Famous people from Puerto Rico
Here is a list of famous people from Puerto Rico. Curious if anybody from Puerto Rico made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.
Luis Miguel
Latin pop Artist
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri, known professionally as Luis Miguel, is a Mexican singer. An icon in Latin America, he is often referred to as "El Sol de México" or "El Sol". Beginning his musical career in his childhood, Luis Miguel accolades include five Grammys and four Latin Grammys and is considered one of the world's best male pop vocalists. His contribution to Latin pop music, along with his hermetic personal life, has made him a global figure of Latin music for nearly three decades. He first performed professionally at eleven years old. Having won his first Grammy at the age of fourteen, he is the second youngest artist to do so, that for his duet "Me Gustas Tal Como Eres" with Sheena Easton. In 1991, the RIAA recognized his high sales for the albums Romance and Segundo Romance. Luis Miguel is the only Latin artist to have two Spanish-language albums go platinum in the USA, and his album Luis Miguel achieved gold and platinum certifications in four countries within three days of its release. Luis Miguel is also known for his high-grossing live performances. His Amarte Es Un Placer Tour lasted 8 months during 1999–2000 and run through 8 countries in two continents. The tour consisted of 105 concerts, becoming the most extended tour by a Latin artist, and was attended by approximately 1.5 million fans. It was the highest-grossing tour performed by a Latin artist. He surpassed these records with his Mexico En La Piel Tour of 2005–2007, amassing a total of 129 concerts, over 1.4 millions spectators, and over $95 million grossed.
Don Omar
Latin pop Artist
Don Omar, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer and actor. He is sometimes referred to by his nickname El Rey.
Joaquin Phoenix
Actor
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix, formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American actor, music video director, producer, musician, and social activist. Phoenix started his career as a child actor and came to wide attention for his portrayal of Commodus in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as well as nominations for the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Award, and BAFTA Award. He received wider recognition for his portrayal of musician Johnny Cash in the 2005 biographical film Walk the Line. His performance earned him several accolades and nominations, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received his third Academy Award nomination for his critically acclaimed performance in the 2012 film The Master. Aside from his acting career, he has also ventured into directing music videos, as well as producing movies and television shows. He has recorded an album, the soundtrack to Walk the Line, for which he won a Grammy Award.
Benicio del Toro
Actor
Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez, better known as Benicio del Toro is a Puerto Rican actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic. He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual Suspects, Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Franky Four Fingers in Snatch, Jackie Boy in Sin City, and Che Guevara in Che, a performance which garnered him the Best Actor Award both at the Cannes Film Festival in France, and at the Goya Awards in Spain. He will portray The Collector in the upcoming Marvel Studios films, Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy. He is the third Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award.
Chayanne
Latin pop Artist
Elmer Figueroa Arce, better known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer, actor and composer. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 solo albums and sold over 30 million albums worldwide. He holds the record for most album sales in Spain.
Héctor Lavoe
Bolero Artist
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez, better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelo Abajo sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York City when he was 17 years old. On his first week living in the city, he worked as the vocalist of a sextet formed by Roberto García. During this period, he performed with several other groups, including Orquesta New York, Kako All-Stars, and the Johnny Pacheco band. In 1967, Lavoe joined Willie Colón's band and performed as the band vocalist. With the Willie Colón band, Lavoe recorded several hit songs, including "El Malo" and "Canto a Borinquen". While working with the Willie Colón band, Lavoe became addicted to drugs and began to be late habitually when scheduled to perform with the band. Colón eventually decided to not work with Hector on stage but they still remained good friends and made music in the studio together. Lavoe moved on to become a soloist and formed his own band, where he performed as lead vocalist. As a soloist Lavoe recorded several hits including "El cantante", "Bandolera" and "Periódico de ayer" During this period he was frequently featured as an invited vocalist in the Fania All Stars, and recorded numerous tracks with the band.
Luis Fonsi
Latin pop Artist
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez is an audio engineer.
Ivy Queen
Reggaeton Artist
Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez, known as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican-American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She was born in Añasco, Puerto Rico, but later moved with her parents to New York City, where she lived until she finished her public education, before returning to Añasco. When she was 18 years old, Queen moved to San Juan where she met record producer DJ Negro, who helped her gain performing spots with a group called "The Noise" at a local club. There she performed her first song "Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes". The Noise gained much attention due to their violent and explicitly sexual lyrics. Queen went solo in 1996, and released her debut studio album En Mi Imperio which was quickly picked up by Sony Discos for distribution in 1997. She later released The Original Rude Girl, her second studio album for Sony label, which spawned the hit single "In the Zone". However, Ivy Queen did not rise to fame until she moved to an independent record label to release her third studio album, Diva in 2003. Queen's albums Diva, Flashback, and Sentimiento have all been awarded Gold and Platinum Record status by the Recording Industry Association of America. Her seventh studio album Drama Queen was released in 2010, and spawned a top ten single "La Vida es Así". Queen's recordings often include themes of female empowerment, infidelity, and relationships, and she is often referred to as the Queen of Reggaeton.
Raúl Juliá
Actor
Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing locally for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson Bean to move and work in New York City. Juliá, who had been bilingual since his childhood, soon gained interest in Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. He performed in mobile projects, including The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre. Juliá was eventually noticed by Joseph Papp, who offered him work in the New York Shakespeare Festival. After gaining notoriety, he received roles in two television series, Love of Life and Sesame Street. For his performance in Two Gentlemen of Verona, he received a nomination for the Tony Award and won a Drama Desk Award. Between 1974 and 1982, Juliá received Tony Award nominations for Where's Charley?, The Threepenny Opera and Nine. During the 1980s, he worked in several films, receiving nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, for his performance in Tempest, and Kiss of the Spider Woman, winning the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for the latter.
Tego Calderón
Reggaeton Artist
Tegui Calderón Rosario is a Puerto Rican rapper and actor.
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Bandleader
Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa", is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.
Yadier Molina
Baseball Player
Yadier Benjamin Molina known affectionately by fans as "Yadi", is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals and two-time World Series champion. Since debuting in the Major Leagues in 2004, Molina has spent his entire career with the Cardinals and earned five consecutive selections to the All Star Game and six for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. In his ten-year career, the Cardinals have appeared in seven playoff tournaments. Coming from a baseball family, Molina grew up in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. His father was an amateur second baseman in Puerto Rico and two older brothers, Bengie and José Molina, are major league catchers from whom he learned the art of catching. As Molina developed, scouts began to take notice of his pitch handling and throwing skills – aided in part by the elder Molinas' reputations – and the Cardinals selected him in the fourth round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. Initially heralded for his defense but billed as showing negligible batting skills, Molina ascended through four levels of the minor leagues in four seasons before debuting for the Cardinals in 2004, hitting a combined .278. Early in his professional career, Molina's closest comparable hitter was Mike Matheny, the fellow catcher he eventually replaced. He quickly won a reputation around the Major Leagues for possessing one of the strongest and most accurate arms in the game, having thrown out 236 runners attempting a stolen base over his career and leading active MLB catchers in pickoffs with 48. Consistently lauded for his defensive exploits, Molina is fourth all-time among catchers with 107 defensive runs saved. He also masters nuances of the game to the point of formulating plans where to position fielders and complete pitching strategies to opposing hitters fortified through meticulous pre-game preparation, earning him a reputation as an on-field leader.
Roselyn Sánchez
Actor
Roselyn Sánchez is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, model, actress, producer and writer of film and television.
Rita Moreno
Actor
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards, which include an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award.
Miguel Cotto
Professional Boxer
Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur, Cotto represented Puerto Rico in the lightweight and light welterweight divisions at various international events including the 1999 Pan American Games, the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 1998 Junior World Championships where he won a silver medal. Cotto began his professional career in 2001, and on September 11, 2004, he defeated Kelson Pinto for the WBO junior welterweight championship. He defended the title successfully a total of six times, before vacating it when he ascended to the welterweight division. On his first match on this division he defeated Carlos Quintana for the vacant WBA welterweight championship. Cotto successfully defended this title against Oktay Urkal, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley and Alfonso Gómez, before losing it to Antonio Margarito. On February 21, 2009, he defeated Michael Jennings to win the vacant WBO welterweight championship. Defending the title against Joshua Clottey before losing it to Manny Pacquiao on November 14, 2009. On June 5, 2010, Cotto competed in his first fight at the light middleweight division, defeating Yuri Foreman for the WBA super welterweight championship.
Mónica Puig
Tennis Player
Mónica Puig Marchán is a Puerto Rican tennis player. Puig has won six singles titles on the ITF tour in her career. On August 26, 2013, she reached her best singles ranking of world number 44. On July 23, 2012, she peaked at world number 263 in the doubles rankings. In 2012, Puig won the $50,000 ITF tournament in Joué-lès-Tours, defeating the number one seed, and world ranked 87, Alexandra Panova, on the way in the first round.
Carly Colón
Wrestler
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He belongs to a wrestling family, being the son of Carlos Colón, Sr., who introduced him to wrestling. His mother was born in Canada, which grants him Canadian citizenship. Colón debuted in his father's promotion, the World Wrestling Council, becoming a 13-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship 13 times. During the early years of his career, he made appearances for the X Wrestling Federation and Funking Conservatory, winning his first international championship for the second. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both Carly Colón and Carlito. In 2003, Colón signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, working for the promotion until 2010. He worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling for sixteen months, mostly wrestling in tag team matches while making appearances in WWC. On October 7, 2004, Colón made his debut performing on the main event of SmackDown! as Carlito Caribbean Cool. Colón is a former United States Champion and Intercontinental Champion and has been part of both the Raw and SmackDown brands. He is the only wrestler to win a championship on two separate debuts in WWE and the second Puerto Rican to become Intercontinental Champion after Pedro Morales. At WrestleMania XXV, Colón and his brother, Eddie Colón, became the only tag team to unify the WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship.
Carlos Beltrán
Baseball Player
Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Puerto Rican professional baseball outfielder, now a free agent in Major League Baseball. He has played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants. Beltrán was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1999. He has been named to eight MLB All-Star Games, and has won three Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards. Beltrán is a member of the 30–30 club, as he has hit 30 home runs and stolen 30 bases in the same season. Beltrán is among the best all-time statistical hitters in Major League Baseball postseason games, which has earned him nicknames such as "the new Mr. October", "Mr. October, Jr.", "Señor Octubre" and "the real Mr. October" from the media. He leads several offensive categories during this month, including slugging percentage, runs scored in a single season and at bats per home run-ratio. Beltrán is MLB's all-time leader in OPS during the postseason, surpassing Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig among players with at least a hundred at-bats. He has broken the 1.000 OPS mark in four different playoff series. Beltrán also has a 100% stolen base percentage during this phase of the tournament, which are the most stolen bases without being caught.
Omar Rodríguez-López
Progressive rock Artist
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He is best known for being the guitarist and bandleader of The Mars Volta from 2001 until their breakup in 2012, and is currently the guitarist for the alternative rock group Bosnian Rainbows. He is also the former bassist and guitarist for the dub reggae band De Facto and the post-hardcore outfit At the Drive-In, respectively. He has also embarked on a solo career, both in studio and in concert, frequently described as experimental, avant-garde and/or progressive. He has collaborated with numerous artists spanning from John Frusciante to El-P.
Gigi Fernández
Tennis Tournament Champion
Beatriz "Gigi" Fernández is a former professional tennis player, the first female athlete from her native Puerto Rico to turn professional, the first Puerto Rican woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal and the first to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Fernández won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals representing the United States, and reached the World No. 1 ranking in women's doubles. She reached a career high singles ranking of 17 in 1991. Since retiring from the professional tour in 1997 at the age of 33, Fernández has been a tennis coach and entrepreneur.
La India
Latin pop Artist
Linda Viera Caballero, better known as India and La Princesa de la Salsa, is a singer of salsa and house music. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.
Tito El Bambino
Reggaeton Artist
Efraín David Fines Nevares age 31 known professionally as Tito "El Bambino" is a Puerto Rican recording artist. He rose to fame as Tito of the duo Héctor & Tito. In 2010 his song, "El Amor", written with Joan Ortiz Espada, was awarded Latin Song of the Year by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He was awarded Songwriter of the Year at the 2011 ASCAP.
Jerry Rivera
Latin pop Artist
Jerry Rivera is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-nominated Puerto Rican salsa singer.
Carlos Ponce
Latin pop Artist
Carlos Ponce is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer and television personality. Ponce began his acting career by participating in Spanish language soap operas for Televisa and Telemundo. Ponce continued to expand his acting career by participating in various American television series. He did not limit himself solely to a career in television. Ponce, who is also a singer, is also active in the American movie industry as a character actor.
Victor Manuelle
Salsa Artist
Víctor Manuelle, born Víctor Manuel Ruiz on September 27, 1968 in Isabela, Puerto Rico, is a successful Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican American salsa singer, songwriter, and improvisational son singer, known to his fans as El Sonero de la Juventud. He is identified primarily with salsa romantica or "salsa monga", but has also experimented with styles ranging from Colombian vallenato to reggaeton. Unlike other salsa performers such as Marc Anthony, he has neither recorded in English, nor made a Latin pop album, nor ventured into acting, preferring to remain a musician grounded within salsa music. He is currently tied with Marc Anthony for the most number-one singles in the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.
Luis Guzmán
Actor
Luis Guzmán is a Puerto Rican American actor, who is known for his character work. For much of Guzmán's career, he has played character roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen. He is a favorite of director Steven Soderbergh, who cast him in Out of Sight, The Limey, and Traffic, and Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast him in Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love. He also voiced Ricardo Diaz in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He recently starred in the HBO original series How to Make It in America.
Héctor Delgado
Reggaeton Artist
Héctor Delgado Román, is a Puerto Rican former reggaeton artist and producer, formerly known by the artistic names Héctor "El Father" and Hector "El Bambino". He announced his retirement in 2008 but had a series of "Farewell Concerts" that went until May 2010. He rose to fame as a member of the duo Héctor & Tito. As a producer Delgado has worked with several reggaeton producers, as well as Emilio Estefan.
José Ferrer
Actor
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón, best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, theater, and film director. He was the first Puerto Rican, as well as the first white Hispanic actor, to win an Academy Award. To honor his roots, he donated his Oscar award to the University of Puerto Rico. The prolific and distinguished thespian also won several Tony Awards. In 1947, he won the Tony Award for his theatrical performance of Cyrano de Bergerac, and then in 1952, he won the Distinguished Dramatic Actor Award for The Shrike, and also the Outstanding Director Award for directing all three of The Shrike, The Fourposter, and Stalag 17. José Ferrer's contributions to American theater were recognized in 1981, when he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 1985 he received the National Medal of Arts from Ronald Reagan, becoming the first actor to receive that honor. On April 26, 2012, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp in José Ferrer's honor in their Distinguished Americans series.
Zuleyka Rivera
Award competitor
Zuleyka Jerrís Rivera Mendoza is a Puerto Rican beauty queen and actress who held the titles Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 and Miss Universe 2006. She made her debut as a telenovela actress in Mexico's Telemundo's soap opera Dame Chocolate.
Amaury Nolasco
Actor
Amaury Nolasco Garrido is a Puerto Rican actor, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the Fox television series Prison Break, and for his role in Transformers. He starred in the short-lived ABC television series Work It which premiered on January 3, 2012.
José Juan Barea
Basketball Point guard
José Juan "J.J." Barea Mora is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player who currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. He also played for the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks from 2006 to 2011. Barea has played in the NBA, NBA Development League, NCAA and the BSN with Indios de Mayagüez and the Cangrejeros de Santurce. After playing college basketball at Northeastern University, he participated in the 2006 NBA Draft but was undrafted, and he was subsequently signed by the Dallas Mavericks following his participation in the NBA Vegas Summer league, becoming the seventh Puerto Rican to play in the NBA. He was a member of the Puerto Rican team that won the gold medal in the 2006 and 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. Barea was the starting point guard of the Puerto Rican national team's squad that won the gold medal in the 2011 Pan American Games and the silver medal in the 2007 Pan American Games.
Gina Lynn
Pornographic actor
Gina Lynn is an American former pornographic actress.
Jorge Posada
Baseball First baseman
Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta is a retired Puerto Rican baseball catcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Posada produced strong offensive numbers for his position, recording a .273 batting average, 275 home runs, and 1,065 runs batted in during his career. A switch hitter, Posada was a five-time All-Star, won five Silver Slugger Awards, and was on the roster for four World Series championship teams. Drafted by the Yankees in 1990, Posada was originally an infielder before moving to catcher during his minor league career. He debuted in the major leagues in 1995, but it was not until 1998 that he found regular playing time. A solid-hitting catcher, Posada established himself as a mainstay in the Yankees lineup and as one of the "Core Four" players who contributed to the Yankees' winning seasons. In 2003, he finished third in voting for the American League Most Valuable Player Award and became only the second Yankees catcher after Yogi Berra to hit 30 home runs in a season. Posada added one of his best seasons in 2007 at age 35 when he batted .338. Following a stint as designated hitter in 2011, he retired.
Héctor Camacho
Professional Boxer
Héctor Luís Camacho Matías, nicknamed Macho Camacho, was a Puerto Rican professional boxer and singer. Known for his quickness in the ring and flamboyant style, he held major championships in the super featherweight, lightweight, and junior welterweight divisions. After earning minor titles in four additional weight classes, Camacho became the first boxer to be recognized as a septuple champion. A storied amateur, Camacho won three New York Golden Gloves, beginning with the Sub-Novice 112 lb. championship in 1978. During his 30-year career, Camacho had many notable fights, defeating Panama's Roberto Durán twice late in Duran's career, and knocking out a 40-year-old Sugar Ray Leonard, sending Leonard into permanent retirement. He also fought against Julio César Chávez, Félix Trinidad, and Oscar de la Hoya, among others. During his later years, Camacho expanded his popular role and appeared on a variety of Spanish-language reality television shows including Univision's' dancing show Mira Quien Baila and a weekly segment on the popular show El Gordo y La Flaca named Macho News. But, he also had trouble with drug abuse and criminal charges. In 2005 he was arrested for burglary, a charge to which he would later plead guilty. In 2008, he won his last major fight, the World Boxing Empire middleweight championship. In 2011, he was shot at three times by would-be carjackers in San Juan, but was uninjured. In the fall of 2012, Camacho was awaiting trial in Florida on charges of physical abuse of one of his sons.
Olga Tañón
Latin pop Artist
Olga Tañón, is a Puerto Rican recording artist. Over the course of her career, she has earned two Grammy Awards, three Latin Grammy Awards, and 28 Premios Lo Nuestro Awards.
Bernie Williams
Baseball Player
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional baseball player and musician. He played his entire 16-year career in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees from 1991 through 2006. A center fielder, Williams was a member of four World Series championship teams with the Yankees. He retired with a .297 batting average, 287 home runs, 1,257 runs batted in, 1,366 runs scored, and 449 doubles. He was a five-time MLB All-Star and won four Gold Glove Awards. He also won the Silver Slugger Award and American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award. Williams is also a classically trained guitarist. Following his absence from baseball, he has released two jazz albums. He was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2009.
Ednita Nazario
Ballad Artist
Ednita Nazario is a Puerto Rican musician and singer-songwriter who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age, and has released over twenty albums throughout her career.
Roberto Alomar
Baseball Player
Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez is a former Major League Baseball player, regarded highly as a second baseman. During his career, the 12-time All-Star won more Gold Gloves than any other second baseman in baseball history, and also won the second-most Silver Slugger Awards for a second baseman. On January 5, 2011, Alomar was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in his second year of eligibility. He became the first Hall of Fame member to be inducted as a Toronto Blue Jays player. Currently, Alomar serves as a Special Advisor to the Blue Jays. Alomar was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He is the son of Sandy Alomar, Sr., a former All-Star second baseman with a 15-year MLB career. His older brother, Sandy Alomar, Jr., was a Major League All-Star catcher and is now a bench coach for the Cleveland Indians.
Primo
Wrestler
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling as Diego. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE. He began wrestling in the World Wrestling Council, where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship five times, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary titles. In 2007, Colón signed a developmental contract with WWE, being assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling. In this promotion he was teamed with Eric Pérez, forming a tag team known as The Puerto Rican Nightmares. On February 23, 2008, they became the first wrestlers to hold the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. Upon being promoted to the main brand, he was teamed with his brother. Subsequently, The Colóns became the first team to hold the WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship at the same time, making them the first Unified WWE Tag Team Champions.
Carlos Arroyo
Basketball Point guard
Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez is a Puerto Rican professional basketball point guard with Galatasaray Liv Hospital of the Turkish Basketball League. Arroyo had previously played in the National Basketball Association with the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics. In the 2008–2009 season, he played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Super League, winning the league's championship and being named the Final's Most Valuable Player. He has also played professionally in Puerto Rico and Spain. Arroyo was a member of the Puerto Rican national basketball team that defeated the United States at the 2004 Olympic Basketball Tournament. He also represented Puerto Rico at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
Farruko
Reggaeton Artist
Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado, better known by his stage name Farruko is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer. He rose to fame collaborating with heavyweight artists such as Daddy Yankee, Jory, and J Alvarez. Farruko was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Music Album in 2012.
Kany García
Latin pop Artist
Encarnita "Kany" García De Jesus is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter. Born in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, García first appeared on television in 2004 as a contestant on Objetivo Fama. She is widely considered the most successful non-winner in the history of the show. In 2006, García signed a recording contract with Sony BMG, releasing her debut album "Cualquier Día", which was a commercial success spawning four top 40 singles on the Billboard Latin Tracks. A year later, she released her second studio album, "Boleto De Entrada", which peaked within the top five of the Billboard Latin albums chart, and produced her first US Top 20 hit single, "Feliz" on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks. With great praise for her work, she has been nominated for 6 Latin Grammy awards and 2 Grammy Awards, and has won Best Female Pop Vocal Album for "Cualquier Día" and Best New Artist in 2008. She released her third studio album "Kany García" on July 31, 2012 on where it debuted at #1 on Billboard Latin Pop Charts.
Félix Trinidad
Professional Boxer
Félix "Tito" Trinidad, Jr. is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker for the International Boxing Federation's welterweight belt. Trinidad holds the record for second most welterweight title defenses. However, Trinidad holds the record for longest reign as Welterweight Champion, six years, eight months and fourteen days. During his career he fought Oscar De La Hoya winning the Lineal and World Boxing Council welterweight champion, Fernando Vargas in a unification fight where he won the International Boxing Federation's light middleweight title, and William Joppy for the World Boxing Association's middleweight championship. He lost to Bernard Hopkins by technical knockout and retired for the first time. Trinidad returned to action in a fight against Ricardo Mayorga and, following a fight against Winky Wright, retired a second time. In 2008, he returned to the ring to fight Roy Jones, losing the contest by unanimous decision. Subsequently, Trinidad entered a five-year hiatus without clarifying the status of his career.
Shalim Ortiz
Singer
Shalim Gerardo Ortiz Goyco is a singer/actor. He is the eldest son of Puerto Rican entertainer Elin Ortiz and his wife, the Dominican singer, television presenter, and actress Charytín Goyco.
Carlos Ortíz
Professional Boxer
Carlos Ortiz is a Puerto Rican who was a three-time world boxing champion, twice in the lightweight division and once in the Jr. Welterweights. Ortíz is mentioned among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time by sports journalists and analysts, along with Félix "Tito" Trinidad, Wilfredo Gómez, Héctor "Macho" Camacho, and Wilfred Benítez.
Tito Rojas
Bandleader
Tito Rojas a.k.a. "El Gallo Salsero", is a salsa singer and bandleader.
Michael N. Hall
Microbiologist
Michael Nip Hall is an American and Swiss molecular biologist and Professor at the Biozentrum University of Basel, Switzerland.
Ismael Rivera
Singer-songwriter
Ismael Rivera a.k.a. "Maelo", was a Puerto Rican composer and singer of salsa music.
Eddie Santiago
Salsa Artist
Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico.
Robbie Rivera
House Artist
Roberto "Robbie" Rivera is a prolific house music producer and DJ born in Puerto Rico. He has an extensive catalog of original productions and remixes to his credit, ranging from tribal to progressive house, as well as incorporating garage and Latin elements. He and his wife Monica Olabarrieta have homes in Miami and Ibiza. On October 28, 2009, DJ Magazine announced the results of their annual Top 100 DJ Poll, with Rivera placing #95.
Chi-Chi Rodríguez
Golfer
Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican professional golfer. He was the first Puerto Rican, and Hispanic to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Iván Calderón
Professional Boxer
Iván Calderón Marrero is a Puerto Rican retired professional boxer. As an amateur Calderón represented Puerto Rico in international competitions and attended the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia. On May 3, 2003, he won the World Boxing Organization's minimumweight championship when he defeated Eduardo Marquez by technical decision. He defended this title successfully eleven times and was recognized as a "Super Champion" by the organization. On August 25, 2007, he ascended to the light flyweight division when he defeated Hugo Cázares for the WBO's light flyweight championship. Calderón successfully defended this title against Juan Esquer, Nelson Dieppa, Rodel Mayol, Jesús Iribe and Cázares. Calderón is the former The Ring's light flyweight champion.
Daniel Santos
Bolero Artist
Daniel Santos was a singer and composer of boleros, and an overall performer of multiple Caribbean music genres, including guaracha, plena and rumba. Over the course of his career he adopted several names created by the public and became known as "El Jefe" and "El Inquieto Anacobero".
Juan Manuel López
Professional Boxer
Juan Manuel "Juanma" López is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur, Lopez represented Puerto Rico at numerous international tournaments including the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Summer Olympics. López's professional career began in 2005. As a professional he won his first nine fights by knockout before winning his first decision. On September 30, 2006 he defeated Jose Alonso to win the WBO Latino super bantamweight Championship, a regional championship sanctioned by the World Boxing Organization. On June 7, 2008, Lopez defeated Daniel Ponce de León by technical knockout to win the WBO super bantamweight championship. He held the title until January 23, 2009, vacating it after defeating Steven Luevano for the organization's featherweight championship.
Ángel Pagán
Baseball Player
Ángel Manuel Pagán is a Puerto Rican professional baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Raised in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, he began playing baseball at age six. Pagán's original contract in Major League Baseball was with the New York Mets, but he was transferred to the Chicago Cubs when they bought his contract. Pagán was subsequently traded back to the Mets prior to the 2008 season. On December 5, 2011, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Andrés Torres and Ramón Ramírez. Pagán was given the nicknames by his Mets teammates.
Jonathan Sánchez
Pitcher
Jonathan O. Sánchez, nicknamed "The Kid," or "The Comeback Kid," is a Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. A left-handed starter, Sánchez's pitching repertoire consists of a low-to-mid 90s mph fastball, and a curveball, change-up, and slider in the 80s. After being drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2004, Sánchez quickly worked his way through the Giants' minor league system. In 2006, he was called up to the major leagues and was used mostly in a long relief role. In 2007, he made the team out of spring training and was again used mostly in long relief, though he spent part of his season in the minors. In 2008, he made the Giants' starting rotation and remained in it for the entire year, except for a stint on the disabled list. Sánchez began 2009 as a starter but was moved to the bullpen during the season. He was returned to the rotation on July 10 because of an injury to fellow starter Randy Johnson, however, and he threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres that day. In 2010, Sánchez struck out 200 batters for the first time and was a member of the Giants team that won the World Series. He was traded to the Kansas City Royals in 2012, who traded him to the Colorado Rockies after he struggled in the first half of the season. He began 2013 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Angel Cordero, Jr.
Jockey
Angel Tomas Cordero, Jr., is one of the leading thoroughbred horse racing jockeys of all time and the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame.
Cheo Feliciano
Singer
José Feliciano, better known as Cheo Feliciano, is a composer and singer of salsa and bolero music.
Adamari López
Actor
Adamari López Torres is a Puerto Rican actress famous for participating in several Puerto Rican and Mexican soap operas. She is currently a host on the Telemundo morning show Un Nuevo Día.
Daniel Lugo
Actor
Daniel Lugo born July 30, 1945, in Caguas, Puerto Rico. is a Puerto Rican actor. He has played several prominent parts in telenovelas such as Prisionera, La Hija del Mariachi, El Rostro de Analia, and most recently as Renato Conde in La Casa de al Lado.
Dayanara Torres
Actor
Dayanara Torres Delgado is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, model, writer and former Miss Universe. Torres was discovered at age 17 while walking through the Plaza de Toa Alta in her hometown, and was invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico pageant. She won the pageant and the right to represent Puerto Rico in the 1993 Miss Universe pageant. In 1992, she participated in the Miss International pageant and became a semi-finalist. The same year, she earned second place at the Queen of the World contest. Torres won the crown in the Miss Universe pageant held in Mexico City on May 21, 1993. Torres' victory in the pageant caused some controversy because of the claim that she was still a minor; however, Torres had turned 18 several months before the contest. After she won the title, she became an instant superstar in the Philippines. Her victory also raised some eyebrows, as she did not top any of the pageant's segments. When Torres returned home to Puerto Rico, she was received with a massive parade. During and after her reign as Miss Universe, she became an ambassador for UNICEF, traveling through Asia and Latin America in support of the organization. She created the Dayanara Torres Foundation which has provided scholarships to poor students in Puerto Rico and the Philippines. In 1994, she went to Manila to crown the new Miss Universe and during the ceremony, she sang "A Whole New World" as a duet with Peabo Bryson.
David Zayas
Actor
David Zayas is a Puerto Rican actor. He is most known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series Dexter and as Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama series Oz.
Ricky Banderas
Man
Gilbert Cosme better known by his ring names El Mesías and Ricky Banderas, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based on Puerto Rico. While performing in the company, he won the IWA World Heavyweight Championship on five instances and held minor championships on fifteen separate occasions, before leaving the company in 2006. On March 12, 2006 he debuted in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, a promotion based in Mexico as a character named Muerte Cibernetica and was involved in an angle where this character was "killed." In November 2006, Cosme was involved in the tapings of the Wrestling Society X television series, where he was the second and last wrestler to win the WSX Championship. Following a month of performing in the International Wrestling Association, Cosme returned to Asistencia Asesoría y Administración in a special event presented by the company, this time under the ring name of El Mesías. In September 2007, the company organized a unification tournament where all of the champions and first contenders participated. Over the course of the tournament, he won the GPCW Super-X Monster Championship and IWC World Heavyweight Championship, and on the tournament's finale, he became the first wrestler to win the AAA World Heavyweight Championship. While working in Mexico, Cosme signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he debuted as Judas Mesias on September 13, 2007. In March 2008 his association with TNA came to an end and he focused most of his time on AAA. In 2010 Cosme debuted for Puerto Rican World Wrestling Council, where he won the Universal Heavyweight Championship.
Bengie Molina
Baseball Player
Benjamin José "Bengie" Molina, nicknamed "Big Money", is a former Major League Baseball catcher and currently the assistant hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is the older brother of major league catchers José Molina and Yadier Molina. Initially regarded as a "good glove, no hit" catcher with a strong arm and an exceptional ball blocker, Molina won a Gold Glove as the top defensive player at his position in consecutive seasons in 2002 and 2003. But he also developed into a very good contact hitter and free-swinging power hitter. Between 2000 and 2007, he struck out just 331 times, and in 2000 led the American League in average at-bats between strikeouts, with 14.3. However, at 5' 11" and weighing 225 pounds, he was regarded as one of the slowest baserunners of his day.
John R. Velazquez
Jockey
John R. Velazquez is a jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He learned to ride in his native Puerto Rico. On January 3, 1990, he won his first race, aboard Rodas at El Nuevo Comandante racetrack in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico. That same year, under the guidance of agent and former jockey, Angel Cordero, Jr., he moved to New York State where he has earned 24 riding titles at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course. In 1998 he won the Breeders' Cup Mile, on Da Hoss. A winner of eight Breeders' Cup races, he has also won graded stakes races such as the Kentucky Oaks, Blue Grass Stakes, Dubai World Cup, E. P. Taylor Stakes, Whitney Handicap, Woodbine Mile, plus the Cigar Mile Handicap. To date in his career, John Velazquez has ridden more than 4,000 winners. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he won the Bill Shoemaker Award for top Breeders’ Cup performance by a jockey, winning the Breeders' Cup Distaff with Ashado and the Breeders' Cup Sprint with Speightstown. Velazquez set a Saratoga record with six wins in one card on September 3, 2001.
Pedro Albizu Campos
Military Person
Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician, and the leading figure in the Puerto Rican independence movement. Gifted in languages, he spoke six and was the first Puerto Rican to graduate from Harvard Law School. Albizu Campos was the president and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death in 1965. Because of his oratorical skill, he was hailed as El Maestro. He was imprisoned 26 years for attempting to overthrow the U.S. government in Puerto Rico. In 1950 he planned and called for armed uprisings in several cities in Puerto Rico on behalf of independence. Afterward he was convicted and imprisoned again. He died in 1965 shortly after his pardon and release from federal prison, some time after suffering a stroke. There is controversy over his medical treatment in prison.
Orlando Cepeda
Baseball First baseman
Orlando Manuel "Peruchin" Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 1958 National League Rookie of the Year, Cepeda was voted the National League Most Valuable Player in 1967, the year his team, the St. Louis Cardinals, won the World Series. Overall, he appeared in three World Series and was the first winner of the American League's Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in 1973. He batted .300 or better 10 times in the 14 seasons he appeared in over 100 games, much of it played in what is now called the "Second Deadball Era". Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was as a batboy for the Santurce Crabbers of Puerto Rico. Pedro Zorilla, the team's owner, persuaded his family to let him attend a New York Giants tryout. He played for several Minor League Baseball teams before attracting the interest of the Giants, who had just moved to San Francisco. During a career that lasted sixteen years, he played with the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals. Cepeda was selected to play in seven Major League Baseball All-Star Games during his career, becoming the first player from Puerto Rico to start one. In 1978, Cepeda was sentenced to five years in prison on drug possession charges, of which he served ten months in prison and the rest on probation. In 1987, Cepeda was contracted by the San Francisco Giants to work as a scout and "goodwill ambassador." In 1999, Cepeda was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
DJ Sneak
House Artist
DJ Sneak is a Puerto Rican born American house music DJ and producer raised in Chicago, Illinois. He is noted as being one of the second wave of Chicago house producers, as well as a member of the vanguard of late-1990s United States house producers.
Savio Vega
Wrestler
Juan Rivera is a professional wrestler. He began his career in the World Wrestling Council, where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship. During the mid-to-late 1990s, Rivera was an active wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation, initially performing under the ring name Kwang. He was later renamed Savio Vega, eventually becoming the leader of a Puerto Rican stable, Los Boricuas. Vega gave Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson their first singles losses in the WWF. During his feud with Austin, he was the first recipient of the Stone Cold Stunner. During his WWF run, he defeated several high-profile wrestlers, including Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Jeff Jarrett, Bradshaw and Yokozuna. After leaving the WWF, Rivera returned to Puerto Rico and joined Victor Quiñones' promotion, the International Wrestling Association, serving as a long-time General Manager and winning five titles, including the IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. In 2011, he was featured in an interpromotional angle between IWA and WWC, the first of its kind since both had co-existed. He won titles in Latin America, in promotions such as Panama's Revolution X-Treme Wrestling, the Dominican Republic's Dominican Wrestling Entertainment and Ecuador's Wrestling Alliance Revolution. Rivera has worked as a wrestling trainer and road agent for Total Nonstop Action and Ring Ka King.
Eddie Gomez
Jazz fusion Artist
Edgar "Eddie" Gómez is a Puerto Rican jazz double bassist born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, perhaps most notable for his work done with the Bill Evans trio from 1966 to 1977.
Yiye Ávila
Man
José Joaquín Ávila Portalatín, better known as Yiye Ávila, was a Puerto Rican Pentecostal Evangelist and writer of Sephardi origins. He was also Mr. North America in 1953.
Jaslene Gonzalez
Fashion Model
Jaslene Gonzalez is a Puerto Rican American model, television host, and winner of Cycle 8 of America's Next Top Model.
Yolandita Monge
Latin American Artist
Yolandita Monge is an international singer and actress from Puerto Rico and the first Puerto Rican female singer to be nominated for the Grammy Music Awards. She is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female artist according to Billboard. She has been in the music business since adolescence, and has recorded over thirty albums through her career. She is widely recognized as one of Puerto Rico's Divas.
Bobby Valentín
Bandleader
Bobby Valentin a.k.a. "El Rey del Bajo", is a musician and salsa bandleader.
Luis Muñoz Marín
Politician
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín, known as Luis Muñoz Marín, was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, politician and statesman, regarded as the "Father of Modern Puerto Rico," and the "Architect of the Commonwealth." In 1948 he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico, spearheading an administration that engineered profound economic, political and social reforms; accomplishments that were internationally lauded by many politicians, statesmen, political scientists and economists of the period.
Joan Smalls
Model
Joan Smalls Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican fashion model. Joan is ranked the #1 model in the world according to models.com since September 2012. Joan ranks at number #8 on Forbes: The World's Highest-Paid Models, 2013 Joan Smalls Rodriguez was born and grew up in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. She is the daughter of Eric Smalls and Betzaida Rodriguez.
Javier Culson
Olympic Track and field Athlete
Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete and Olympic bronze medalist who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles. After becoming involved with the discipline in his late teen years, he entered the podium in some regional youth events, including the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. Culson is a two-time silver medallist at the International Association of Athletics Federations's World Championships and an elite contender in the Samsung Diamond League, where he finished second overall in 2011. He has also garnished medals in events with lower profiles, including the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Ibero-American Championships. He currently holds the record as "the world's fastest man" in that category. Culson also competed at the 2012 Olympics in London winning the bronze medal in the 400-metre hurdles race.
Osvaldo Ríos
Actor
Osvaldo Ríos born Osvaldo Ríos Alonso on October 25, 1960 in Carolina, Puerto Rico, is a Puerto Rican actor, model, singer, and guitarist, who is best known for his roles in telenovelas. He has appeared in several soap operas, including Abrazame muy Fuerte, Kassandra and the 1996 version of La Viuda de Blanco.
Mike Lowell
Baseball Player
Michael Averett Lowell is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball third baseman in Major League Baseball. During a 13-year career, Lowell played for the New York Yankees, Florida Marlins, and the Boston Red Sox. With the Red Sox, he was named World Series MVP of the 2007 World Series for batting .400 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 6 runs scored and a stolen base in the four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies.
Wilfredo Gómez
Professional Boxer
Wilfredo Gómez, sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three-time world champion. Gómez is frequently mentioned among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time by sports journalists and analysts, along with Félix "Tito" Trinidad, Wilfred Benítez, Héctor "Macho" Camacho, Edwin Rosario, and Carlos Ortíz. His 17 consecutive knockouts in championship defenses is a record for all boxing divisions.
Alejandro García Padilla
Politician
Alejandro Javier García Padilla is a lawyer and the current Governor of Puerto Rico. Previous to becoming governor, García Padilla held various roles in the political landscape of Puerto Rico, first as Secretary of Consumer Affairs, then as member of the 24th Senate of Puerto Rico, and finally as President of the Popular Democratic Party. At the national level García Padilla subscribes to the Democratic Party of the United States. As governor, García Padilla shares his legislative powers with the 25th Senate and 29th House of Representatives; both controlled by his party. This effectively allows García Padilla to enact, amend, and repeal laws that are emblematic to his party without political opposition save for constitutional amendments.
Luis Fortuño
US Congressperson
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the tenth elected governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America, and as president of the "New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico" until 2013, as a member of the Republican National Committee, served as president of the Council of State Governments during 2012 and served as president of the Southern Governors Association from 2011 to 2012. On June 26, 2011 he announced his plans to run for reelection. He was narrowly defeated in the 2012 Elections by Alejandro Garcia Padilla. In the 1990s, Fortuño served as the first [[Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce of Puerto Rico|Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce]], as the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, and as the President of the Puerto Rico Hotel Development Corporation during the administration of Pedro Rosselló. In 2003 Fortuño won the 2004 PNP nomination for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in primaries against former Governor Carlos Romero Barceló, former Senate President Charlie Rodriguez and then senator Miriam Ramírez de Ferrer. He was then elected Resident Commissioner in 2004, defeating Senator Roberto Prats. Fortuño represented Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2009 in the United States House of Representatives, and served as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, a Member of the newly created United States House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs and co-chair, with Rep. Xavier Becerra, of the Friends of Spain Caucus.
Pedro Morales
TV Personality
Pedro Morales is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and won his first important championship, the WWA World Heavyweight Championship, while wrestling for the World Wrestling Association. After joining the World Wide Wrestling Federation, now known as WWE, Morales became the first man in wrestling history to win all three major men's titles in the company, the WWWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF World Tag Team Championship. By also holding the WWWF United States Championship he also became the first performer to hold four separate titles within the promotion, a distictition that later became known as a Grand Slam Championship, despite not being listed as such by WWE. Morales proved to be a popular champion, to the point that he remains the only wrestler to be among the five longest reigning champions in the history of both of the two major titles, holding the WWWF Championship for 1,027 days and the Intercontinental Championship for 619 days. Like Bruno Sammartino before him, Morales heavily appealed to a specific group, in his case Puerto Ricans and Latinos in general. During his career he also won titles at Mid-Pacific Promotions in Hawaii, Championship Wrestling from Florida and the World Wrestling Council in his native Puerto Rico. In 1995 Morales became the first Latin American and Hispanic to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. His WWWF reign also made him the first Latino in history to win a recognized world heavyweight championship, holding one of the era's "big three", a triad completed by the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Joyce Giraud
Actor
Joyce Giraud is a Puerto Rican actress and model. She is a two time Miss Puerto Rico and the second runner up in the 1998 Miss Universe pageant. She had previously represented Puerto Rico at Miss World 1994. Giraud was featured in episodes of Baywatch, and in the film Dude, Where's My Car?. More recently, she has starred in TV shows like House of Payne and Joey. She has joined the cast of the upcoming fourth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Nicky Cruz
Author
Nicky Cruz is a Christian evangelist, the founder of Nicky Cruz Outreach, an evangelistic Christian ministry. He was also once the director of Teen Challenge, serving under David Wilkerson before founding another ministry home himself in California. Prior to his conversion he was the leader of a New York City gang, The Mau-Maus.
Ismael Miranda
Salsa Artist
Ismael Miranda a.k.a. "El niño bonito de la Salsa" is a composer and a singer of salsa music.
Jonny Moseley
Olympic athlete
Jonathan William Moseley, better known as Jonny Moseley, is the first Puerto Rican to become a member of the U.S. Ski Team.
Amazing Red
Wrestler
Jonathan Figueroa is a professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time X Division Champion, while also working on the American independent circuit. Figueroa is also one of the head trainers of the House of Glory wrestling school, based in Ridgewood, Queens, New York City. He is the cousin of wrestlers Joel and Jose Maximo and Rosita.
Jackie Guerrido
Journalist
Jackie Guerrido, is a Puerto Rican television weather forecaster and journalist.
Tito Rodriguez
Bolero Artist
Tito Rodríguez was a popular 1950s and 1960s Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He is known by many fans as "El Inolvidable", a moniker based on his most popular interpretation, a song written by composer Julio Gutiérrez.