Famous Colombian Film & Theater Personalities

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Carlos Vives is a Colombian actor, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his fusion of pop music and traditional Colombian musical styles, such as champeta, cumbia, vallenato, and porro. Carlos Vives has won important awards like the Grammys, Latin Grammy Awards, and Premios Nuestra Tierra. In 2020, he was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame.

Danna García is a Colombian model and actress best known for her portrayal of leading roles in popular telenovelas in Mexico, Colombia, and the US. García achieved popularty in the early 2000s when she starred in a Colombian telenovela titled Pasión de Gavilanes, which was released internationally as Hidden Passion.

Jaime Garzón was a Colombian journalist, politician, comedian, and peace activist. He achieved popularity during the 1990s when he exhibited his unique political satire on Colombian television. He is also remembered for his work as a peace negotiator in the emancipation of FARC guerrillas' hostages. Jaime Garzón was murdered by right-wing paramilitary hitmen in 1999.

Fernando Vallejo is a Colombian-born Mexican essayist, novelist, and filmmaker. He is best known for his semi-autobiographical novel La virgen de los sicarios, which was adapted into a film of the same name. Fernando Vallejo's life and career inspired a feature-length documentary titled La desazón suprema: retrato incesante de Fernando Vallejo.

Diana Golden is a Colombian-born Mexican playwright and actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Gilda Leyva in a Mexican telenovela titled Amores verdaderos. She has also played important roles in telenovelas like Dos hogares and El Bienamado.

Andrea Espada is a Colombian TV presenter, social media influencer, and actress. She achieved popularity as the host of UFC Now as well as a game show titled Esto es Guerra. Andrea Espada is also popular on social media platforms like Instagram.