Famous People Born In Panama City

Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian-American former baseball player who played for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). A five-time World Series champion and thirteen-time All-Star, Rivera was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. He is also considered one of the most dominant relievers in the history of the major league.

Jordana Brewster is an American model and actress best known for playing Mia in the Fast & Furious franchise. In 2009, she was honored at the Teen Choice Awards for her performance in Fast & Furious. Brewster is also renowned for her modeling skills and has posed for several magazines. In 2011, Maxim included her in their Hot 100 list.

Carlos Fuentes was a Mexican essayist and novelist. Widely regarded as Mexico's most celebrated novelist, Fuentes won several honors, including the Miguel de Cervantes Prize and the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor. A prolific writer, Carlos Fuentes' works achieved international recognition as they were translated into 24 languages. 

Retired Panamanian-American basketball player Rolando Blackman first soared to fame with Kansas State and then had an illustrious career with NBA teams such as the Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks. A 4-time NBA All-Star, he is also associated with charitable initiatives and is a Kappa Alpha Psi member.

Miguel Bosé is a Spanish pop new wave musician and actor who has been active in the entertainment industry for five decades. He studied acting, dancing, and singing and began his career as an actor. He eventually forayed into music as well. He is openly gay and is in a long-term relationship with sculptor Ignacio Palau. 

Panamanian professional football centre-back Román Torres commenced his senior-career with Chepo and thereafter played for several other clubs before joining his current club Cartaginés in January 2021. He became a national hero after netting the game-winning goal during final qualifying-match for 2018 FIFA World Cup that helped Panama qualify for their first-ever World Cup. Torres captained them in the tournament.

Panamanian businessman and former politician Juan Carlos Varela held-office as Minister of Foreign Relations and Vice President of Panama before serving as 37th President of Panama (2014-19). He also served as President of Panameñista Party. He was charged for money-laundering in the Odebrecht case, and is one of the former heads of state whose name is mentioned in Pandora Papers.

Panamanian novelist and lawyer Ramón Fonseca Mora served as minister-counselor of Juan Carlos Varela, and as president of Panameñista Party till he was fired in 2016, because of Operation Car Wash. The Panama Papers resulted from hack of computer-systems of the Mossack Fonseca law firm that he co-founded with Jürgen Mossack. Both of them were arrested, jailed and later released.     

Retired Panamanian footballer Jaime Penedo was a reliable goalkeeper for teams such as Plaza Amador, LA Galaxy, and Dinamo București. He was also the goalkeeper of the fist Panamanian squad that played in a World Cup. He has won the Cupa Ligii with Dinamo București and the Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy.

Guillermo Endara was the president of Panama from 1989 to 1994. A lawyer by qualification, he has served as a member of Panama's National Assembly in the past. As the president, he abolished the Panamanian military, replacing it with a national police force. While his tenure saw steady economic growth, it was also marred by internal fighting. 

Retired Panamanian footballer Blas Pérez had a successful stint as a forward for teams such as Deportivo Cali and Cúcuta Deportivo, winning the Categoría Primera A title with both. He was also named to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Star Team. He has also played for clubs from Colombia, Guatemala, Spain, and Canada.

Former Panamanian footballer Felipe Baloy played as a defender and has a successful career with clubs such as Santos Laguna. He has also played for the Mexican club Monterrey and is a naturalized Mexican citizen. In 2018, he scripted history by scoring Panama’s first FIFA World Cup goal.

Panamanian politician and military officer, Manuel Noriega, was the de facto ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. As an army man, he overthrew President Arnulfo Arias in a coup in 1968 and became the de facto ruler of Panama a few years later. He was a controversial leader and his rule has been described as a dictatorship.

Ricardo Martinelli is a Panamanian businessman and politician.From 2009 to 2014, he served as the president of Panama and his presidency witnessed steady economic growth in the country. Martinelli came up with several measures to decrease poverty. He increased the minimum wage and introduced measures to tackle unemployment.

Panamanian footballer Fidel Escobar plays as a defender for the Spanish club Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa. After starting his senior career with San Francisco, he later also represented clubs such as New York Red Bulls. He was part of the Panama Under-20 team that became the runner-up at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

Politician and diplomat Isabel de Saint Malo is the first woman in Panamanian history who served as Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama. She held office under President Juan Carlos Varela from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2019. She advocates for several social-issues including eradicating poverty and social inequality and drove policies centred on such issues.

Panamanian footballer Gabriel Torres plays as a forward for the Chilean club Deportes Antofagasta and the Panama national team. He has also had successful stints with clubs such as Chepo, La Equidad, Zamora, and Independiente Del Valle. He scored 20 goals in the 2012-13 Venezuelan Primera División.

Panamanian footballer Luis Tejada now plays as a striker for the Peruvian club Molinos El Pirata. He won the 2011 Peruvian First Division with Juan Aurich. He has also played for clubs from Colombia, Mexico, and the US. He was also the CONCACAF Gold Cup Top Goalscorer in 2005.

Panamanian footballer Harold Cummings plays as a defender for the Bolivian club Always Ready and the Panama national team. Starting his senor career with Árabe Unidoe, has also represented clubs from Colombia, Costa Rica, the US, and Chile. He won the 2015 Copa Sudamericana with Santa Fe.

Former First Lady of Panama and the wife of former Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela, Lorena Castillo has also had a 17-year stint as a journalist. She has also been a presenter and co-producer at Telemetro Reporta and has worked for UNAIDS and been associated with other humanitarian and social initiatives.