When we talk of famous Colombians, singer Shakira and actress Sofía Vergara are undoubtedly among the first names that come to our minds. This is not at all surprising given that Columbians are well known for their love for dance, music and entertainment, supported by their diverse tradition in the arts. Ethnically diverse, Columbia has a rich cultural heritage as it was originally inhabited by indigenous peoples including the Muisca, Quimbaya, and Tairona. The influence of European culture is also evident as the nation was once under the colonial rule of Spain. Even after gaining independence in the mid-19th century, Colombia faced a century of war, violence and political chaos and was able to gain relative political stability only in the recent decades.
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Birthdate: February 2, 1977
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Barranquilla, Colombia
Grammy award winning Colombian pop singer, Shakira is best known for hits like Whenever, Wherever and Hips Don't Lie. One of the most successful Latin American recording artists, she is also one of the world's best-selling music artists. Her first hit album was Pies Descalzos after which she entered the English music market with her big hit album, Laundry Service.
Birthdate: March 6, 1927
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Aracataca, Colombia
Died: April 17, 2014
Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, also known as “Gabo,” is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the magic realism literary style. His novels One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera have achieved cult status. He previously worked as a journalist.
Birthdate: February 10, 1986
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Santa Marta, Colombia
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Birthdate: July 10, 1972
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Barranquilla, Colombia
Sofia Vergara is a Colombian-American actress, model, and TV producer. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in American TV. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a TV host. She began gaining popularity as an actress in the 2000s and appeared in many TV shows and films. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including an NAACP Image Award.
Birthdate: December 1, 1949
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Rionegro
Died: December 2, 1993
A notorious Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar was the founder and leader of the infamous Medellín Cartel. His drug cartel monopolized the cocaine trade into the United States and he became one of the wealthiest criminals ever in history. Dubbed "The King of Cocaine", he left behind a controversial legacy upon his death at the age of 44.
Birthdate: July 12, 1991
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cúcuta, Colombia
James Rodríguez is a versatile football player adept at playing as a central midfielder, playmaker, and winger. At the initial stages of his career, he was counted among the best young international players. He made a major impact during the 2014 FIFA World Cup where he won the Golden Boot for scoring the most number of goals.
Birthdate: February 24, 1977
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Medellín, Colombia
Sebastián Marroquín is the son of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. He and his family fled to Mozambique after Pablo’s death, and then to Argentina, where he dropped “Escobar” from his name. He owns an organic clothing line and has written a book and contributed to a documentary about Pablo.
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Birthdate: September 20, 1975
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bogotá, Colombia
Birthdate: February 14, 1991
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Medellín, Colombia
Karol G is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Well-known for being one of the few women to have dominated the reggaeton scene over the last few years, Karol G is revered in places where reggaeton is popular. She has several prestigious awards under her belt, such as a Latin Grammy Award. She has also received several nominations for Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Birthdate: May 7, 1985
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Medellín, Colombia
J Balvin is a Colombian singer whose genres include reggaeton, hip hop, and Latin pop. Known as the Prince of Reggaeton, Balvin is one of the highest-selling Latin music artists in the world. He was presented with the Global Icon Award for spreading Latin music worldwide. In 2020, he was named in Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People.
Birthdate: August 29, 1972
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Armero
Died: November 16, 1985
Omayra Sánchez was a Colombian girl who died at age 13. After the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in 1985, a massive lahar demolished her home and Sánchez was trapped in the water beneath the debris of her home. She died after struggling for 60 hours, and has remained a prominent figure in popular culture; she is remembered through music.
Birthdate: September 2, 1961
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Santa Marta, Colombia
Birthdate: July 17, 1994
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Birthdate: May 26, 1988
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Necoclí, Colombia
Birthdate: April 20, 1989
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Cali, Colombia
Carlos Valdes is a Colombian-American actor, dancer, and singer. Valdes is best known for playing Cisco Ramon / Vibe in the popular American superhero TV series, The Flash. He portrays the role in other Arrowverse-related projects as well. A multi-talented personality, Valdes is also an accomplished instrumentalist and songwriter; he plays the piano, guitar, ukulele, percussion, and bass.
Birthdate: August 26, 1949
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Cartago, Valle del Cauca
Virginia Vallejo is a Colombian journalist and author. After Vallejo claimed that many Colombian politicians and presidents were benefiting from the leading cocaine cartels, she was granted asylum in the USA in order to help the DEA and the Justice Department in cases pertaining to the Colombian drug cartels. Her book, Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar, was made into a film.
Birthdate: October 3, 1986
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Quibdó
Birthdate: August 31, 1988
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Medellin, Colombia
Birthdate: February 15, 1943
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cartagena, Colombia
Died: September 3, 2012
Griselda Blanco, also known as La Madrina and the Black Widow, was the first billionaire female drug lord. As part of the Medellin Cartel, she smuggled cocaine from Colombia into Miami, New York, and Southern California. She spent 15 years in jail and was shot dead by an unidentified motorcyclist.
Birthdate: February 9, 1998
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Medellin
Colombia-born American actor Isabella Gomez is best known as the lesbian character Elena Alvarez from the sitcom One Day at a Time. Being an only child of her parents, she mostly grew up watching TV shows and later plunged into acting. She has also appeared in Matador and Modern Family.
Birthdate: January 28, 1994
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Medellín, Colombia
Maluma is a Colombian singer, actor, and songwriter. After developing an interest in music early in his life, Maluma started recording songs at age 16. He then went on to collaborate with many successful artists and is currently among the best-selling Latin music artists, with sales of more than 26 million records worldwide.
Birthdate: October 15, 1994
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Medellin
Colombian pop sensation Sebastián Yatra soared to fame with singled such as Traicionera and Robarte un Beso. Yatra was a promising soccer player in school. He was in the news for his relationship with Argentine singer Tini Stoessel, and their subsequent break-up announcement on Twitter broke their fans’ hearts.
Birthdate: August 10, 1951
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bogotá
Juan Manuel Santos is a Colombian politician who served as the 32nd president of Colombia. He is credited with co-founding the Social Party of National Unity, which he led to prominence. For his efforts to put an end to Colombia's more than 50-year-long civil war, Santos was honored with the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
Birthdate: July 13, 1983
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Barranquilla, Colombia
Carmen Villalobos is a Colombian actress best known for her role in the telenovela Sin senos no hay paraíso, for which she won a Your World Award. She started acting as a teenager and initially appeared in small roles in TV shows. As her career progressed, she was able to bag more substantial roles in both TV shows and films.
Birthdate: August 9, 1972
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Carolina del Príncipe, Colombia
Birthdate: April 19, 1932
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Medellín, Colombia
Birthdate: March 22, 1979
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Medellín
Colombian-born actor Zulay Henao made headlines for her relationship with Entourage actor Kevin Connolly, after an Instagram post in 2021 declared they were expecting a child. She had plunged into acting after serving in the U.S. Army for 3 years and later gained fame with series such as The Oath.
Birthdate: September 8, 1986
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Puerto Colombia, Colombia
Birthdate: September 7, 1949
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Armenia, Colombia
German-Colombian drug kingpin Carlos Lehder, co-founder of the Medellín Cartel, which smuggled cocaine into the U.S., formed the Muerte a Secuestradores, to fight against the kidnappings of his cartel members. He escaped from the kidnappers but spent a 33-year sentence in the U.S., following which he was released.
Birthdate: March 9, 1950
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bogota
Died: January 25, 1991
Birthdate: August 1, 1976
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bogotá, Colombia
Birthdate: January 14, 1977
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bogotá, Colombia
Juan Pablo Raba is a Colombian actor best known for his portrayal of Gustavo Gaviria in the American crime drama TV series, Narcos. Over the years, he has established himself in the American TV industry. Apart from being an actor, Raba takes an active part in the campaigns organized by several animal and human rights organizations.
Birthdate: January 30, 1985
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cali, Colombia
Colombian-born actor Ximena Duque began her career with the reality show Protagonistas de Novela and then the telenovela Soñar no cuesta nada. The mother of three has also won several Premios Tu Mundo awards. She was in the news when she contracted COVID-19 during her third pregnancy.
Birthdate: August 27, 1966
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Medellín, Colombia
Birthdate: March 13, 1967
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Medellín
Died: July 2, 1994
Birthdate: August 7, 1961
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Santa Marta, Departamento del Magdalena, Colombia
Birthdate: March 20, 1974
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Medellín, Colombia
Birthdate: April 19, 1981
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bogota, Colombia
Birthdate: January 18, 1993
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Barranquilla
Birthdate: April 16, 1991
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Santo Tomás
Birthdate: June 3, 1992
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Miami, Florida, United States
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Nairo Quintana(Sport cyclist who won the 2010 Tour de l'Avenir and finished second in the 2013 Tour de France)
Birthdate: February 4, 1990
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cómbita, Colombia
Birthdate: February 2, 1978
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Guadalajara
Birthdate: May 3, 1965
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Barranquilla
Nina García is a Colombian-American fashion journalist. She is the current editor-in-chief of Elle and has been a judge on the Bravo/Lifetime reality TV program Project Runway. She has a degree in fashion merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and has worked with the prominent fashion designer Marc Jacobs. She is the author of four books.
Birthdate: November 20, 1946
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Camden, South Carolina, United States
Two-time Tony-nominated actor Samuel E. Wright is best known for his performances in The Lion King and The Tap Dance Kid. Fans also know him as the voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, and his track Under the Sea, from the movie, won an Academy Award.
Birthdate: June 17, 1957
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Glendale, California, USA
Birthdate: October 11, 1991
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Cartagena, Colombia
Birthdate: November 10, 1969
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Tuluá
Birthdate: December 24, 1974
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Ibagué, Colombia
Birthdate: September 30, 1986
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Padilla, Cauca
Hard working and resilient, Columbians have emerged from their difficult past to become one of the most vibrant peoples in the world. While the likes of Shakira have taken the entertainment world by storm, others like artist Miguel Gómez, actor John Leguizamo, and businessman Fuad Ricardo Char Abdala have carved a niche for themselves in their respective fields. This section provides you information about the life and works of famous Colombians.