Panamanian
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Panama is the southernmost Central American nation bordered by Costa Rica, Columbia and Caribbean. The history of the country goes back to the 16th century when it was inhabited by the Spanish. Today, one of the fastest growing economies amongst the Central American countries, it has made its mark in all the major sectors, including arts and culture, science and technology, commerce and business, visual arts and entertainment, sports and so on. Much of Panama’s cultural soul is derived from European music and art by the Spanish inhabitants who beautifully blended African and Native American culture with European culture. Panama has been home to several stalwarts from various fields, who have raised the bar and made the country stall tall in the world platform. Artists such as Antonio Jose Guzman, Margarita Henriquez, Jose Quintero, Aaron Zebede and others gave Panama’s cultural world a new dimension. Gloria Gaurdia is well known for her works as a novelist, writer and essayist. Panama is also home to three world boxing champions namely, Pedro Alcazar, Roberto Duran and Panama Al Brown. The country also made its mark at Olympics with athletes such Irving Saladino, the country first and only Olympic gold medallist and Llyod La Beach two times Bronze medallist. Find out more about famous Panamanians with this section.
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1
Roberto Durán(Former Boxer from Panama Who Was a World Champion in 4 Categories)
Birthdate: June 16, 1951
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Guararé, Panama
Retired Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán had a 32-match winning streak before losing to Esteban De Jesús. Raised in the slums, he joined a gym as an 8-year-old. His punching style earned him the nickname Hands of Stone. He was a world champion in the lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight categories.
2
Mariano Rivera(Former Professional Baseball Pitcher and One of the Greatest Relievers of All Time)
Birthdate: November 29, 1969
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
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.
3
Rubén Blades(Panamanian Musician & Singer Who Mainly Performs in 'Salsa' and 'Latin Jazz' Genres)
Birthdate: July 16, 1948
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
With 10 Grammy Awards, Panamanian musician, singer, and composer Rubén Blades didn’t just soar to international fame but also redefined the Latin jazz and salsa genres. A qualified lawyer from Harvard, he came to be known as the Latin Bruce Springsteen for his music that mirrored social issues.
Birthdate: September 27, 1969
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
Birthdate: February 13, 1929
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Santiago, Panama
Died: July 31, 1981
Omar Torrijos was a Panamanian political leader who served as the de facto leader of Panama from 1968 to 1981. Although he was never officially elected as the president of Panama, Torrijos held titles, such as Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution. One of the most influential Panamanian personalities during his generation, Omar Torrijos introduced many social reforms in Panama.
Birthdate: October 5, 1958
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bocas del Toro Province, Panama
Birthdate: December 3, 1993
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Río Abajo, Panama City, Panama
Birthdate: February 26, 1959
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
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.
Birthdate: December 12, 1963
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Panama City
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.
Birthdate: March 20, 1986
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Panama City
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.
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Ramon Fonseca Mora(Panamanian Novelist, Lawyer and Co-Founder of the Former Law Firm ‘Mossack Fonseca’)
Birthdate: July 14, 1952
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
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.
Birthdate: December 2, 1952
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Panama
Marc Anthony Thompson is a Panamanian singer-songwriter currently based in New York City. He is the founder of the music project Chocolate Genius that also includes guitarist Marc Ribot, cellist Jane Scarpantoni, keyboardist John Medeski, and bassist Chris Wood. Besides his association with the group, he also performs as a solo artist and has scored film and theater productions.
13
Jaime Penedo(Panamanian Retired Footballer Who Played as a Goalkeeper)
Birthdate: September 26, 1981
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Panama City
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.
Birthdate: August 27, 1979
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kharkiv, Ukraine
15
Felipe Baloy(Retired Panamanian Footballer Who Scored Panama’s First Ever Goal in a FIFA World Cup)
Birthdate: February 24, 1981
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
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.
Birthdate: March 21, 1944
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Colón, Panama
Manny Sanguillén is a Panamanian retired baseball player best known for his association with the Major League Baseball team Pittsburgh Pirates that won five National League Eastern Division titles between 1970 and 1975 and the World Series in 1971 and 1979. Although he played predominantly as a catcher, Manny Sanguillén had an impressive lifetime batting average of .296.
Birthdate: May 12, 1936
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Panama City
Died: September 28, 2009
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.
Birthdate: October 27, 1989
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Santiago, Panama
Baseball infielder Rubén Tejada, a free agent, played for Panama during 2009 World Baseball Classic. He made his MLB debut for New York Mets (2010) and moving-on played for St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, and Baltimore Orioles. He signed MiLB contract with Mets (2019) and thereafter with Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and finally with Chicago White Sox (2021).
Birthdate: May 16, 1944
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Colón, Panama
Birthdate: July 1, 1946
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Pedasi, Panama
Mireya Moscoso is a Panamanian politician who became the first female president of Panama in 1999. Previously married to three-time president Arnulfo Arias, she assumed control of his political party, the Arnulfista Party (PA), after his death. Her tenure as the president was marred by corruption scandals, and she was succeeded by Martín Torrijos in 2004.
21
Ed Cota(Retired Panamanian-American Basketball Player Who Remained Undrafted by the NBA)
Birthdate: May 19, 1976
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Retired Panamanian-American basketball player Ed Cota has a Centrobasket gold medal in his kitty. Though he went undrafted by the NBA due to his lack of height, he began his senior career with the American club Gary Steelheads. He later played for clubs such as BC Dynamo Saint Petersburg and Barcelona.
Birthdate: April 10, 1954
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Colon, Panama
23
Carlos Ruiz(Panamanian Former Professional Baseball Catcher)
Birthdate: January 22, 1979
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: David, Panama
Retired Panamanian baseball player Carlos Ruiz, also known to his fans as Chooch, had an illustrious decade-long career with the Philadelphia Phillies. He later represented the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners. He remains the only NL player to catch 4 no-hitters and also won a World Series championship with the Phillies.
Birthdate: September 6, 1920
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Panama
Died: September 5, 2010
Birthdate: February 11, 1934
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Panama City
Died: May 29, 2017
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.
Birthdate: August 29, 1980
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
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Blas Pérez(Retired Panamanian Footballer Who Played as a Forward)
Birthdate: March 13, 1981
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
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.
Birthdate: March 12, 1967
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Colón
Retired Panamanian footballer Julio Dely Valdés was a successful striker for teams such as Nacional, Paris Saint-Germain, and Malaga. He also made it to the 2021 IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Team of All Time. He is the twin brother of Jorge Dely Valdés and the younger brother of Armando Dely Valdés, both footballers
Birthdate: March 2, 1956
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
Died: March 1, 2019
Eusebio Pedroza was a Panamanian boxer best remembered for his WBA featherweight championship reign from 1978 to 1985. During his reign as the WBA featherweight champion, Eusebio Pedroza defended his title against 18 different contenders, a record in the history of featherweight boxing.
30
Isabel Saint Malo(First Woman Who Served as Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Panama)
Birthdate: June 27, 1968
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
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.
Birthdate: May 3, 1982
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama
Birthdate: May 7, 1983
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Colombia City, Panama
Birthdate: March 11, 1952
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Panama City
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.
Birthdate: January 9, 1995
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Panama City
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.
35
Irving Saladino(Former Long Jumper and Panama's First Olympic Gold Medalist)
Birthdate: January 23, 1983
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Colón, Panama
Irving Saladino is a Panamanian retired athlete who specialized in long jump. He is best known for winning a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Over the course of his career, Irving Saladino also won gold medals at the World Championships, Ibero-American Championships, Pan American Games, South American Games, Central American Games, and Central American and Caribbean Games.
Birthdate: October 31, 1988
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Panama City
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.
Birthdate: November 26, 1987
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Colón, Panama
Armando Cooper is a Panamanian football player who plays for the Panama national team. A versatile midfielder, Cooper is renowned for his energy, dribbling skills, and creativity. Armando Cooper has also played for popular clubs and is currently a part of the famous Israeli club Maccabi Petah Tikva.
38
Johan Camargo(Panamanian Baseball Player Who Plays as an Infielder)
Birthdate: December 13, 1993
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
Johan Camargo is a Panamanian baseball player who plays as an infielder in the Major League Baseball. He currently plays for the Philadelphia Phillies, having previously played for the Atlanta Braves from 2017 to 2021.
Birthdate: January 2, 1978
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
Birthdate: July 18, 1963
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Chitré
Died: 1981 AD
Former Panamanian president Martín Torrijos was born out of an illegitimate relationship of military ruler Omar Torrijos and was disowned by his father till his teenage years. While studying in the U.S., he had also worked at McDonald's. His reforms include major changes in his country’s pensions and social security.
41
Iverson Molinar(Panamanian Basketball Player Who Plays as a Shooting Guard and Point Guard)
Birthdate: December 3, 1999
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
Iverson Molinar is a Panamanian basketball player who currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA. Prior to starting his NBA career in 2022, Molinar played for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Iverson Molinar has also played for the Panama men's national basketball team, representing his country in important tournaments, including the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup.
Birthdate: March 28, 1982
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
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.
Birthdate: December 3, 1998
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Chiriquí, Panamá
Birthdate: May 16, 1993
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: David, Chiriquí, Panama
Birthdate: August 15, 1901
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Penonomé, Panama
Died: August 10, 1988
Three-time president of Panama, Arnulfo Arias was a member of the nationalist Panameñista Party and also a doctor. The younger brother of another Panamanian president, Harmodio Arias, Arnulfo became dictatorial during his 2nd presidential term, dissolved the National Assembly, and changed the constitution. He was deposed thrice.
Birthdate: January 16, 1997
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: New Delhi, India
Birthdate: May 5, 1972
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Colón, Panama
Guillermo Jones is a Panamanian former professional boxer who held the WBA cruiserweight title for four years between 2008 and 2012. Over the course of his career, Guillermo Jones fought in four weight classes, namely welterweight, light middleweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight.
Birthdate: October 31, 1949
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Panama City
Died: February 4, 2021
49
Jonathan Araúz(Panamanian Baseball Player Who Plays as a Shortstop and Second Baseman)
Birthdate: August 3, 1998
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Alanje, Panama
Jonathan Araúz is a Panamanian baseball player who plays as a shortstop and second baseman. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2020 when he played for the Boston Red Sox. He continued playing for the Red Sox until 2022 before making his debut for the Baltimore Orioles.
Birthdate: May 29, 1984
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Panama City
Gabriel Enrique Gómez is a Panamanian retired football player who played as a midfielder for the Panama national football team from 2003 to 2018, during which he represented Panama in seven Gold Cup tournaments. He also played for Panama at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Apart from his national team, Gabriel Enrique Gómez also played for clubs like Atlético Bucaramanga.