Ingrid Betancourt was kidnapped by Marxist guerillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) while campaigning for the presidency.
1961-
Infamous drug trafficker Griselda Blanco is suspected of committing more than 200 murders while transporting cocaine from Colombia to the U.S. She was murdered in Colombia in 2012.
1943-2012
Fernando Botero is a Colombian artist known for creating bloated, oversized depictions of people, animals and elements of the natural world.
1932-
1792-1840
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was a political leader who was considered a champion of the Colombian people and was revered as a martyr after his assassination.
1902-1948
1967-
1893-1979
1964-
Juan Pablo Montoya reigned as the Colombian National Carting Champion from 1981 through 1984. By 1992, he was winning Colombian Formula Renault races.
1975-
Writer Gabriel García Márquez, author of Love in the Time of Cholera, has gained worldwide readership with his brand of magical realism.
1928-
Serial killer. Born Pedro Alonzo Lopez in 1949 in Tolmia, Colombia. The son of a prostitute, Lopez grew up in a world of poverty and political violence. His mother kicked him out at age eight, forcing him to fend for himself on the streets. After being
Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira is a hugely popular Colombian pop singer who is known for the hits "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie."
1977-
Sofia Vergara starred in the Tyler Perry films Meet the Browns (2008) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009). She is also known for playing Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on ABC's Modern Family, which premiered in 2009.
1972-