Peruvian

Henry Ian Cusick is a Peruvian-Scottish actor and television director. He is best known for playing Desmond David Hume in the popular ABC television series Lost. Henry Ian Cusick received a nomination at the Primetime Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Desmond Hume.

Pilar Pallete is a Peruvian actress whose professional career has been greatly overshadowed by her personal life, including her high-profile marriage to legendary American actor John Wayne. Through her marriage with John Wayne, Pallete was blessed with many grandchildren, including actress and musician Jennifer Wayne of Runaway June fame.

Atahualpa was the last Inca Emperor. He reigned for a short time between 1532 and 1533 before the Spanish conquest ended his reign. The Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa and killed him after a while. Even though many brave warriors led the Inca resistance against the invading Spaniards, they could not stop the empire from disintegrating.

Túpac Amaru II  was the leader of a large Andean uprising against the Spanish in Peru. His wife was also a revolutionary and played a key role in the uprising. They were both captured, tortured, and put to death by the Spaniards. Following his death, he became known as a mythical figure in the Peruvian struggle for independence. 

Rose of Lima is revered as the patron saint of Peru. Legend has it that she had chopped off her hair and damaged her skin to avoid getting married. A member of the Dominican Order, she was the first from the Americas to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

Martin de Porres was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order. He was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI. He lived an austere life and often went hungry. He abstained from meat and was said to be able to communicate with animals. He is the patron saint of mixed-race people and those who seek racial harmony. 

Stephanie Cayo is a Peruvian actress, songwriter, and singer. She is best known for playing the female lead Paloma Velacochea in the popular telenovela, Besos robados. Stephanie Cayo has also played main roles in other popular telenovelas like La marca del deseo, El Secretario, and La hipocondríaca.        

Lina Medina is a Peruvian woman who gained international recognition when she gave birth to a baby boy at the age of five, becoming the youngest confirmed mother. According to medical reports, she had undergone precocious puberty, due to which she had fully mature sexual organs, at the age five, and experienced her first menstrual cycle at eight months of age.

Alexis Amore is a Peruvian feature dancer, pornographic actress, and columnist. Best known for appearing in lesbian pornographic films, Amore has received a couple of NightMoves Awards. In 2018, she was inducted into the Urban X Award Hall of Fame and AVN Award Hall of Fame. Alexis Amore has also contributed as a columnist for a Peruvian magazine named Oye.           

Ollanta Humala is a Peruvian politician whose presidency, which lasted from 2011 to 2016, was marred by several corruption scandals. Originally regarded as a left-wing nationalist and socialist, Humala founded the Peruvian Nationalist Party. Despite leading the party to success, Ollanta Humala eventually lost his popularity and was arrested in 2017 on corruption charges.

Alberto Fujimori is a Peruvian politician who served as the President of Peru from 1990 to 2000. He is a controversial figure accused of several charges of human rights abuses and corruption. He has also been proclaimed guilty of murder, causing bodily harm, and kidnapping. In 2009, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Christian Meier is a Peruvian singer and actor. Over the course of his acting career, Meier has achieved popularity in Latin America and in the Spanish speaking world. As a musician, Christian Meier achieved fame after forming an alternative-rock band named Arena Hash, where he performed as a keyboardist and occasional singer during the 1980s and 1990s.

Former prime minister of Peru, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar had also been the country’s foreign relations minister and the Peruvian ambassador to many countries, such as France and Switzerland. He had also served the UN as its secretary-general. A former Club of Madrid member, he led the Union for Peru party.

Susana Higuchi was a Peruvian engineer and politician. She is best remembered for her role as the First Lady of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 23 August 1994. Higuchi was stripped of her title as the First Lady in 1994, when she condemned her husband Alberto Fujimori as a tyrant. Susana Higuchi divorced Fujimori in 1996.

The Inca Empire’s 3rd Sapa Inca, Huayna Capac was the son of Topa Inca. Though he didn’t have to face any major battles initially, he grew up to be an efficient emperor who inspected the administration of all his empire’s regions. He was responsible for the improvement of roadways and built many temples too.

Gustavo Gutiérrez is a Peruvian Catholic theologian, philosopher, and Dominican priest. A respected theologian, Gutiérrez has served as a visiting professor in many prestigious universities in Europe and North America. Gustavo Gutiérrez has also taught at the Harvard University, the University of Michigan, the University of Cambridge, and the University of California, Berkeley among other schools.

The daughter of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori and politician Susana Higuchi, Keiko Fujimori is the current leader of the right-wing Peruvian party Popular Force. She has been a Member of Congress and the First Lady of Peru, too. She has been in an out of jail on charges of money laundering.

Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is a Peruvian politician, economist, and public administrator. He is best known for his service as the President of Peru from 2016 to 2018. From 2005 to 2006, Kuczynski served as the Prime Minister of Peru. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski also served as the Minister of Economy and Finance on two occasions between 2001 and 2005.

Hilda Gadea was a Peruvian Communist leader, economist, and author. Best remembered as the first wife of popular Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara, Hilda Gadea is credited with introducing Guevara to several Cuban rebels. She is also remembered for her memoir, My Life With Che. 

A prominent figure of Inca mythology, Manco Capac was apparently the founder of the Inca Empire, and thus, the first Sapa Inca, and its first governor. Said to be the son of Sun god Inti and Moon goddess Mama Quilla, he, according to legends, established the Inca capital Cuzco.

Laura Bozzo is a Peruvian talk show host renowned for hosting her popular Spanish-language talk show, Laura. The occurrence of regular fights and the discussion of the sensitive subject matter have made her shows controversial in nature. In 2008, Laura Bozzo landed in trouble when the Peruvian press discovered that some of her shows were staged for entertainment purposes.

Well-known Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto heads the Institute for Liberty and Democracy as its president. Named to Time 100 in 2004, he has also won countless awards, such as The Economist Innovation Award in 2006. He is known for his pioneering work in areas such as the informal economy and property rights.

Alan García went down in history as the only member of the Peruvian Aprista Party to serve as the president of Peru. Nicknamed Peru’s JFK, he was also the youngest president of his country and served two terms. He committed suicide before he could be arrested for the Odebrecht scandal.

Jaime Bayly is a Peruvian television personality, journalist, and writer. An Emmy Award winner, Bayly achieved international prominence when two of his books were adapted into films. Jaime Bayly is perhaps best known for writing novels that discuss sexual freedom, politics, and friendship.

César Vallejo was a Peruvian poet, playwright, writer, and journalist. He is regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest poetic innovators in any language, although he only published two books of poetry in his entire lifetime. César Vallejo's literary career has inspired and influenced several other writers and poets like Martin Wylde Carter, Sam Shepard, and Henry Charles Bukowski.

Flavia Laos is a Peruvian model, actress, singer, and TV host. She achieved popularity in 2005, when she won a variety show titled Miss Pequeñita. Her popularity increased in 2007, when she started hosting another variety show titled La Hora Warner, which she hosted until 2009. Apart from appearing in variety shows, Flavia also appears in TV series and films.

The 58th president of Peru, Juan Velasco Alvarado came to power after ousting former president Fernando Belaúnde in a coup d'état. He had previously been the commander-in-chief of the Peruvian army. He was removed by another coup and succeeded by Francisco Morales Bermúdez.