Famous Spanish Women

Penelope Cruz is a Spanish model and actress who has had major success in the American entertainment industry. Also known for her work as a philanthropist, Cruz has been touching the lives of many for the past several years. Apart from donating money to charity, Cruz has also volunteered in India and Uganda. She has also advocated for PETA's anti-fur campaign.

Millie Bobby Brown, the English actress and model, rose to prominence after acting in the TV series Stranger Things and then in the film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, in 2019. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in April 2018, making her the youngest person ever to be so.

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.

Elsa Pataky is one of the most famous Spanish models and actresses to make it big in the American film industry. She is best known for playing Officer Elena Neves alongside Dwayne Johnson in The Fast and the Furious film franchise. A polyglot, Elsa Pataky can speak Spanish, English, Romanian, Portuguese, French, and Italian fluently.

Catherine of Aragon was one of the most popular English royal consorts of all time. A patron of Renaissance humanism, she gained widespread admiration for starting a program for the relief of the poor. A woman who was ahead of her time, Catherine commissioned The Education of a Christian Woman, a controversial book promoting women's right to education.

Grammy-winning Spanish flamenco singer Rosalia is quite a sensation in Latin music and has often experimented with R&B, hip-hop, and electronic music, too. She gained global fame with the single Malamente and also scripted history as the first-ever Spanish-language artist to gain a Best New Artist nomination at the Grammys.

Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, is best known as Talisa Maegyr from the iconic series Game of Thrones. She had started as a Shakespearean theater actor. She has also been seen in series such as The Hour and Taboo, and has been cast in the upcoming Avatar sequels.

Úrsula Corberó is a Spanish actress who achieved international fame after playing Tokyo in the popular heist crime drama TV series, Money Heist. Renowned for her good looks, Corberó has been the face of many brands, such as Maybelline, Tampax, and Calzedonia. Also a philanthropist, Corberó has been part of many awareness campaigns pertaining to breast cancer and climate change.

Spanish actress and ballerina, Maria Pedraza first came to limelight with her role in the Netflix series Money Heist, debuting on screen earlier in the same year with Amar: With You Until the End of the World. Since then she has been appearing in number of productions, including the thriller teen drama series, Elite, concurrently focusing on her ballet.

Teresa of Ávila, also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish noblewoman who later turned into a Carmelite nun. She was posthumously named a Doctor of the Church. She co-established the Discalced Carmelite Order. Her written works include The Interior Castle and her own autobiography.

Alba Flores, the only daughter of Spanish musician Antonio Flores, achieved international fame as Nairobi in the Spanish series La Casa De Papel, or Money Heist. Apart from drama, she is trained in the piano, too. She is also an avid animal lover and has campaigned for PETA.

Spanish-American actress, singer, comedian, and flamenco-guitarist Charo, whose birth year remains a subject of dispute for several years, is known for her seductive deep voice with Spanish accent, unrestrained and exuberant manner, and the catch-phrase cuchi-cuchi. She has released albums like Guitar Passion, featured in films like The Concorde...Airport '79 and guest starred in TV series like The Love Boat.

Best known for her role in the Netflix series Elite, Madrid Theater Award-winning Spanish actor Ester Expósito is a true-blue feminist who has attended rallies for the cause. She had started attending acting classes as soon as she finished school. She is also a passionate dancer.

Born to a music producer father, Cameron McVey, and a singer mother, Neneh Cherry, Mabel McVey was destined to make a career in music. The English singer-songwriter debuted on SoundCloud with her track Know Me Better. It is believed she had initially used music as a therapy for her anxiety.

Born to a French-American mother and a Spanish father, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey had initially worked as a waitress and had even decided to pursue a career in osteopathy. The actor-model later made waves with her roles in The Sea Wall and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Queen Letizia of Spain was initially a journalist for EFE and ABC and then worked as an anchor for Televisión Española and CNN+. She had covered events such as the 9/11 attacks. She is married to King Felipe VI of Spain and was previously married to a high-school teacher.

Isabel Preysler is a  Filipina socialite and TV host. As a teenager, she participated in beauty pageants and worked as a model. She later started working as a journalist. An elegant woman, she is considered a fashion icon. Her first husband was Julio Iglesias, a Spanish singer.  Enrique Iglesias and Julio Iglesias Jr. are her sons.

Ariadna Gil is a Spanish actress best known for playing Violeta in the 1992 Spanish comedy-drama film, Belle Époque, for which she received the Best Lead Actress award at the prestigious Goya Awards. Although she predominantly acts in Spanish films, Ariadna Gil has also played important roles in films of various other languages, such as English, Catalan, and French.

Najwa Nimri is a Spanish actress and singer best known for playing a  policewoman inspector in the TV drama series La casa de papel. As a singer, she formed the band Najwajean with Carlos Jean and has also released a few solo albums. In 2020, she hosted a podcast called Vis a vis: Cara B. 

Spanish actor Blanca Suárez of Cable Girls fame also earned a Goya Award nomination for the psychological thriller The Skin I Live In. Her debut performance as Julia Medina in the Spanish drama-thriller series The Boarding School earned her initial fame. She was also GQ’s Woman of the Year in 2012.

Known as the younger sister of Spanish actor Penélope Cruz, Mónica Cruz is not just an actor but also a trained dancer, specializing in flamenco and ballet. Known for her roles in projects such as The Inquiry and Last Hour, she is now also a mother of a daughter, through artificial insemination.

Spanish opera singer and a legend of classical music, Montserrat Caballé became an international sensation after recording the duet Barcelona, the official anthem for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, with Freddie Mercury. She is also remembered for his iconic portrayal of the title role of Lucrezia Borgia.

Spanish singer Aitana first gained attention with her YouTube covers and then with the reality show Operación Triunfo. She then released her gold-certified debut single, No Puedo Vivir sin Ti, and later continued to release hits such as Lo Malo and Telephono. She is also known as the Spanish Princess of Pop.

Mexican singer-songwriter and actress Belinda Peregrín, tagged as "Princess of Latin Pop" by international press is best known for her commercially hit studio albums like Belinda and Utopía and singles like Vivir, which made her the third best-selling female Mexican act. She also had screen success with films like The Cheetah Girls 2 and Mexican telenovelas like Amigos x siempre.   

Fashion and jewelry designer Paloma Picasso is best known as the daughter of legendary artists Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot. She began her career designing costume jewelry for Yves Saint-Laurent and later designed for Tiffany & Co. Known for her signature red lipstick, she also has her own range of perfumes.

Christina Ochoa is a Spanish actress best known for her portrayal of Grace D'Argento in the American science fiction series, Blood Drive. Ochoa is credited with founding QE Productions, which produced the critically acclaimed short film, Stay with Me. Also a science communicator, Christina Ochoa has been the host of many scientific shows and conferences.

Best known to international audiences for her performance as the transgender character Manila in the iconic hit series La Casa de Papel, or Money Heist, Belén Cuesta is a popular Spanish actor. A fine theater actor, too, she has been part of production such as Sonias and Metamorfosis.

María Valverde is a Spanish actress who has played important roles in Spanish as well as British films. Valverde didn’t take long to hog the limelight as she won the Goya Award for her debut performance in The Weakness of the Bolshevik , at the age of 16! She is best known for playing Zipporah in the epic film Exodus: Gods and Kings. 

The daughter of a US Embassy employee, Lilian Garcia was born in Spain. She was a singer as a child and worked as an RJ after graduation, following which she soared to fame as a WWE announcer. She scripted history when she became the first female announcer at WrestleMania.

Chabeli Iglesias is a Spanish journalist and socialite. Born into the popular Iglesias family, she is the daughter of singer Julio Iglesias and Filipina socialite Isabel Preysler. She has been featured on the covers of numerous gossip and entertainment magazines worldwide. She is married to businessman Christian Fernando Altaba and has two children. 

Spanish model, actor, and TV presenter Pilar Rubio had initially decided to study economics but later quit it without a degree, to join the entertainment industry. Best known for presenting the show Sé lo que hicisteis..., she also appeared naked on Interviú. She is married to Spanish footballer Sergio Ramos.

Spanish singer-actor Edurne started her career as a child actor and later soared to fame with the show Operación Triunfo. She then released hit singles such as Amores Dormidos and Despierta, and was part of the Spanish version of Britain’s Got Talent. She is also the wife of Spanish footballer David De Gea.