Famous Peruvian People

Henry Ian Cusick is a Peruvian-Scottish actor and television director. He is best known for playing Desmond David Hume in the popular ABC television series Lost. Henry Ian Cusick received a nomination at the Primetime Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Desmond Hume.

Pilar Pallete is a Peruvian actress whose professional career has been greatly overshadowed by her personal life, including her high-profile marriage to legendary American actor John Wayne. Through her marriage with John Wayne, Pallete was blessed with many grandchildren, including actress and musician Jennifer Wayne of Runaway June fame.

Atahualpa was the last Inca Emperor. He reigned for a short time between 1532 and 1533 before the Spanish conquest ended his reign. The Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa and killed him after a while. Even though many brave warriors led the Inca resistance against the invading Spaniards, they could not stop the empire from disintegrating.

Túpac Amaru II  was the leader of a large Andean uprising against the Spanish in Peru. His wife was also a revolutionary and played a key role in the uprising. They were both captured, tortured, and put to death by the Spaniards. Following his death, he became known as a mythical figure in the Peruvian struggle for independence. 

Rose of Lima is revered as the patron saint of Peru. Legend has it that she had chopped off her hair and damaged her skin to avoid getting married. A member of the Dominican Order, she was the first from the Americas to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

Martin de Porres was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order. He was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI. He lived an austere life and often went hungry. He abstained from meat and was said to be able to communicate with animals. He is the patron saint of mixed-race people and those who seek racial harmony. 

Stephanie Cayo is a Peruvian actress, songwriter, and singer. She is best known for playing the female lead Paloma Velacochea in the popular telenovela, Besos robados. Stephanie Cayo has also played main roles in other popular telenovelas like La marca del deseo, El Secretario, and La hipocondríaca.        

Alberto Fujimori is a Peruvian politician who served as the President of Peru from 1990 to 2000. He is a controversial figure accused of several charges of human rights abuses and corruption. He has also been proclaimed guilty of murder, causing bodily harm, and kidnapping. In 2009, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Lina Medina is a Peruvian woman who gained international recognition when she gave birth to a baby boy at the age of five, becoming the youngest confirmed mother. According to medical reports, she had undergone precocious puberty, due to which she had fully mature sexual organs, at the age five, and experienced her first menstrual cycle at eight months of age.

Alexis Amore is a Peruvian feature dancer, pornographic actress, and columnist. Best known for appearing in lesbian pornographic films, Amore has received a couple of NightMoves Awards. In 2018, she was inducted into the Urban X Award Hall of Fame and AVN Award Hall of Fame. Alexis Amore has also contributed as a columnist for a Peruvian magazine named Oye.           

Ollanta Humala is a Peruvian politician whose presidency, which lasted from 2011 to 2016, was marred by several corruption scandals. Originally regarded as a left-wing nationalist and socialist, Humala founded the Peruvian Nationalist Party. Despite leading the party to success, Ollanta Humala eventually lost his popularity and was arrested in 2017 on corruption charges.

Christian Meier is a Peruvian singer and actor. Over the course of his acting career, Meier has achieved popularity in Latin America and in the Spanish speaking world. As a musician, Christian Meier achieved fame after forming an alternative-rock band named Arena Hash, where he performed as a keyboardist and occasional singer during the 1980s and 1990s.

Susana Higuchi was a Peruvian engineer and politician. She is best remembered for her role as the First Lady of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 23 August 1994. Higuchi was stripped of her title as the First Lady in 1994, when she condemned her husband Alberto Fujimori as a tyrant. Susana Higuchi divorced Fujimori in 1996.

Former prime minister of Peru, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar had also been the country’s foreign relations minister and the Peruvian ambassador to many countries, such as France and Switzerland. He had also served the UN as its secretary-general. A former Club of Madrid member, he led the Union for Peru party.

Gustavo Gutiérrez is a Peruvian Catholic theologian, philosopher, and Dominican priest. A respected theologian, Gutiérrez has served as a visiting professor in many prestigious universities in Europe and North America. Gustavo Gutiérrez has also taught at the Harvard University, the University of Michigan, the University of Cambridge, and the University of California, Berkeley among other schools.

The Inca Empire’s 3rd Sapa Inca, Huayna Capac was the son of Topa Inca. Though he didn’t have to face any major battles initially, he grew up to be an efficient emperor who inspected the administration of all his empire’s regions. He was responsible for the improvement of roadways and built many temples too.

A prominent figure of Inca mythology, Manco Capac was apparently the founder of the Inca Empire, and thus, the first Sapa Inca, and its first governor. Said to be the son of Sun god Inti and Moon goddess Mama Quilla, he, according to legends, established the Inca capital Cuzco.

Flavia Laos is a Peruvian model, actress, singer, and TV host. She achieved popularity in 2005, when she won a variety show titled Miss Pequeñita. Her popularity increased in 2007, when she started hosting another variety show titled La Hora Warner, which she hosted until 2009. Apart from appearing in variety shows, Flavia also appears in TV series and films.

Well-known Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto heads the Institute for Liberty and Democracy as its president. Named to Time 100 in 2004, he has also won countless awards, such as The Economist Innovation Award in 2006. He is known for his pioneering work in areas such as the informal economy and property rights.

Mercedes Aráoz is a Peruvian politician, professor, and economist. She is best known for her service as the Second Vice President of Peru from 2016 to 2020. She also served as the Prime Minister of Peru from 2017 to 2018. An important politician, Mercedes Aráoz also served as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism from 2006 to 2009.

Former chief of Peru’s National Intelligence Service, Vladimiro Montesinos was later dragged into a bribery controversy. He was recorded bribing a congressman to make him join the pro-Fujimori camp. He was also accused of having received bribes to protect drug traffickers. He is a cousin of convicted terrorist Óscar Ramírez Durand.

The 58th president of Peru, Juan Velasco Alvarado came to power after ousting former president Fernando Belaúnde in a coup d'état. He had previously been the commander-in-chief of the Peruvian army. He was removed by another coup and succeeded by Francisco Morales Bermúdez.

Peruvian-Venezuelan actor Jorge Aravena is best known for his roles in telenovelas and soaps, such as Girasoles Para Lucia and La Revancha. He began his acting career at age 10, when he moved from Peru to Venezuela with his parents. His first major break was in the telenovela La loba herida in 1992.

Huáscar reigned as the Sapa Inca or Emperor of the famed Inca Empire from 1527 to 1532. Huáscar lost his father Huayna Capac and his older brother Ninan Cuyochi to smallpox before ascending the throne of the Inca Empire. He was later defeated by his brother Atahualpa, who reigned as the last Inca Emperor.

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega was a Peruvian chronicler and writer. Vega, who spent most of his life in Spain, is remembered for his chronicles of Inca culture, history, and society. His work became popular in Europe, where it was widely read, making Inca Garcilaso de la Vega the first author from the Americas to enter the western literary world.

Miguel Grau Seminario was a Peruvian naval officer best remembered for his role in the Battle of Angamos, which was part of the War of the Pacific. Nicknamed Gentleman of the Seas, Miguel Grau Seminario is also remembered for his chivalrous and kind treatment of defeated enemies.

Elodie Frenck is a Peruvian-Swiss-French actress best known for her portrayal of Marlène Leroy in the popular French television program, Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie. In addition to playing important roles in TV series, Elodie Frenck also plays prominent roles in feature films, short films, TV movies, and on stage. 

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala was a Quechua nobleman best remembered for chronicling and criticizing the Spanish for their ill treatment of the indigenous people of the Andes after the Spanish invasion. Among Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala’s most famous work is Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, an illustrated chronicle completed around 1615.