Cuban Female Film & Theater Personalities

A Spanish-Cuban actress, Ana de Armas worked in Spanish films and television shows before moving to Hollywood. Overcoming the obstacle of not knowing English, she established herself as a solid actress by working in films like Knives Out and Blade Runner 2049. She will play a Bond girl in No Time to Die movie and will portray Marilyn Monroe in the Netflix biopic Blonde.

Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American singer who achieved popularity in Cuba as a singer of guarachas during the 1950s. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most famous Latin artists, Cruz was nicknamed the Queen of Salsa. She is also revered for popularizing Latin music in the USA. Celia Cruz also won numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards. 

Steven Bauer is a Cuban-American actor best known for playing Cuban drug lord, Manny Ribera, in the American crime drama film, Scarface, a film which gave him an opportunity to work with actors like Al Pacino. Bauer received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the film. He then went on to establish himself as a serious actor.

Anabelle Acosta is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Natalie Vasquez in the thriller drama TV series, Quantico. Born in Havana, Cuba, Acosta went on to establish herself as an actress in the American film and TV industry. She is also known for playing Annabella in the comedy-drama television series, Ballers.

Selenis Leyva is best known as Gloria Mendoza from the hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. The Cuban-born actor was raised in The Bronx and is thus considered a prominent Afro-Latina icon. She has also penned a book and is a vocal supporter of the LGBT community, too.

Assata Shakur is a former member of the revolutionary organization 'Black Liberation Army'. Sentenced to life for murder, Shakur escaped from the 'Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women' and was eventually granted political asylum in Cuba. She is the first woman to be added to FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list. Her life inspired the documentary film Eyes of the Rainbow.

La Lupe was a Cuban singer best remembered for her energetic and controversial live performances. She had a prolific and successful career throughout the 1960s and 1970s, during which she was one of the most acclaimed Latin singers in the United States. One of La Lupe's recordings was featured in the 1996 American comedy film The Birdcage.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a Cuban-born American politician and lobbyist. She is best known for representing Florida's 27th congressional district at the U.S. House of Representatives from 29 August 1989 to 3 January 2019. The first female Republican to be elected from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is also the first Cuban-American politician elected to Congress.

Niurka Marcos is a Cuban singer, actress, dancer, and vedette. She is best known for her portrayal of Karicia in a Mexican soap opera titled Salomé, which earned her a TVyNovelas Award in 2002. Niurka Marcos became a household name in Cuba and Mexico after appearing in the popular TV show Big Brother México in 2004.

Born to journalist parents, who were both part of the Cuban intellectual sphere, Carmen Herrera received elite art education in Paris. The political unrest in Cuba forced her to leave her architecture studies incomplete and move to the U.S. She later established herself as a master painter of abstract art.

Raquel Olmedo is a Cuban-born Mexican actress who achieved popularity during the last few years of Mexican cinema's Golden Age. She is best known for her portrayal of Doña Ramona González in the telenovela Abismo de pasión, which earned her the TVyNovelas Award. In 1984, Olmedo was inducted into the Paseo de las Luminarias for her television work.