LàTeen Online - Famous Hispanics in Hollywood

Famous Hispanics in Hollywood

There was a time in Hollywood when Hispanic actors and actresses were relegated to stereotypical roles like maids, criminals and gardeners. During the last 20 years, Hispanics have finally started receiving the respect they deserve on the big screen. Now there are many famous Latinos who routinely get starring roles in movies and have become some of America's favorite household names.

Famous Hispanics - Actors

A few of the most famous Hispanics who are leading men in Hollywood today include Andy Garcia, Benicio Del Toro, Antonio Banderas, Edward James Olmos and Gael Garcia Bernal. Short profiles for each of these famous Hispanics are below:

Andy Garcia - A Cuban-born actor who made a name for himself in the 1980s and 1990s by starring in several well-known movies including The Godfather III and The Untouchables. He most recently starred in the popular Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen.

Benicio Del Toro - An Academy Award winning, Puerto Rican actor and film producer who has starred in many Hollywood hits including The Usual Suspects, Traffic, Snatch and Sin City. He is one of only four famous Hispanics who have won Academy Awards.

Antonio Banderas - A Spanish-born actor and singer who has made his mark in Hollywood starring in films like Interview with a Vampire, Desperado, Evita, Philadelphia and The Mask of Zorro.

Edward James Olmos - An Emmy-winning, Mexican- American actor who starred in the hit T.V. show Miami Vice and had leading roles in movie classics like Blade Runner and Stand and Deliver.

Gael Garcia Bernal - A young Mexican actor who started out as a soap opera star in Mexico and now plays leading roles in Academy Award nominated films like Babel and The Motorcycle Diaries.

Famous Hispanics - Actresses

Some of the most famous Hispanic women who are taking Hollywood by storm today include Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes, Penelope Cruz and Eva Longoria. You can learn more about these famous Hispanic women below.

Jennifer Lopez - Arguably one of the most famous Hispanic women on the planet, she got her first high-profile role as Fly Girl on the t.v. show In Living Color and then parlayed her dancing career into starring roles in several popular movies, and a very successful singing career and clothing line.

Salma Hayek - A Mexican-born actress, director and producer who has starred in famous films like Desperado and Frida. She is now the executive producer of the Golden Globe-winning comedy Ugly Betty.

Eva Mendes - A Cuban-American actress who rose to fame during the last 10 years with starring roles in movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hitch, Ghost Rider and We Own the Night.

Penelope Cruz - A Spanish-born actress who starred in many Academy Award winning foreign language films before becoming one of the most famous Hispanics in Hollywood. Today she is known for her roles in All the Pretty Horses, Vanilla Sky and Volver. Her role in Volver was nominated for an Academy Award, which was the first nomination ever received by a Spanish actress.

Eva Longoria - A Mexican-American actress who started out as a soap actress and is now widely known for her starring role as Gabrielle Solis on the hit show Desperate Housewives.