as the IBF Lightweight Champion of the World from 1984 to 1985.- Early years :...


    boxer, former IBF
    IBF
    IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...

     Lightweight Champion.


B
  • Juan Báez
    Juan Báez
    Juan "Johnny" Báez , was an active and notable Puerto Rican basketball player. He played from 1953 to 1969 in Puerto Rico's Superior Basketball League and from 1957 to 1961 with the Real Madrid basketball Spanish basketball team in Europe...


    former basketball player, most recent recipient of Puerto Rico Olympic Medal of Honor.
  • José Juan Barea
    Jose Juan Barea
    José Juan "J.J." Barea Mora is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. He most recently played as a point guard for the National Basketball Association's 2011 champion Dallas Mavericks. Barea has played in the NBA, NBA Development League, NCAA and the BSN with Indios de Mayagüez and the...


    NBA player, Dallas Mavericks
    Dallas Mavericks
    The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

    ; first Puerto Rican to play for winning team in the NBA Finals.
  • María Elena Batista
    María Elena Batista
    María Elena Batista currently is a sports administrator in Puerto Rico. As the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico's Director of Sports and Recreation since January, 2001, she helped revive the previously underused and dilapidated Hiram Bithorn Stadium, attracting MLB's Opening Day Game in 2001,...


    Olympic, PanAm and Central American games swimmer.
  • Eddie Belmonte
    Eddie Belmonte
    Eddie Belmonte is a retired jockey who competed at the highest levels in Thoroughbred horse racing in his native Puerto Rico and in the United States....


    thoroughbred racing jockey.
  • Carlos Beltran
    Carlos Beltrán
    Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...


    baseball, center fielder San Francisco Giants
    San Francisco Giants
    The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

    .
  • Wilfred Benítez
    Wilfred Benitez
    Wilfred Benítez , is a Puerto Rican boxer. He is remembered best as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities who won world championships in three separate weight divisions, and was the youngest world champion in boxing history at the age of 17...


    boxer, member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • Dr. David "Kike" Bernier
    retired fencer, former Secretary of Sports and Recreation.
  • Hiram Bithorn
    Hiram Bithorn
    Hiram Gabriel Bithorn was a Puerto Rican right-handed pitcher who became the first baseball player from Puerto Rico to play Major League Baseball...


    baseball player, first Puerto Rican in Major League Baseball.
  • Kristina Brandi
    Kristina Brandi
    Kristina Brandi is a Puerto Rican tennis player.-Early years:Brandi was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she became interested in the sport of tennis at an early age. She made her professional debut in 1995 when she was 17 years old.-USTA Circuit:In 2003, Brandi won the most titles...


    tennis player.


C
  • Iván Calderón
    Ivan Calderón (baseball player)
    Iván Calderón Pérez , born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player from 1984 to 1993, and was named an All-Star in 1991. He was murdered in a bar in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Shot seven times in the back and head, he died instantly...


    baseball player.
  • Iván Calderón
    Ivan Calderón (boxer)
    Iván Calderón Marrero is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur Calderón represented Puerto Rico in international competitions and attended the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia. On May 3, 2003, he won the World Boxing Organization's minimumweight championship when he defeated Eduardo...


    boxer/world champion.
  • Hector 'Macho' Camacho
    boxer/ former world champion.
  • Fernando J. Canales
    Fernando J. Canales
    Fernando J. Canales is a former freestyle swimmer from Puerto Rico and swimming coach. Up until the Beijing Olympics in 2008, he was the Head Assistant Coach for Men's Swimming & Diving at his Alma Mater, The University of Michigan, and also for the USA National Championship Team, Club Wolverine,...


    swimmer, first Puerto Rican to reach final Championships.
  • Orlando Cepeda
    Orlando Cepeda
    Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman.Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was...


    baseball player, member of Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • Roberto Clemente
    Roberto Clemente
    Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...


    3,000-hit baseball player, first Puerto Rican member of Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • Nero Chen
    Nero Chen
    Nero Chen , a.k.a. El Negro, was Puerto Rico's first professional boxer to gain international recognition.-Boxing career:Little is known about Chen's early years except that "Nero Chen" was his nickname, and that he was born in Puerto Rico. Chen moved to New York City and lived in Harlem.There he...


    boxer, Chen was Puerto Rico's first professional boxer.

  • Conchita Cintron
    Conchita Cintrón
    Concepción Cintrón Verrill, also known as Conchita Cintrón or La Diosa de Oro , was a Chilean torera , perhaps the most famous in the history of bullfighting...


    renowned female bullfighter (Puerto Rican father)
  • Kermit Cintron
    Kermit Cintron
    Kermit Cintrón is a Puerto Rican boxer who is from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Cintrón is trained by Ronnie Shields and managed by Josh Dubin. He is promoted by Top Rank.-Early and personal life:...


    boxer, former International Boxing Federation
    International Boxing Federation
    The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...

     welterweight champion (2006–08).
  • Abdiel Colberg
    Abdiel Colberg (rollerblader)
    Abdiel Colberg , is the only Hispanic professional rollerblader to have his own pro-skate brand.-Early years:Colberg was born and raised in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. There he received his primary and secondary education. According to Colberg his parents were instrumental in developing...


    first Hispanic pro-rollerblader.
  • Dr. Rebekah Colberg
    Rebekah Colberg
    Dr. Rebekah Colberg ,Dates of birth and death were provided and confirmed by the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee-August 24, 2010 is known as "The Mother of Women's Sports in Puerto Rico".-Early years:...


    "The Mother of Puerto Rican Women's Sports"
  • Carlitos Colon
    Carlitos Colón
    Carlos Edwin Colón, Sr. is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, better known in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling circles as Carlos Colón or Carlitos Colón...


    former professional wrestler.
  • Carly Colón
    Carly Colon
    Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...


    professional wrestler.
  • Ángel Cordero, Jr.
    jockey, member of Jockey Hall of Fame.
  • Maritza Correia
    Maritza Correia
    Maritza Correia is an Olympic-swimmer from the United States. When she qualified for the USA Olympic Team in 2004, she became the first Puerto Rican of African descent to be on the USA Olympic Swimming Team...


    first black Puerto Rican woman in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team.
  • Joe Cortez
    Joe Cortez
    Joe Cortez is a Puerto Rican boxing referee who has worked many important world title bouts.-Biography:Cortez moved to Puerto Rico during his childhood. Living there, he became fluent in Spanish. Cortez had a good amateur boxing career, winning various Golden Gloves tournaments from 1960 to 1962...


    boxing referee; member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • Miguel Cotto
    Miguel Cotto
    Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional boxer and the reigning WBA light middleweight champion. He is the younger brother of contender Jose Miguel Cotto and cousin of Abner Cotto...


    professional boxer, former light welterweight and welterweight world champion.
  • Eva Cruz
    Eva Cruz
    Eva Marie Cruz Dalmau is a member of the Puerto Rican national volleyball team. Cruz plays for Valencianas of Juncos in the Puerto Rican league of volleyball. She is for many "La Reina" of volleyball in Puerto Rico. Cruz was the first player in the Puerto Rico woman's volleyball league to have...


    volleyball player.
  • José Cruz
    José Cruz
    José Cruz Dilan is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is also the former first base coach for the Houston Astros. During his 19-year baseball career, he played from 1970-1988 for three different teams, playing primarily for the Astros...


    baseball player whose number was retired by the Astros.
  • Teófilo Cruz
    Teófilo Cruz
    Teófilo Cruz Downs was a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. Cruz has played in the NCAA, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico with Santurce Crabbers, Guaynabo Mets, Canovanas Indians, Río Piedras Cardinals, and Mayagüez Tainos. Cruz has played internationally in...


    basketball player


D
  • Christian Dalmau
    Christian Dalmau
    Christian Dalmau is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. He is the second son of the legendary Puerto Rican basketball star Raymond Dalmau...


    BSN
    National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico
    The Baloncesto Superior Nacional or BSN is the main Puerto Rican men's basketball league. It currently has 10 teams, but has had many teams in several cities of the island. The league was established in 1929. It has produced players that have distinguished themselves in the NBA, European Leagues,...

     basketball player.
  • Raymond Dalmau
    Raymond Dalmau
    Raymond Dalmau Pérez is a retired Puerto Rican professional basketball player. During most of his career, Dalmau played in the National Superior Basketball league. His sons Richie, Christian and Ricardo also played basketball on the highest level of Puerto Rican basketball.-Career:Dalmau...


    basketball player.
  • Carlos De León
    Carlos De Leon
    Carlos De León, also known as "Sugar" De Leon, is a Puerto Rican former boxer who made history by becoming the first Cruiserweight to win the world title twice.  Subsequently, he kept breaking his own record for the most times as Cruiserweight champion by regaining it twice more.- Career :De León,...


    first boxer to win cruiserweight world title four times.
  • Esteban De Jesús
    Esteban De Jesús
    Esteban De Jesús was a Puerto Rican world lightweight champion boxer whose life was full of controversy, problems and scandals. De Jesus, a native of the town of Carolina, Puerto Rico, was a gymmate of Wilfred Benítez and an acquaintance of Benitez's mother, Clara Benítez. He was trained by...


    boxer, former world champion.
  • Madeline de Jesús
    Madeline de Jesús
    Madeline de Jesús is a retired female track and field athlete from Puerto Rico, who competed in the women's long jump and triple jump during her career. Her personal best in the long jump was set on July 24, 1988 in Mexico City...


    Athlete, runner short track, long-jump, triple jump, gold, silver and bronze medallist, participant to 2 Olympic Games.
  • Carlos Delgado
    Carlos Delgado
    Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández is a retired Puerto Rican professional baseball player. With 473 home runs and 1,512 RBI, he holds the all-time home run and RBI records among Puerto Rican players....


    baseball player, New York Mets
    New York Mets
    The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

    .


E
  • Ivelisse Echevarria
    Ivelisse Echevarria
    Ivelisse Echevarría was inducted into the International Federation Softball Hall of Fame in 2003 and is considered by many to be the greatest softball pitcher born in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...


    inducted into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame (2003).
  • Alfredo Escalera
    Alfredo Escalera
    Alfredo Escalera is a Puerto Rican who was a world champion boxer. A native of Carolina, his nickname was "Salsero" because he was a fan of Salsa music.-Early boxing career:...


    boxer, former world champion.
  • Nino Escalera
    Nino Escalera
    Saturnino Escalera is a former outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Redlegs in the 1954 season....


    baseball player, first Hispanic in the Reds
    Cincinnati Reds
    The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

     franchise.
  • Sixto Escobar
    Sixto Escobar
    Sixto Escobar was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he became Puerto Rico's first world champion....


    boxer, first Puerto Rican world champion and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • Ángel Espada
    Angel Espada
    Ángel Espada is a former boxer from Puerto Rico. He was the WBA's world Welterweight champion in 1975-76. A music lover, Espada also organized, during the late 1970s, a salsa orchestra...


    boxer/former champion.


F
  • Lisa Fernandez
    Lisa Fernandez
    For the politician, see Liza Fernandez RodriguezLisa Fernandez is a right-handed softball pitcher of Cuban-Puerto Rican descent. She established an Olympic record in softball with 25 strikeouts in a game as a member of the United States Women's team.-Early years:Lisa's father immigrated from Cuba,...


    softball, Olympic gold medalist.
  • Ed Figueroa
    Ed Figueroa
    Eduardo Figueroa Padilla , is a former Major League Baseball player. He holds the distinction of being the only pitcher from Puerto Rico to win twenty games in a season.-USMC:...


    baseball pitcher, first Puerto Rican to win 20 games in Major League.
  • Enrique Figueroa
    Enrique Figueroa
    Enrique Figueroa Suárez, also known as "Quique Figueroa" , is a Puerto Rican sailor. Figueroa is the only sailor of Puerto Rico to win four gold medals in the Central American-Caribbean Games...


    sailing


G
  • Rubén Gómez
    Rubén Gómez (baseball player)
    Rubén Gómez Colón , was a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who became the first Puerto Rican to pitch in a World Series game. He was also the winning pitcher in the first ever Major League Baseball game played west of Kansas City...


    first Puerto Rican to pitch and win World Series game.
  • Wilfredo Gómez
    Wilfredo Gómez
    Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...


    boxer/former world champion and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • Arístides González
    Aristides González
    Ariestides González Ortíz is a boxer from Puerto Rico, who won the bronze medal in the Middleweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He shared the podium with Algeria's Mohamed Zaoui...


    boxer, first Olympic medalist under flag of Puerto Rico, 1984 Summer Olympics.
  • Jorge González
    Jorge Gonzalez (runner)
    Jorge Luis González is a famous Puerto Rican marathon runner. He has won many races and competed in many international events, such as the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Olympic Games....


    marathon runner.
  • Juan González
    former baseball player.


H
  • Ivonne Harrison
    Ivonne Harrison
    Yvonne Harrison Castro is a Puerto Rican track and field runner. She has participated at many international events....


    track and field athlete.
  • James Chico Hernandez
    James Chico Hernandez
    James "Chico" Hernandez is an accomplished athlete in the sport of Sambo and a seven-time member of the Team USA National Team.-Early years:...


    wrestling champion and member of the Latin-American Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
  • Ramón Hernández
    former baseball player


J
  • Reggie Jackson
    Reggie Jackson
    Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...


    baseball player, first person of Puerto Rican heritage member of Baseball Hall of Fame (Puerto Rican father).


K
  • Julio Kaplan
    Julio Kaplan
    Julio Argentino Kaplan Pera a Puerto Rican chess player and former world junior champion.Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1963 to Puerto Rico, where he was raised and studied, and then later in his life to the United States, where he works for Autodesk. Earlier in his career, In the 1980s he...


    chess International Master & former World Junior Chess Champion.
  • Konnan
    Konnan
    Carlos Santiago Espada Moises , also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent...


    professional wrestler.


L
  • Anita Lallande
    Anita Lallande
    Anita Lallande is a former member of the Puerto Rican Olympic swimming team who holds the record for the most medals won at the Central American and Caribbean Games.-Early years:...


    former Olympic swimmer, holds the island record for most medals won at CAC Games with a total of 17 and 10 gold.
  • Alfred Lee,
    basketball player, first Puerto Rican to play in NBA
    National Basketball Association
    The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

     and to play on the NBA play-offs as a member of the 79-80 Los Angeles Lakers.
  • Angelita Lind
    Angelita Lind
    Angelita Lind a.k.a. "The Angel of Puerto Rico" is a Puerto Rican track and field athlete.-Early years:Lind was born in the barrio Marin Bajo of Patillas, Puerto Rico into a poor family. She received her primary and secondary education in her hometown...


    track and field athlete.
  • Laura Daniela Lloreda
    Laura Daniela Lloreda
    Laura Daniela Lloreda is a Puerto Rican volleyball player. She was born in Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sports-wise, she has two citizenships, as she lived for many years in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and represented that country's national team at various international...


    member of Mexican
    Mexico
    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

     National Volleyball Team.
  • Javy López
    Javy López
    Javier López Torres is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Atlanta Braves , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...


    baseball player, Atlanta Braves
    Atlanta Braves
    The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

    .
  • Mike Lowell
    Mike Lowell
    Michael Averett Lowell is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball third baseman. During a 13-year career, Lowell played for the New York Yankees , Florida Marlins , and the Boston Red Sox...


    baseball player, Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

    .


M
  • Felix Magath
    Felix Magath
    Wolfgang-Felix Magath is a former German football central midfielder and current manager of VfL Wolfsburg.-Playing career:...


    German soccer star and coach (Puerto Rican father).
  • Edgar Martínez
    Edgar Martinez
    Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...


    former baseball player.
  • Denise Masino
    Denise Masino
    Denise Masino is a professional female bodybuilder from the United States.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York of Puerto Rican extraction, the 5'2" Masino won her pro card by winning the lightweight class at the 1995 NPC Nationals. She competed as a professional through 2007, and was the 2003...


    Female bodybuilder.,
  • Mark Medal
    Mark Medal
    Mark Medal , was a professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division.Medal, a Puerto Rican-American, turned pro in 1979 and won the Vacant IBF Light Middleweight Title with a TKO win over Earl Hargrove in 1984, becoming the inaugural champion. He lost the belt in his first defense to Carlos...


    boxer, former IBF Light Middleweight Champion.
  • Orlando Melendez
    Orlando Melendez
    Orlando Melendez a.k.a. "El Gato" , is the first Puerto Rican-born basketball player ever to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.-Early years:...

    a.k.a. "El Gato"
    In 2008, became the first Puerto Rican born basketball player to play for the Harlem Globetrotters
    Harlem Globetrotters
    The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...

    .
  • Alberto Mercado
    Alberto Mercado
    Alberto Mercado was a Jr. Featherweight boxer who was on the verge of fighting for a world title at least twice in his career....


    Olympian boxer, only "American" citizen in 1980 Olympics.
  • Jerome Mincy
    Jerome Mincy
    Jerome Alfred Mincy Clark is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player of American parents. Mincy has played in the NCAA with the UAB Blazers and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico with Bayamón Cowboys...


    basketball player.
  • John John Molina
    John John Molina
    Juan Molina , better known as John John Molina in the world of boxing, is a former boxer whose career transcended boxing in Puerto Rico. A multiple time world champion, this boxer was also known as quite a socialite...


    boxer/former world champion.
  • José Molina
    baseball player
  • Pedro Montañez
    Pedro Montañez
    Pedro Montañez, , was a boxer from Cayey, Puerto Rico. Also known as El Torito De Cayey , he has been considered by many to be one of the best boxers in history never to win a world title...


    boxer and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • Mario Morales
    Mario Morales
    Mario Morales , aka "Quijote" Morales, for his ability to conquer both scoring and team championships in the Puerto Rican BSN league, is one of Puerto Rico's most famous basketball players.-Professional career:...


    BSN basketball player.
  • Pedro Morales
    Pedro Morales
    Pedro Morales is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and continued through to the late 1980s...


    wrestler, member of World Wrestling Entertainment
    World Wrestling Entertainment
    World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

     (WWE) Hall of Fame
    WWE Hall of Fame
    The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...

    .
  • Jonny Moseley
    Jonny Moseley
    Jonathan William Moseley, better known as Jonny Moseley , is the first Puerto Rican to become a member of the U.S. Ski Team.-Early years:...


    skier, first Puerto Rican member of the U.S. Ski Team.


N
  • Emilio Navarro
    Emilio Navarro
    Emilio "Millito" Navarro was the first Puerto Rican to play baseball in the Negro Leagues. At age 105, Navarro was also the oldest living professional baseball player to have played in the Negro Leagues.-Biography:...


    first Puerto Rican to play in Negro Leagues
    Negro league baseball
    The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...

    .


O
  • Luis Olmo
    first Puerto Rican to hit home run in World Series.
  • Fres Oquendo
    Fres Oquendo
    Fres Oquendo was born April 1, 1973 in Puerto Rico, and is a professional heavyweight boxer.He had a successful amateur background.-Amateur career:He had an amateur record of 105-51990 178 lb. Springfield Golden Gloves Champion1992 178 lb...


    professional boxer.
  • Carlos Ortiz
    Carlos Ortiz
    For the Cuban wrestler with the same name see Carlos Julian OrtízCarlos Ortiz is a Puerto Rican who was a three time world boxing champion, twice in the lightweight division and once in the Jr. Welterweights....


    boxer, former Jr. welterweight and lightwieght champion; member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • José Ortiz
    José Ortiz
    José Rafael Ortiz , better known as Piculín or Picu, is a retired Puerto Rican professional basketball player...


    former basketball player, PDP candidate for elective office in 2008.
  • Luis Ortiz
    Luis Ortiz (boxer)
    Luis Ortiz Flores is a Puerto Rican former boxer who is a native of Humacao.-Amateur career:Ortiz had an award winning amateur career, which led him to represent Puerto Rico in the 1984 Los Angeles summer Olympics. Ortiz at first wasn't very well known in Puerto Rico...


    boxer, first Puerto Rican to win a Silver Olympic medal.


P
  • Raul Papaleo
    Raul Papaleo
    Raúl Papaleo Pérez is considered by many islanders to be the greatest Beach Volleyball player in Puerto Rico...


    Puerto Rican National Volleyball Team.
  • Charlie Pasarell
    Charlie Pasarell
    Charlie Pasarell, Jr. is a former Puerto Rican tennis player and commentator...


    tennis player.
  • Ernesto Pastor
    Ernesto Pastor
    Ernesto Pastor Lavergne was the first, and so far only, Puerto Rican-born bullfighter to gain international fame. Toreadora Conchita Cintron was half Puerto Rican.-Biography:...


    bullfighter and only Puerto Rican member of the Bullfighting Hall of Fame.
  • Victor Pellot
    Victor Pellot
    Victor Pellot a.k.a. "Vic Power" was the second black Puerto Rican to play in Major League Baseball and the first Puerto Rican to play in the American League...

    , a.k.a. "Vic Power"
    baseball player, second black Puerto Rican in Major League Baseball.
  • Jorge Posada
    Jorge Posada
    Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta is a Major League Baseball player who is currently a free agent and has played his entire career for the New York Yankees. He served as the Yankees primary catcher for most of his career, though following off-season knee surgery, he was moved to designated hitter for...


    baseball player, New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

    .
  • Mónica Puig
    Mónica Puig
    Mónica Puig is a junior Puerto Rican tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 310, attained on May 9, 2011. Currently Monica WTA single ranking is 313 as of May 16, 2011....


    tennis player.


Q
  • Carlos Quintana
    Carlos Quintana (boxer)
    Carlos Quintana is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur Quintana represented Puerto Rico. He debuted as a professional in 1997. On February 24, 2006, he participated in his first professional championship fight, defeating Raul Bejerano for the World Boxing Organization's Latino...


    professional boxer, former World Boxing Organization's welterweight champion.


R
  • Peter John Ramos
    Peter John Ramos
    Peter John Ramos is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. He is the sixth player from Puerto Rico to play in an NBA game and the third Puerto Rican drafted by the NBA. Ramos has played in the NBA, the D-League and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico...


    NBA and International basketball player.
  • Rico Ramos
    Rico Ramos
    Rico Dashon Ramos is an American Super Bantamweight boxer of Puerto Rican descent. He is the current WBA world super bantamweight champion.-Amateur career:...


    professional boxer
  • Germán Rieckehoff
    German Rieckehoff
    Germán Rieckehoff , was a President of the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee.-Early years:Rieckehoff, , born in Vieques, Puerto Rico. He was raised in a homestead owned by his parents...


    former president of Puerto Rican Olympic Committee.
  • Ramón Rivas
    Ramon Rivas
    Juan Ramón Rivas Contreras is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. He is now the Spanish radio broadcaster for Orlando Magic. Rivas was the second player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA, and half of the first duo of Puerto Ricans to be active in the NBA simultaneously...


    NBA and International basketball player.
  • Antonio Rivera
    Antonio Rivera
    José Antonio Rivera was a well known Puerto Rican boxer. He was much better known as El Gallo Rivera or Tonito Rivera, and was a prominent boxer during the decade of the 1980s.-Professional career:...


    boxer a.k.a. "El Gallo" WBA Super Welterweight Champion.
  • Filiberto Rivera
    Filiberto Rivera
    Filiberto Rivera is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. Rivera has played in the NCAA, NJCAA and the National Superior Basketball League with Coamo Marathon Runners and Carolina Giants. He is currently under contract with Bnei HaSharon of the Israeli Premier League. Rivera has played...


    Former UTEP star point guard and current point guard on Puerto Rico National Basketball team.
  • Jorge Rivera
    Jorge Rivera (fighter)
    Jorge Luis Rivera is an American mixed martial artist who was featured on The Ultimate Fighter 4. He holds victories over five former or future UFC title contenders; Travis Lutter, David Loiseau, Kendall Grove, Dennis Hallman and Nate Quarry.-Military career:19k Tank with A/1-70 Armor at Fort...


    Mixed martial artist
    Mixed martial arts
    Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

    .
  • Marco Rivera
    Marco Rivera
    Marco Anthony Rivera is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. Rivera is of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Rivera attended Elmont Memorial High School in Long Island, New York...


    football player, first Puerto Rican selected to Pro Bowl
    Pro Bowl
    In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

    .
  • Ron Rivera
    Ron Rivera
    Ronald Eugene Rivera is the head coach of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. Rivera was a linebacker on the 1985 Chicago Bears, who won Super Bowl XX. Rivera was the defensive coordinator for the 2006 Chicago Bears, who won the National Football Conference championship and competed in Super Bowl XLI...


    football player, first Puerto Rican in the National Football League
    National Football League
    The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

     and to coach an NFL team.
  • Iván Rodríguez
    Iván Rodríguez
    Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...


    baseball player, Texas Rangers
    Texas Rangers (baseball)
    The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

    .
  • Rubén Rodríguez
    basketball player.
  • José "King" Roman
    boxer, first Puerto Rican to fight for world heavyweight title.
  • Edwin Rosario
    Edwin Rosario
    Edwin "El Chapo" Rosario was a Puerto Rican boxer. He was the WBC world lightweight champion from 1983–84 and the WBA world champion in 1986–87 and again in 1989–90...


    boxer, former lightweight and Jr. welterwieght champion; member of International Boxing Hall of Fame (2006).
  • Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez
    golfer, member of Golf Hall of Fame.
  • John Ruiz
    John Ruiz
    John "The Quietman" Ruiz , is a former American professional boxer. Ruiz is the first Latino heavyweight champion and former two-time WBA heavyweight champion. After a professional career spanning over 18 years, Ruiz officially announced his retirement from the sport at a press conference on April...


    first Hispanic heavyweight boxing champion.


S
  • Natasha Sagardia
    Natasha Sagardia
    Natasha Sagardia , is a top-ranked International Bodyboarding Association world tour competitor and is the 2008 International Surfing Association World Gold Medalist in the Women's Bodyboard category....

    female bodyboarding athlete
    First Puerto Rican to win a gold medal at the ISA World Surfing Games.
  • Alex Sánchez
    Alex Sánchez (boxer)
    Alex "El Nene" Sánchez is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer.-Boxing career:Sánchez began his professional boxing career on October 4, 1991, knocking out Carlos Figueroa in round one at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico....


    boxer/ former champion.
  • Daniel Santiago
    Daniel Santiago
    Daniel Gregg Santiago is a American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player, currently playing at the center position for the Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico. Santiago is the fourth player from Puerto Rico to play in a NBA game...


    former NBA basketball player
  • O. J. Santiago
    football player.
  • Samuel Serrano
    Samuel Serrano
    Samuel Serrano , nicknamed Sammy and El Torbellino, is a Puerto Rican who won boxing's world junior lightweight championship twice.-Early history:...


    boxer/ former world champion.
  • Brandon Silvestry
    professional wrestler.


T
  • Julio Toro
    Julio Toro
    Julio Toro is a Puerto Rican basketball coach. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, he made history by becoming the first non-Soviet coach to defeat the United States during Olympic competition, and the first coach to defeat an American team composed of NBA players at an Olympics...


    basketball coach
  • Andrés Torres
    Andres Torres
    Andrés "Yungo" Torres Jr. is a Major League Baseball outfielder with the San Francisco Giants. He has also played for the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers.-Early life:...


    baseball player, San Francisco Giants
    San Francisco Giants
    The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

  • Georgie Torres
    Georgie Torres
    Georgie Torres , better known as Georgie Torres, is a Puerto Rican. He is a well known former BSN basketball player. Torres broke the record for the most points scored in a career at that league, with over 16,000 points scored. He was the first player to reach that number of points...


    holds BSN
    National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico
    The Baloncesto Superior Nacional or BSN is the main Puerto Rican men's basketball league. It currently has 10 teams, but has had many teams in several cities of the island. The league was established in 1929. It has produced players that have distinguished themselves in the NBA, European Leagues,...

     scoring record.
  • José Torres
    José Torres
    José Torres , was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he defeated Willie Pastrano to win the WBC and WBA light heavyweight championships...


    boxer, member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • Félix Trinidad
    Félix Trinidad
    Félix 'Tito' Trinidad, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker...


    boxer/ former world champion.


V
  • Lisa Marie Varon
    Lisa Marie Varon
    Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent...


    WWE wrestler.
  • Jesse Vassallo
    Jesse Vassallo
    Jesse Vassallo , is a Puerto Rican Olympic and World Record holding swimmer. He swam in international competitions for the United States and qualified for two-Olympic teams: 1980 and 1984. In 1997, he became the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame...


    swimmer, current president, PR Swimming Federation and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
  • Javier Vázquez
    Javier Vázquez
    Javier Carlos Vázquez is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Previously, he pitched for the Florida Marlins , Atlanta Braves , Chicago White Sox , Arizona Diamondbacks , New York Yankees and Montreal Expos . Vázquez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...


    baseball player, active leader in strikeouts
  • Wilfredo Vázquez
    Wilfredo Vázquez
    Wilfredo Vázquez is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is a former World Champion at three different weights, Bantamweight, Super bantamweight and Featherweight.-Early life and amateur career:...


    boxer/ former champion.
  • Savio Vega
    Savio Vega
    Juan Rivera is a professional wrestler best known under the name Savio Vega. During the mid-late 1990s, he was an active wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation...


    former WWF wrestler.
  • Ada Vélez
    Ada Velez
    Ada "Ace" Vélez is a Puerto Rican female professional boxer who lives in Hollywood, Florida. Vélez was brought into boxing by former women's boxing world champion Bonnie Canino....


    first Puerto Rican female boxer, to win a championship.
  • Juan Evangelista Venegas
    Juan Evangelista Venegas
    Juan Evangelista Venegas was the first Puerto Rican to win an Olympic medal.-Early years:Venegas was born in an underprivileged section of San Juan, Puerto Rico where fighting was a common way of life. Many of the youth at that time saw the sport of boxing as a way to a better life...


    boxer/ first Puerto Rican to win Olympic medal.
  • Dick Versace
    Dick Versace
    Dick Versace is a former basketball coach and National Basketball Association executive. He's also the first person of Puerto Rican descent to have coached an NBA team.-Early years:...


    first person of Puerto Rican descent to have coached an NBA team.
  • Juan "Pachín" Vicéns
    basketball player, led the Ponce Lions
    Ponce Lions (basketball)
    The Leones de Ponce are a BSN basketball team based in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Lions are one of the BSN's most successful franchises, having won a total of twelve championships...

     team to six championships.


W
  • Mark Watring
    Mark Watring
    Mark Watring , is a Puerto Rican equestrian who in 2003, won a Gold Medal in the Pan American Games.-Early years:Watring was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, where he was raised. Watring's father was a soldier stationed in the military base of Aguadilla. It was there that his father and mother met...


    equestrian
  • Bernie Williams
    baseball player, New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

    .

Taínos

  • Agüeybaná
    Agüeybaná
    Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II , were the principal and most powerful caciques of the Taíno people in "Borikén" when the Spaniards first arrived on the island on November 19, 1493.- "The Great Sun" :...

    (Great Sun), Supreme Taíno chief,
    Supreme Cacique of Puerto Rico who welcomed Juan Ponce de Leon
    Juan Ponce de León
    Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...

     to the island
    Based in Guayanilla
    Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
    Guayanilla is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Adjuntas, east of Yauco; and west of Peñuelas and about 12 miles west of Ponce. Guayanilla is spread over 16 wards and Guayanilla Pueblo...

  • Agüeybaná II (The Brave), cacique and nephew of Agueybaná,
    Led the Taíno rebellion of 1511 against Juan Ponce de Leon
    Juan Ponce de León
    Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...

     and his men.
    Based in Guayanilla
    Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
    Guayanilla is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Adjuntas, east of Yauco; and west of Peñuelas and about 12 miles west of Ponce. Guayanilla is spread over 16 wards and Guayanilla Pueblo...

  • Arasibo
    Arasibo
    Arasibo was a Taino Cacique in Puerto Rico who governed the area which is now named after him .-Pre-Columbian era:...

    , cacique,
    area of Arecibo
    Arecibo, Puerto Rico
    Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...

  • Caguax
    Caguax
    Caguax was a Taíno cacique who lived on the island of Borikén before the Spanish colonization of the Americas.The city of Caguas, Puerto Rico derives its name from him. A neighborhood there is named after him.-See also:...

    , cacique,
    area of Caguas
    Caguas, Puerto Rico
    Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....

  • Guarionex
    Guarionex
    Guarionex was a Taíno cacique from the cacicazgo of Maguá in the island of Hispaniola. The later Spanish colonization of the island pushed thousands of indians to other neighboring islands such as Borikén to where he fled....

    , cacique
    area of Utuado
    Utuado, Puerto Rico
    Utuado is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central-western mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west of Ciales and Jayuya. In land area it is the third-largest...

  • Hayuya
    Hayuya
    Hayuya was the Taino Cacique who governed the area in Puerto Rico which now bears his name .-Arrival of the Conquistadors:...

    , cacique,
    area of Jayuya
    Jayuya, Puerto Rico
    Jayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...

  • Jumacao
    Jumacao
    Jumacao a.k.a. Jumaca was the Taíno Cacique of the area in Puerto Rico named after him .-Before and after the arrival of the Conquistadors:...

    , cacique,
    area of Humacao
    Humacao, Puerto Rico
    Humacao is a city in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 10 wards and Humacao Pueblo...

  • Orocobix
    Orocobix
    Orocobix was the principal regional Taino Cacique of the central mountain region of Puerto Rico called Jatibonicu in the 16th century. The Jatibonicu territorial region covered the present day municipalities of Aibonito, Orocovis, Barranquitas, Morovis and Corozal...

    , cacique,
    area of Orocovis
    Orocovis, Puerto Rico
    Orocovis is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Villalba and Coamo; south of Morovis and Corozal; southeast of Ciales; east of Jayuya; and west of Barranquitas...

  • Urayoán
    Urayoán
    Urayoán was a Taíno "Cacique" famous for ordering the drowning of Diego Salcedo to determine if the Spanish were gods.He was the cacique of "Yucayeque del Yagüeka or Yagueca", a region that presently spans between Añasco and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. In 1511, Urayoán and Agüeybaná II conceived a...

    , cacique,
    area that presently spans between Añasco
    Añasco, Puerto Rico
    Añasco , named after one of its settlers, Don Luis de Añasco, is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the west coast of the island bordering the Mona Passage to the west, north of Mayagüez, and Las Marias; south of Rincón, Aguada, and Moca and west of San Sebastián and Las Marias...

     and Mayagüez
    Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
    Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...

    . Ordered the drowning of Diego Salcedo
    Diego Salcedo
    Diego Salcedo may refer to:* Diego Salcedo * Diego Salcedo...


Visual Artists

  • Alfonso Arana
    Alfonso Arana
    Alfonso Meléndez Arana was aPuerto Rican painter.Arana was born in New York City from Mexican father and Puerto Rican mother. When he was young, the family moved to San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, where the young painter spent his youth. At age six, Arana made his first picture and presented it to his...


    Painter, founder of the Fundación Alfonso Arana.
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat
    Jean-Michel Basquiat
    Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting.-Early life:...


    Painter (Puerto Rican mother).
  • Tomas Batista
    Tomás Batista
    Tomás Batista is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest sculptor. He is the creator of some of Puerto Rico's most famous monuments.-Early years:...


    Sculptor of "El Jibaro Puertorriqueño" monument and Zeno Gandía statue.
  • Ángel Botello
    Angel Botello
    Ángel Botello was a Spanish-Puerto Rican painter, sculptor and graphic artist. The artist critics called him "The Caribbean Gauguin" for his use of bold colors and depictions of island life...


    Painter and sculptor.
  • Antonio Broccoli Porto
    Antonio Broccoli Porto
    Antonio Broccoli Porto is a renowned Puerto Rican artist, visual artist and sculptor.-Early years:Broccoli Porto's father was an Italian national and his mother's family, Porto, claim their Puerto Rican heritage, having originally settled in the town of Cayey. His parents met and married in New...


    Painter and sculptor from San Juan.
  • José Buscaglia Guillermety
    Jose Buscaglia Guillermety
    José Buscaglia Guillermety is an educator and sculptor.-Early years:Buscaglia was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico into a distinguished Puerto Rican family. His father Rafael was a very important and influential political figure within the ranks of The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico...


    Sculptor.
  • Luis Germán Cajiga
    Luis German Cajiga
    Luis Germán Cajiga is Puerto Rican painter. He was born in 1934, in the municipality of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico.-Early work:He began his artistic education in the studio of the “División de Educación de la Comunidad en San Juan”...


    Painter most known for his silk screening technique.
  • Javier Cambre
    Javier Cambre
    Javier Cambre -born Xavier Cambre in San Juan, Puerto Rico, son of a Spanish father and a Puerto Rican mother- is a contemporary artist working in diverse media such as photography, video, collage, text and sculpture...


    Sculptor, photographer, video artist.
  • José Campeche
    José Campeche
    José Campeche , born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the first known Puerto Rican visual artist and considered by many as one of the best rococo artists in the Americas.-Early years:...


    First renowned Puerto Rican artist.
  • José Caraballo
    José Caraballo
    Jose Caraballo moved to New York with his parents at the age of 14. In 1947 Jose studied graphics and sculpture in a Greenwich Village workshop. That same year he had the good fortune to meet the great Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo at the Rufino Tamayo Studio at the Brooklyn Museum of Art where...


    Artist born 1930, President of Hispanic Art League 1979.
  • Lindsay Daen
    Lindsay Daen
    Lindsay Daen , was a New Zealand sculptor and artist who worked and resided in Puerto Rico. Daen created landmark sculptures in Puerto Rico, Australia and the United States...


    New Zealand-born artist, sculptor of La Rogativa statue in San Juan.
  • Jan D'Esopo
    Jan D'Esopo
    Jan D'Esopo is a painter and sculptor, mainly active in Puerto Rico.-Early years:D'Esopo was born in New York City. Her father Joe D'Esopo, a second generation Italian, was a doctor and a teacher at Yale University her mother Marion was a psychiatric nurse of Scottish background...


    Painter and sculptor.
  • Elizam Escobar
    Elizam Escobar
    Elizam Escobar is a Puerto Ricanpoet, author and visual artist.-Early years:Escobar was born in Puerto Rico's second largest city, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the southern part of the island. There he received his primary and secondary education. As a child, he always enjoyed drawing and painting...


    Painter and activist.
  • James De La Vega
    James De La Vega
    James De La Vega is an American visual artist of Puerto Rican descent who lives in New York City. He is best known for his street and muralist art, which has led to his occasional arrests, and for his innovative storefronts where he sells his paintings and merchandise...


    Mural artist.
  • Ramón Frade
    Ramon Frade
    Ramón Frade was one of Puerto Rico's most renowned visual artist and architects. His realist style of painting captured the life of the typical Puerto Rican in the twentieth century.-Early years:...


    One of Puerto Rico's most renowned artists and architects.
  • Obed Gómez
    Obed Gómez
    Obed Gómez a.k.a. "The Puerto Rican Picasso" is a Puerto Rican artist of modern art.-Early years:Gómez was born and raised in Santurce, a section of in San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico. His grandmother was the first to believe that someday he would become an artist when she saw him...


    Contemporary artist known as the "Puerto Rican Picasso"
  • Vilma G. Holland
    Vilma G. Holland
    Vilma Isabel Gonzalez Cordova Holland was a Latin American Visual artist.-Early years:Holland was born in Caguas Puerto Rico. She was the fourth youngest of ten children in the large Gonzalez Cordova family...


    Painter.
  • Lorenzo Homar
    Lorenzo Homar
    Lorenzo Homar , is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest graphic artist.-Early years:Homar, born in the "Barrio" Puerta de Tierra of San Juan, Puerto Rico, inherited his love for the arts from both of his parents. His father was an arts promoter and his mother a pianist. He went to...


    Grafic artist
  • Antonio López
    Antonio Lopez
    Antonio Lopez is the name of:* Antonio López de Santa Anna, Mexican general, famous for leading Mexican forces to victory at the Battle of the Alamo* Antonio Lopez , American fashion illustrator* Antonio López Álvarez, Spanish football player...


    Fashion illustrator.
  • Soraida Martinez
    Soraida Martinez
    Soraida Martinez is a contemporary abstract expressionist artist who creates hard-edge paintings. She was born in Harlem, New York City, USA on July 30, 1956....


    Contemporary painter known for creating socially conscious Verdadism
    Verdadism
    Verdadism is the word coined by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth and the English suffix for theory . This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract...

     art style since 1992.
  • Antonio Martorell
    Antonio Martorell
    Antonio Martorell is a well known Puerto Rican painter, graphic artist, writer and radio and television personality. He regularly exhibits in Puerto Rico and the United States and participates in arts events around the globe.-Life:...


    Painter and graphic artist.
  • Ralph Ortiz
    Ralph Ortiz
    Raphael Montañez Ortiz is an American artist, educator, and founder of El Museo del Barrio. He is a graduate of Art and Design High School of New York City, and studied at Pratt Institute, where he began as a student of architecture, decided instead to become a fine artist, and received his BFA...


    Visual artist and founder of the El Museo del Barrio
    El Museo del Barrio
    El Museo del Barrio, New York’s leading Latino visual arts cultural institution, is located in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City, United States, also known as El Barrio. The museum welcomes visitors of all backgrounds to discover the artistic landscape of the Latino, Caribbean, and...

  • Francisco Oller
    Francisco Oller
    Francisco Manuel Oller y Cestero was a Puerto Rican visual artist. Oller is considered to be the only Latin American painter to have played a role in the development of Impressionism.-Early years:...


    impressionist artist & painter.
  • María de Mater O'Neill
    María de Mater O'Neill
    María de Mater O'Neill is a Puerto Rican artist, lithographer, and educator.-Overview:María de Mater O'Neill was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1960. She received her B.F.A...


    Painter, educator, and graphic artist
  • Manuel Rivera-Ortiz
    Manuel Rivera-Ortiz
    Manuel Rivera-Ortiz is an American documentary photographer of Puerto Rican descent, the author of several photographic collections and the recipient of a number of awards. He is best known for his documentary photographs of people's living conditions in less developed countries...


    Photographer.
  • Julio Rosado del Valle
    Julio Rosado del Valle
    Julio Rosado del Valle , was an internationally known abstract expressionist.-Early years:Rosado del Valle was born in Cataño, Puerto Rico and as a young child would always be drawing or painting. In his primary school his teachers recognized his artistic talents...


    Internationally known abstract expressionist
    Abstract expressionism
    Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...

    .

Miscellaneous

  • José Enrique Arrarás
    José Enrique Arrarás
    José Enrique Arrarás Mir is a notable Puerto Rican politician.- Early life :Arrarás was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He obtained his primary and secondary education at Immaculate Conception Academy in Mayagüez and Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.- Education :He obtained a B.A...


    Educator, politician, attorney, public servant and sports leader.
  • Miguel Arteta
    Miguel Arteta
    Miguel Arteta is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film Chuck & Buck , for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.-Early life:...

    ,
    Film/television director (film The Good Girl
    The Good Girl
    The Good Girl is a 2002 black comedy-drama film directed by Miguel Arteta from a script by Mike White, and stars Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly.-Plot:...

    ; television series Six Feet Under).
  • Arthur Aviles
    Arthur Aviles
    Arthur Aviles is an American Bessie Award-winning dancer and choreographer of Puerto Rican descent. Aviles was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Long Island and the Bronx. He graduated from Bard College, a liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. After graduating from Bard, he...


    dancer/choreographer.
  • Jose Baez
    Jose Baez (lawyer)
    Jose Angel Baez is best known as the lead attorney for Casey Anthony.-Personal life:Baez was born in Manhattan, New York City. Baez dropped out of Homestead High School in the ninth grade, got married and became a father at the age of 17. After he earned his GED diploma, he joined the U.S. Navy...


    criminal defense attorney; notable for his defense of accused child murderer Casey Anthony
  • Marie Haydée Beltrán Torres
    Marie Haydée Beltrán Torres
    Marie Haydée Beltrán Torres is a Puerto Rican nationalist who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1977 bombing of the Mobil Oil Building in Manhattan that killed one person and injured several others. Torres was linked to the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional , which...


    Nationalist and a former political prisoner
    Political prisoner
    According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....

    .
  • Wilo Benet
    Wilo Benet
    Wilo Benet is a Puerto Rican celebrity chef. He is the chef owner of the Pikayo, Varita and Payá restaurants as well as the president and owner of Museum Restaurant Group.-Early years:...


    Celebrity chef, owner of Payá and Pikayo restaurants.
  • Félix Benítez
    Félix Benítez
    Félix Benítez Rexach was the Puerto Rican engineer who designed the Normandie Hotel, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico....


    Engineer who designed the Normandie Hotel
    Normandie Hotel
    The Normandie Hotel is a hotel located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The hotel originally opened on October 10, 1942. Its design was inspired by the ocean liner SS Normandie. It features the same art deco design as the ship that inspired it, and the hotel's roof sign is one of the two signs that...

    .
  • Felipe Birriel
    Felipe Birriel
    Felipe Birriel, also known as "El Gigante de Carolina" is considered to have been the tallest Puerto Rican, with an unconfirmed height of 2.413 meters or seven feet eleven inches ....


    "El Gigante de Carolina", was the tallest Puerto Rican.
  • David Blaine
    David Blaine
    David Blaine is an American illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records...


    Illusionist/magician (Puerto Rican father).
  • Edgardo Díaz
    Edgardo Díaz
    Edgardo Díaz born in Panama City, Panama, is the creator of the "boy band" Menudo. The son of Puerto Ricans, Díaz grew up in Caguas, Puerto Rico....


    Founder of Menudo
    Menudo (band)
    Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

    .
  • Inez García
    Inez Garcia
    Inez Garcia is a Hispanic woman who became a cause célèbre of the feminist movement when she was charged with the 1974 murder of a man who had raped her.- Background :...


    Cause celebre of the feminist movement.
  • Juan Manuel García Passalacqua
    Juan Manuel García Passalacqua
    Juan Manuel Garcia-Passalacqua was a well known lawyer, writer and political analyst from Puerto Rico.-Early years:...


    Political commentator, lawyer.
  • Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan
    Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan
    Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan de Soler was a Puerto Rican supercentenarian, and, according to documents compiled in March 2004, the oldest documented person in the world after the death of Japanese woman Mitoyo Kawate, although German American woman Charlotte Benkner, who was about 3½ months...


    formerly world's oldest person.
  • Ángel Juarbe, Jr.
    Reality television contest winner/New York City firefighter who died in the 11 September attacks.
  • Crazy Legs
    Breakdancer, president of Rock Steady Crew
    Rock Steady Crew
    Rock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...

    .
  • Clara Livingston
    Clara Livingston
    Clara Livingston was the 200th licensed female pilot and 11th female helicopter pilot in the world. Clara made her first airplane trip in 1927. She was the daughter of Alfred Livingston. At the age of 25, her father died and she managed his property for the next two decades. She built her own...


    Puerto Rico's first female aviator.
  • Oscar López Rivera
    Oscar López Rivera
    Oscar López Rivera is a Puerto Rican Nationalist who was convicted and sentenced to 70 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and various other offenses. He was among the 16 Puerto Rican nationalists offered conditional clemency by U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1999, but he rejected the offer...


    Nationalist and a political prisoner
    Political prisoner
    According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....

    .
  • Eliana Martínez
    young AIDS activist in notable Florida court case regarding the rights of HIV+ children in public schools.
  • Walter Mercado
    Walter Mercado
    Walter Mercado , is a Puerto Rican astrologer. Mercado announced that he and Univision have parted ways after fifteen years.-Early years:...


    Astrologer.
  • Emiliano Mercado del Toro
    Emiliano Mercado del Toro
    Emiliano Mercado del Toro was, at age 115, the world's oldest person for six weeks, and the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004 until his own death on January 24, 2007. He is the oldest verified military veteran ever...


    formerly world's oldest person and oldest verified military veteran ever.
  • Filiberto Ojeda Ríos
    Filiberto Ojeda Ríos
    Filiberto Ojeda Ríos was the commander-in-chief of the Boricua Popular Army , a clandestine paramilitary organization that considers United States rule over Puerto Rico to be oppressive colonization and advocates the latter's independence.Ojeda Ríos was a...


    "Commander in chief" ("Responsible General") of the Boricua Popular Army
    Boricua Popular Army
    The Boricua Popular/People's Army — or Ejército Popular Boricua in Spanish — is a clandestine organization based on the island of Puerto Rico, with cells in the United States. They campaign for and support the independence of Puerto Rico from what they characterize as United States colonial rule...

    .
  • Richard Peña
    Richard Peña
    Richard Peña is the American film program director of the prestigious Film Society of Lincoln Center noted for his organization of the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films series and Scanners .-Early life:Interested in film at a very young age, when Richard was just 12 years old, he was...


    film festival organizer (New York Film Festival
    New York Film Festival
    The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...

    ) and professor of film studies at Columbia University
    Columbia University
    Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

  • Jai Rodríguez
    Jai Rodriguez
    Jai Rodriguez is an actor and musician best known as the culture guide on the Bravo network's Emmy-winning American reality television program Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He has also co-authored a book with the other Queer Eye hosts.-Biography:Rodriguez is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent,...


    Actor Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
  • José Rodríguez
    Jose Rodriguez (intelligence)
    Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr. was the Director of the National Clandestine Service of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. He was the last CIA Deputy Director for Operations before that position was expanded to D/NCS in December 2004...


    Head of CIA division (2004–2008).
  • Xavier Romeu
    Xavier Romeu
    Xavier Romeu is a counselor and litigator, with expertise in securities litigation and regulation, and corporate, commercial and employment litigation...


    controversial PRIDCO Executive Director.
  • Antulio "Kobbo" Santarrosa
    "La Cháchara", "La Condesa", "La Comay"
  • Jock Soto
    Jock Soto
    Jock Soto is a former American ballet dancer and current ballet instructor.-Career:Soto danced featured roles in over 40 ballets, of which more than 35 were created for him....


    principal ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet
    New York City Ballet
    New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...

    .
  • Filipo Tirado
    Filipo Tirado
    Filipo Tirado is a noted Puerto Rican puppeteer.Filipo's birth name was Carlos Filipo Tirado Perea. He was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, the youngest of five children of the late civil engineer Carlos J. Tirado and former beauty queen Graciela Esther Perea...


    "Pepe Locuaz"
  • Alejandrina Torres
    Alejandrina Torres
    Alejandrina Torres is a Puerto Rican nationalist who was convicted and sentenced to 35 years for seditious conspiracy to overthrow the government of the United States. Torres was linked to the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional , which claimed responsibility for numerous bombings...


    Nationalist and former political prisoner
    Political prisoner
    According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....

    .
  • Carlos Alberto Torres
    Carlos Alberto Torres (Puerto Rican Nationalist)
    Carlos Alberto Torres is a member of Puerto Rico's independence movement and the longest-serving Puerto Rican political prisoner. He was convicted and sentenced to 78 years in a U.S. federal prison for seditious conspiracy - conspiring to use force against the lawful authority of the United States...


    Nationalist and political prisoner.
  • Rose Troche
    Rose Troche
    Rose Troche is a film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and attended film school, earning a degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago...

    ,
    Film/television director (film Go Fish
    Go Fish (film)
    Go Fish is a 1994 American lesbian-themed independent drama film. Directed and co-written by Rose Troche, the film tells the story of the interrelationships of a small group of lesbian friends in Chicago...

    ; television series Six Feet Under, The L Word
    The L Word
    The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...

    ))

See also

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