a
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Alicia Alonso
Theater Actress, Ballet Dancer / 1921 -
Alicia Alonso is a Cuban ballerina and choreographer who danced with George Balanchine's Ballet Caravan and the American Ballet Theatre.
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(1921-)
Theater Actress, Ballet Dancer
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Reinaldo Arenas
Poet / 1943 - 1990
Reinaldo Arenas was a Cuban poet, novelist and essayist who fled persecution under Fidel Castro and immigrated to the United States.
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(1943-1990)
Poet
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Desi Arnaz
Film Actor, Television Actor, Musician / 1917 - 1986
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born actor and musician who is remembered for his marriage to Lucille Ball and their TV show, I Love Lucy.
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(1917-1986)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Musician
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Fulgencio Batista
Dictator, World Leader / 1901 - 1973
Fulgencio Batista served as president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944. He returned eight years later and ruled as a brutal dictator until 1958.
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(1901-1973)
Dictator, World Leader
c
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Jose Canseco
Baseball Player / 1964 -
Jose Canseco is best known for his record-breaking Major League Baseball career.
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(1964-)
Baseball Player
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José Raúl Capablanca
Chess Player / 1888 - 1942
Chess master José Raúl Capablanca won the world championship (1921) from Emanuel Lasker and lost it (1927) to Alexander Alekhine.
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(1888-1942)
Chess Player
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Alejo Carpentier
Musician, Journalist, Author, Playwright / 1904 - 1980
Writer Alejo Carpentier was a leading Latin American literary figure, who used magic realism and was considered one of the best novelists of the 20th century.
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(1904-1980)
Musician, Journalist, Author, Playwright
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Fidel Castro
Military Leader, World Leader / 1926 -
Marxist Cuban political leader Fidel Castro helped lead the Cuban Revolution, and served as president of Cuba from 1976 to 2008.
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(1926-)
Military Leader, World Leader
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Raul Castro
Military Leader, Political Leader / 1931 -
Cuban President Raul Castro succeeded Fidel Castro in 2008. Under Fidel, Raul was the head of Cuba’s armed forces and served as defense minister.
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(1931-)
Military Leader, Political Leader
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Adolfo Constanzo
Serial Killer, Cult Leader / 1962 - 1989
Adolfo Constanzo was a serial killer in the 1980s, whose religious cult performed ritual murders. He evaded police until his 1989 assisted suicide.
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(1962-1989)
Serial Killer, Cult Leader
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Celia Cruz
Singer / 1925 - 2003
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American singer, best known as one of the most popular salsa performers of all time, recording 23 gold albums.
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(1925-2003)
Singer
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Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda
Author, Playwright, Poet / 1814 - 1873
Cuban poet and playwright Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda was one of the foremost Romantic
writers of the 19th century.
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(1814-1873)
Author, Playwright, Poet
e
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Emilio Estefan
Music Producer / 1953 -
Musician Emilio Estefan founded the Miami Sound Machine, won multiple Grammy Awards and produced Latino superstars like Ricky Martin and Marc Antony.
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(1953-)
Music Producer
f
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Ibrahim Ferrer
Singer / 1927 - 2005
Ibrahim Ferrer was a singer and Cuban musician who performed as part of the Grammy Award-winning Buena Vista Social Club.
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(1927-2005)
Singer
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Andy Garcia
Actor / 1956 -
From The Untouchables to Stand and Deliver to Ocean's Eleven, Andy Garcia built an impressive acting resume.
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(1956-)
Actor
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Elián González
1993 -
In 1999, 5-year-old Elián González became the center of controversy when he was found floating on a raft near Miami after escaping Castro's Cuba.
See full bio
(1993-)
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Juan De Marcos González
Songwriter / 1954 -
Cuban musician, composer, and bandleader Juan De Marcos González formed Sierra Maestra, a musical group dedicated to traditional Cuban folk music.
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(1954-)
Songwriter
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Rubén González
Pianist / 1919 - 2003
Rubén González was an acclaimed Afro-Cuban pianist and Buena Vista Social Club member who released his debut album as a lead player at the age of 78.
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(1919-2003)
Pianist
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Che Guevara
Military Leader / 1928 - 1967
Che Guevara was a Marxist revolutionary allied with Fidel Castro who went on to become an iconic cultural hero.
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| Watch video
(1928-1967)
Military Leader
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Orlando Hernández
Baseball Player / 1965 -
Orlando Hernández fled Cuba for America after being banned from baseball in 1997. He signed with the New York Yankees and helped them win three World Series.
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(1965-)
Baseball Player
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Oscar Hijuelos
Author / 1951 -
Novelist Oscar Hijuelos’s received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1990 for his book, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, which explored being Hispanic in America.
See full bio
(1951-)
Author
i
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Guillermo Cabrera Infante
Journalist, Author, Screenwriter / 1929 - 2005
Cuban born writer Guillermo Infante was a success for many works, including Tres tristes tigres, winning the Miguel Cervantes literary prize in 1997.
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(1929-2005)
Journalist, Author, Screenwriter
l
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Danell Leyva
Gymnast / 1991 -
American gymnast Danell Leyva is best known for being the first Cuban-American and Miami resident to make it to the United States Olympic men's gymnastics team, and for winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
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(1991-)
Gymnast
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Mijain Lopez
Athlete / 1982 -
Cuban Mijain Lopez won a gold medal for wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he served as Cuba's opening-ceremony flagbearer.
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(1982-)
Athlete
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Lucky Luciano
Organized Crime Boss / 1897 - 1962
Lucky Luciano was an Italian-born American mobster best known for engineering the structure of modern organized crime in the United States.
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(1897-1962)
Organized Crime Boss
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Rita Marley
Children's Activist, Singer / 1946 -
Rita Marley, Bob Marley's widow, is best known for carrying on her late husband's musical legacy and for her own career as a solo artist.
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(1946-)
Children's Activist, Singer
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José Martí
Journalist, Poet / 1853 - 1895
A poet and a journalist, José Martí spent his short life fighting for Cuban independence. He died in 1895 during a failed attempt to win freedom for Cuba.
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(1853-1895)
Journalist, Poet
o
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Eliades Ochoa
Musician / 1946 -
Cuban musician Eliades Ochoa hit it big in 1997 with his band Buena Vista Social Club.
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(1946-)
Musician
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Omara Portuondo
Singer / 1930 -
Cuban singer Omara Portuondo has been compared to Billie Holliday and Edith Piaf. A legend in Cuba, she gained U.S. attention with her vocals on the album Buena Vista Social Club.
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(1930-)
Singer
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Tony Pérez
Baseball Player / 1942 -
Tony Pérez was a professional baseball player in the 1960s and 1970s who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.
See full bio
(1942-)
Baseball Player
s
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Cristina Saralegui
Television Actress, Philanthropist, Radio Talk Show Host, Talk Show Host, Journalist / 1948 -
Cristina Saralegui hosts the talk show The Cristina Show for the Univision Network. It has been on the air since 1989 and has won 11 Emmys.
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(1948-)
Television Actress, Philanthropist, Radio Talk Show Host, Talk Show Host, Journalist
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Compay Segundo
Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer / 1907 - 2003
Cuban musician Compay Segundo (originally Francisco Repilado) achieved international success as part of Buena Vista Social Club in 1997.
See full bio
(1907-2003)
Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer
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Teófilo Stevenson
Boxer / 1952 - 2012
Teófilo Stevenson was a Cuban boxer best known for becoming the first fighter to win three Olympic gold medals in one weight class.
See full bio
(1952-2012)
Boxer
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Barbarito Torres
Musician / 1956 -
Cuban musician Barbarito Torres played the laúd with many of Cuban's top folk groups before joining Buena Vista Social Club for their hit 1997 album.
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(1956-)
Musician