Famous People

Actors

Cachita, transsexual television actress
Cesar Evora, actor
Enrique Molina, stage, television and film
Francisco Gattorno, actor
Manela Bustamante, actress
María Antonieta Pons, actress
Maria Conchita Alonso, actress (Desperate Housewives)
Mario Ernesto Sanchez, actor and founder of Teatro Avante
Niurka Marcos, actress
Renny Arozarena

Artists, Photographers and Fashion Designers

Agustin Cárdenas, sculptor
Alberto Korda, photographer famous for his photo of Che Guevara
Alejo Carpentier, author
Amelia Peláez, painter - Born Yaguajay, Cuba, 1896 Died Havana, 1968
Antonio Benitez-Rojo author
Authors and Poets
Carilda Oliver Labra, poet
Carlos Enriquez, painter - Born Zulueta, Cuba 1900 Died Havana, 1957
Daína Chaviano, author
Daniel Chavarria, author
Dulce María Loynaz, author
Edmundo Desnoes, author
Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, author and poet
Guillermo Cabrera Infante, author
Heberto Padilla, poet
José Ignacio Rivero, author and journalist
José Lezama Lima, author and poet
José María Heredia y Campuzano, poet
José Martí, author, poet and journalist
José Vilalta Saavedra, sculptor
Julián del Casal, 19th century poet
Leonardo Padura Fuentes, novelist and journalist
Mariano Brull, author
Nancy Morejón, author
Nicolás Guillén, poet
Norberto Fuentes, author
Pedro Álvarez Castelló, painter
Pedro Juan Gutiérrez, author, poet and painter
Pedro Luis Boitel
Plastic Paint Medium Creator, contemporary painter Josignacio - Born La Habana, Cuba October 24, 1963
Raúl Corrales, photographer
Raúl Martínez, pop artist
Raúl Rivero, poet and journalist
Reinaldo Arenas, author
Rene Mederos, poster artist and graphic designer
Severo Sarduy, poet
Virgilio Piñera, author, playwright, poet, short-story writer and essayist
Wifredo Lam, painter - Born Sagua la Grande, 1902; Died Paris, France 1982
Zoé Valdés, author

Composers

Alejandro Garcia Caturla, symphonic composer
Amadeo Roldan
Arsenio Rodríguez developer of the rumba
Dámaso Pérez Prado, developer of the mambo
Ernesto Lecuona, often regarded as the greatest Cuban composer
Esteban Salas y Castro, 18th century Cuban baroque composer
Ignacio Cervantes, Chopinesque piano composer
José White Lafitte, Violinist and composer
Leo Brouwer, guitarist and composer
Yalil Guerra composer

Musicians

Adalberto Álvarez, pianist, director and composer
Addys D'Mercedes, Europe based Cuban singer-songwriter
Albita, Grammy-winning singer
Alfredo de la Fe, musician
Ángel Reyes, violinist
Armando Peraza, percussionist- with Santana, George Shearing and Cal Tjader -wrote "Guachiguaro"
Beny Moré, musician
Cándido Fabré, musician, song writer, and singer
Carlos Manuel Pruneda, singer
Carlos Varela, singer and songwriter
Celia Cruz, multiple Grammy-winning singer
Celina González, singer-songwriter
Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso, pianist, musician
Chucho Valdés
Compay Segundo, musician and songwriter
Cuban Link, rapper, former member of the Terror Squad
Don Dinero, rapper
El Medico, timba musician
Elena Burke, Singer
Eliades Ochoa, guitarist and singer
Ernesto Lecuona, pianist
Francisco Aguabella, percussionist- performed with Frank Sinatra and many others
Gilberto Velazquez, salsa singer, composer current member of "La Excelencia"
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, pianist
Guillermo Portabales, singer, songwriter
Horacio Gutierrez, concert pianist
Hubert de Blanck, pianist
Ibrahim Ferrer, musician
Issac Delgado, singer
Jorge Bolet, concert pianist
Juan de Marcos González, musician with the Buena Vista Social Club
Juan Formell, leader of Los Van Van
La Lupe, singer
Lena, singer
Malena Burke, singer
Mellow Man Ace, rapper, brother of Cypress Hill member Sen Dog
Moisés Valle, leader of the band Yumurí y sus Hermanos
Mongo Santamaria, jazz musician
Moraima Secada, singer
Nelson Martinez, baritone
Odalys Garcia, singer, model and television personality
Olga Guillot, singer
Orlando "Cachaito" López, Cuban bassist
Pablo Milanes, singer and songwriter
Pío Leyva, singer
Rey Ruiz, singer
Roberto Faz, singer and conductor
Rubén González, pianist
Rudy Sarzo, Rock Bassist (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Manic Eden, Dio)
Santiago Rodriguez, award-winning classical pianist
Sen Dog, Cuban rapper member of (Cypress Hill)
Silvio Rodriguez, singer and songwriter
Willy Chirino, singer
Xavier Cugat, musician
Yalil Guerra, producer, musician and composer
Yamila Guerra, singer, actress and TV host
Yotuel Romero, rapper

Film Directors

Fernando Pérez
Humberto Padrón
Jorge Luis Sánchez
Juan Carlos Cremata
Juan Padrón
Miguel Coyula
Rodrigo Garcia
Santiago Álvarez
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Journalists

Nicolás Guillén
Oscar Espinosa Chepe
Pablo de la Torriente Brau
Raúl Rivero

Dancers

Alicia Alonso, prima ballerina
Amar Gamal, dancer
Fernando Bujones, ballet dancer
Jorge Alfaro, dancer
Jose Manuel Carreño - American Ballet Theater principal dancer
Lydia Diaz Cruz, prima ballerina
Miguel Campaneria, ballet dancer, currently artistic director of the National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico
Yat-Sen Chang, principal dancer, English National Ballet

Television Personalities

Cristina Saralegui, magazine editor, talk show host (Cristina) and actress
Lissette, television personality
Martita, television personality
Mauricio Zeilic, television personality
Raul De Molina, co-host of Univision's El Gordo y la Flaca
Raul Musibay, Food Network chef and author
Rosaura Andreu, children's television entertainer

Models

Mayra Veronica, model
Sissi, model

Sport

Boxing

Adolfo Horta, Featherweight Olympic boxer
Ariel Hernández, Middleweight Olympic boxer
Armando Martínez, Light middle-weight Olympic boxer
Benny Paret, boxer
Eliseo Castillo, boxer
Félix Savón, Olympic gold medal winning boxer
Florentino Fernandez, boxer
Guillermo Rigondeaux Ortiz, amateur boxer
Joel Casamayor, boxer
Jorge Rubio, boxing trainer
José Napoles, boxer
Kid Charol, boxer
Kid Chocolate, boxer
Kid Gavilan, boxer
Lorenzo Aragon Armenteros Olympic welterweight boxer
Luis Manuel Rodriguez, boxer
Mario César Kindelán Mesa, Olympic gold medal winning boxer
Raúl González, boxer
Roberto Balado, Olympic Super Heavyweight boxer
Sugar Ramos, world champion boxer
Teofilo Stevenson, amateur boxer
Yanqui Diaz, boxer
Yudel Johnson Cedeno Light-Welterweight Olympic boxer

Athletics

Alberto Juantorena, basketball, track
Aliecer Urrutia, triple jump
Ana Fidelia Quirot 800m
Dayron Robles, Hurdling athlete
Emeterio González, javelin thrower
Hector Herrera, sprinter
Ioamnet Quintero, high jumper
Iván García, sprinter
Iván Pedroso, long jump
Javier Sotomayor, track and field record setter
Joel Isasi, sprinter
Joel Lamela, sprinter
Jorge Aguilera, sprinter
Lazaro Martínez, sprinter
Luis Alberto Pérez-Rionda, sprinter
Osleidys Menéndez, javelin
Roberto Hernández (track athlete)
Roberto Moya, discus throw
Víctor Moya, high jumper
Yargelis Savigne, jump
Yipsi Moreno, hammer thrower
Yoandri Betanzos, triple jump
Yoel García, triple jumper
Yoel Hernández hurdler
Yudelkis Fernández long jumper
Yunaika Crawford, hammer thrower
Yuniel Hernández, hurdler

Other Sports People

Adolfo Luque, Cincinnati Reds
Alberto Delgado, soccer
Alex Sánchez, Baseball Free Agent
Ariel Pestano, Cuban Baseball Player
Ariel Prieto, Oakland Athletics
Aurelio Monteagudo, Kansas City Athletics
Barbaro Garbey, Detroit Tigers
Bert Campaneris, Kansas City Athletics
Brayan Peña, Atlanta Braves
Cristóbal Torriente, Negro Leagues - Baseball Hall of Fame
Danys Báez, Cleveland Indians
Diego Seguí, Kansas City Athletics
Eli Marrero, New York Mets
Esteban Bellán, first Latin American professional baseball player to play in the United States
Germán Mesa, trainer for the Cuban national baseball team
Héctor Socorro, footballer
Ibrahim Rojas, flatwater canoer
Jack Calvo, Washington Senators
José Canseco, Oakland Athletics
José Cardenal, San Francisco Giants
José Contreras, Chicago White Sox
José Méndez, Kansas City Monarchs - Baseball Hall of Fame
José Raúl Capablanca, chess world champion, grandmaster considered "the Mozart of Chess"
José Tartabull, Kansas City Athletics
Juan Corzo, chess
Juan Tuñas, former Cuban footballer
Kendry Morales
Lázaro Bruzón, chess grandmaster
Livan Hernandez, Arizona Diamondbacks
Luis Tiant, Cleveland Indians
Martín Dihigo, Negro Leagues - Baseball Hall of Fame
Mike Cuellar, Cincinnati Reds
Minnie Miñoso, Chicago White Sox - Baseball Legend
Octavio ?Cookie? Rojas, Cincinnati Reds
Omar Linares, Pinar del Río Vegueros, Cuban national baseball team
Orestes Destrade, New York Yankees
Orlando Hernández, New York Mets
Ozzie Canseco, Oakland Athletics
Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators
Preston Gómez, Washington Senators
Rafael A Lecuona, Gymnast
Rafael Palmeiro, Baltimore Orioles
Ray Noble, New York Giants
René Arocha, St Louis Cardinals
René Monteagudo, Washington Senators
Rey Ángel Martínez, soccer
Rey Ordóñez, Baseball Free Agent
Roberto "Bobby" Estalella, Washington Senators
Rodolfo Falcon, swimmer
Rolando Arrojo, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Sandy Amorós, Brooklyn Dodgers
Tomás Fernández, footballer in the 1938 world cup
Tony Fossas, Texas Rangers
Tony González, Cincinnati Reds
Tony Oliva, Minnesota Twins
Tony Pérez, Cincinnati Reds
Tony Taylor, Chicago Cubs
Yanelis Yuliet Labrada Diaz, Olymipic silver medallist in Taekwondo
Yuniesky Betancourt, Seattle Mariners
Zoilo Versalles, baseball player and first Latin American major league MVP 1965

Politics

Current

Abelardo Colomé Ibarra vice president of the Council of State of Cuba
Carlos Lage Dávila executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers of Cuba
Felipe Pérez Roque Cuban government minister
Fidel Castro, current Cuban President
José Luis Rodríguez García Cuban government minister
José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera, current Minister for Health in Cuba
Juan Almeida Bosque third ranking member of the Cuban Council of State
Luis Posada Carriles Cuban paramilitary leader, accused terrorist
Mariela Castro, director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education and daughter of Raul Castro
Oscar Elías Biscet, physician and dissident and founder of the Lawton Foundation, currently jailed
Oswaldo Payá, Founder of Proyecto Varela
Raúl Castro, current Vice President of the Council of State of Cuba
Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada President of the Cuban National Assembly
Roberto Fernández Retamar President of the Casa de las Américas
Rosa Elena Simeón Negrín Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment
Vilma Espín Guillois, President of the Cuban Federation of Women, wife of Raúl Castro

Historical

Abel Santamaría Cuban Revolutionary
Alcibiades Hidalgo former ambassador to the UN
Andrés Rivero Agüero, Cuba's prime minister from March 1957 to March 1958
Anselmo Alliegro, Acting President of Cuba for one day (1 January - 2 January 1959) after the departure of General Fulgencio Batista from the country
Antonio Guiteras, politician and revolutionary
Armando Hart Dávalos politician and Communist leader
Camilo Cienfuegos Cuban Revolutionary
Carlos Hevia, provisional president of Cuba 1934
Carlos Manuel Piedra Acting President of Cuba for one day (2 January 1959) after the departure of General Fulgencio Batista from the country
Carlos Prio Socarras, former President of Cuba
Celia Sánchez Cuban Revolutionary and Secretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Eduardo Chibás, Cuban politician who used radio to broadcast his political views against Batista's government to the public
Fabio Grobart, Communist leader
Federico Laredo Brú, President of Cuba from 1936 to 1940
Fernando Tarrida del Mármol, Cuban anarchist
Frank País, 20th century revolutionary
Fulgencio Batista, former Cuban President
Gerardo Machado, Cuban president 1920-33
Gustavo Arcos, Cuban Revolutionary later became an imprisoned dissident
Huber Matos, Cuban Revolutionary
Ignacio Agramonte, 19th century Cuban revolutionary
José Miró Cardona, President of Cuba in 1959
Juan Carlos Robinson Agramonte, former member of the Cuban politburo and First Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Cuban Communist Party in Santiago de Cuba
Julio Antonio Mella founder of the original Cuban Communist Party
Manuel Piñeiro, First head of the Cuban General Intelligence Directorate
Manuel Urrutia Lleó, provisional Cuban President January to July 1959
Miguel Mariano Gómez, President of Cuba for seven months in 1936
Paul Lafargue, Cuban-born French Communist and son-in-law to Karl Marx
Rafael Diaz-Balart, Cuban politician and majority leader during precidency of Batista
Ramón Grau, Cuban president for two terms 1933, 1940-44
Saturnino and Mariano Lora Brothers and 19th century revolutionaries
Virgilio Paz Romero, anti Castro paramilitary

Religion

Félix Varela, beatified priest, candidate for sainthood
Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, Cardinal Archbishop of Havana

Military

Alberto Bayo y Giroud, a Cuban military leader of the defeated left-wing Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War
Antonio Maceo Grajales, Second-in-command of the Cuban army of independence
Arnaldo Ochoa, Cuban General
Calixto García, Cuban soldier in the Ten Years' War
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Cuban General in the war of independence against the Spanish
Jesus Sosa Blanco, captain in the Cuban army under Fulgencio Batista
José Braulio Alemán, Cuban general in the Spanish-American War
José Miguel Gómez, Cuban General in the war of independence against the Spanish
Manuel Artime, leader of the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961
Máximo Gómez, 19th century leader of Cuban forces in the wars of independence
Pedro Luis Diaz Lanz, Chief Air Force Commander and member of Operation 40
Tomás Diez Acosta, revolutionary soldier and historian
Víctor Dreke, Communist leader and a General in the Revolutionary Armed Forces

Science

Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, First Cuban cosmonaut and the first person from a country in the Western Hemisphere other than the US to travel to space
Carlos Juan Finlay, epidemiologist, proposed the mode of transmission of yellow fever and was instrumental in assisting Walter Reed with his studies in Cuba
Celia Hart, Cuban physicist
Felipe Poey, zoologist
Hilda Molina, former chief neuro-surgeon in Cuba
José López Falcón, Cosmonaut and Pilot for the Cuban air force
Juan Gundlach, 19th century naturalist and taxonomist
Luis Alvarez, winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics, worked on the Manhattan Project

Other Famous Cubans

Delfin Fernandez, High ranking in government, defected to Spain
Elián González, boy who came to the US, leading to a custody battle between his American family and his father in Cuba
Gregorio Fuentes, Cuban nautical captain
Ignacio Jose Urrutia, Historian born in 1730
Mirta Diaz-Balart, Fidel Castro's first wife
Ramón Castro, older brother of Fidel and Raúl Castro