Famous Uruguayan Film & Theater Personalities

Natalia Oreiro is a Uruguayan actress, fashion designer, singer, songwriter, host, and producer. Apart from appearing in telenovelas and films, Oreiro has also worked on social awareness events and shows for organizations like UNICEF and Greenpeace. As a singer, Natalia Oreiro has sold more than 10 million records so far.

Son of German immigrants who escaped the Holocaust, Jorge Drexler was born in Uruguay. Inspired by his physician parents, Dexler, became an otolaryngologist, but his love for music turned him into a Latin pop sensation. His song Al Otro Lado Del Rio from The Motorcycle Diaries won him an Oscar.

Carlos Páez Rodríguez is a Uruguayan motivational speaker and writer. Nicknamed the man of the iron spirit, Rodríguez is best known for surviving a plane crash and spending 72 days in the Andes, during which the survivors resorted to cannibalism to keep themselves alive. The story inspired a film titled Alive where Carlos Páez Rodríguez was played by Bruce Ramsay.

Angel Bonanni is an Israeli model and actor. He is known for playing important roles in popular American TV series like Absentia and Condor. One of the most popular models in Israel, Bonanni has appeared in fashion campaigns for major designers like Donna Karan and Jean Paul Gaultier. He has also appeared in magazines like Harper’s Bazaar.

Gustavo Rojo was an Uruguayan film producer and actor who appeared in over 160 television shows and films between 1938 and 2016. He made his theater debut in his mother Mercedes Pinto's play in the late 1920s. After moving to Mexico along with his family in the 1940s, Rojo started appearing in telenovelas, such as No creo en los hombres.

Elli Medeiros is a Uruguayan-French actress and singer. She is best known for her singles, Toi mon toit and A bailar calypso, which became extremely popular in France. Before embarking on a solo career, Elli Medeiros had formed a duo called Elli et Jacno along with the popular French musician, Jacno.

Julio Sosa was a Uruguayan Argentinian singer best remembered as an exponent of tango. He achieved popularity after becoming a part of the Argentine orchestra, Orquesta Francini-Pontier, which was formed by the famous violinist Enrique Mario Francini. Sosa is also remembered for his love for sports cars; he died at age 38 after crashing a DKW coupé at high speed. 

Mateo Chiarino is a Uruguayan writer, actor, and filmmaker. He also directs stage plays and TV series in addition to appearing in them. His performance in a stage play titled Nüremberg earned him a nomination at the Asociación de Cronistas del Espectáculo Awards. Mateo Chiarino also teaches screenwriting to aspiring writers and filmmakers.

Agustín Casanova is a Uruguayan actor and singer best known for his association with the popular band, Márama. Casanova is also a prominent TV personality; since 2020, he has been appearing as a judge on the popular reality TV series, Got Talent Uruguay.

Daniel Viglietti was a Uruguayan folk singer, composer, guitarist, and political activist. Viglietti was one of the most important exponents of Uruguayan Nueva Canción of the 1960s. Daniel Viglietti is credited with co-founding an independent record label called Ayuí/Tacuabé. 

Marco Banderas is a Spanish pornographic actor best known for winning the prestigious AVN Award in 2014 for his performance in a film titled Skin. Banderas also owns a production company called Hot Zone Productions, which he launched in April 2007.

Known for movies such as A King and His Movie and Marco, el candidato, Uruguayan actor Villanueva Cosse has gained popularity in several Latin American countries, including Argentina. He has also directed and performed in several plays and appeared in TV series such as Black Octopus.

Initially a theater actor, Fabio Zerpa later focused on studying extra-terrestrial life. He also launched a radio program and an online magazine on extra-terrestrial life and began speaking at various conferences on UFO sightings. His books include A Man In The Universe and Men In Black and UFO.