List of Cubans

República de Cuba

This is a list of notable and well-known Cubans, ordered alphabetically by first name within each category. For Cuban-Americans please see List of Cuban Americans

Art and entertainment

Actors

*Maria Conchita Alonso, actress
*Desi Arnaz, actor
*Renny Arozarena, actor
*Manela Bustamante, actress
*Emiliano Díez, actor
*Raul Esparza, actor
*Cesar Evora, actor
*Francisco Gattorno, actor
*Velia Martínez, actress and singer
*Ana Margarita Martínez-Casado, actress and singer
*Eva Mendes,actress
*Jason Franklin,actress
*Nick Campanario Actor, Musician, Discoverer, Championship bowler
*Julio Oscar Mechoso, actor
*Enrique Molina, actor
*Luis Oquendo, actor
*María Antonieta Pons, actress
*Mario Ernesto Sanchez, actor and founder of Teatro Avante
*Rosita Fornés, actress, singer, show woman (vedette)
*Raquel Revuelta, actress, singer, show woman (vedette)
*María de los Ángeles Santana, actress
*Gina Cabrera, actress
*Margarita Balboa, actress
*Susana Pérez, actress
*Minín Bujones, actress
*Enrique Santiestaban, actor
*Germán Pinelli, actor, presenter
*Rita Montaner, actress, singer, show woman (vedette)
*Enrique Almirante, actor
*Ana Lassalle, actress (Spanish actress naturalized Cuban)
*Steven Bauer, actor
*Héctor Quintero. actor, play writer, director, presenter
*Marta del Río, actress
*Odalys Fuentes, actress
*Daysi Granados, actress
*Eslinda Núñez, actress
*Ninón Sevilla, actress, singer, rhumba dancer
*Rosa Carmina, actress
*Andy Garcia, actor
*Federico Piñeiro, actor (El Juez)
*Leopoldo Fernández actor (Tres Patines)

Artists, Photographers and Fashion Designers

*Agustin Cárdenas, sculptor
*Alberto Korda, photographer
*Alexandre Arrechea, Painter, sculptor
*Amelia Peláez, painter
*Carlos Enriquez, painter
*Eldys N.Lima Perez, painter
*Humberto Jesús Castro García, Painter
*José Bernal, painter
*José Vilalta Saavedra, sculptor
*Juan José Sicre, sculptor
*Juan T. Vazquez Martin, painter
*Mario Perez, painter
*Pedro Álvarez Castelló, painter
*Raúl Corrales, photographer
*Raúl Martínez, pop artist, painter
*Rene Mederos, poster artist and graphic designer
*Waldo Diaz-Balart, painter
*Wifredo Lam, painter

Authors and poets

*Alejo Carpentier, author.
*Anaïs Nin, author.
*Antonio Benitez-Rojo author.
*Daniel Chavarria, author.
*Daína Chaviano, author.
*Carilda Oliver Labra, poet.
*Kevin Breel, author.
*Dulce María Loynaz, author.
*Edmundo Desnoes, author.
*Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, author and poet.
*Guillermo Cabrera Infante, author.
*Heberto Padilla, poet.
*Héctor Zumbado, writer, journalist, humorist, and critic.
*José Ignacio Rivero, author and journalist.
*José Lezama Lima, author and poet.
*José María Heredia y Campuzano, poet.
*José Martí, author, poet and journalist.
*Julián del Casal, 19th century poet.
*Leonardo Padura Fuentes, novelist and journalist.
*Mariano Brull, author.
*Nancy Morejón, author.
*Jose Gomez-Sicre, art critic and author.
*Nicolás Guillén, poet.
*Norberto Fuentes, author.
*Pedro Juan Gutiérrez, author, poet and painter.
*Pedro Luis Boitel, poet.
*Raúl Rivero, poet and journalist.
*Reinaldo Arenas, author.
*Severo Sarduy, poet.
*Jake Ash, pornstar/ poet.
*Virgilio Piñera, author, playwright, poet, short-story writer and essayist.
*Zoé Valdés, author.

Composers

*Alejandro Garcia Caturla, symphonic composer
*Arsenio Rodríguez developer of the rumba
*Didier Hernandez, singer composer
*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
*Amadeo Roldan, composer and violinist.
*Dámaso Pérez Prado, developer of the mambo
*Armando Rodriguez-Gonzalez, composer
*Antonio Rodriguez-Ferrer, composer
*Rene Touzet, composer, bandleader and pianist
*Adolfo Guzmán, composer, orchestra director, pianist

Musicians

*Addys D'Mercedes, singer-songwriter
*Kevin Cruz, badass mc and drummer for The Mojons
*Albita, singer
*Alfredo de la Fé, musician
*Al Jourgensen, founder and frontman of the industrial metal band Ministry [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_%28band%29]
*Adalberto Álvarez, pianist, director and composer
*Ana Cristina, Singer, Actress, Composer
*Ángel Reyes, violinist
*Armando Peraza, percussionist
*Alberto Corrales, flautist, director, arranger and composer
*Arturo Sandoval, trumpeter
*Beny Moré, musician
*Cándido Fabré, musician, song writer, and singer
*Carlos Manuel Pruneda, singer
*Carlos Varela, singer and songwriter
*Celia Cruz, singer
*Celina González, singer-songwriter
*Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso, pianist, musician
*Christina Milian, singer, actress
*Chucho Valdés, pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger.
*Compay Segundo, musician and songwriter
*Conchita Espinosa, pianist, teacher, and visionary.
*G Pitre (aka. Skinny P), aspiring rapper/ Erotic dancer
*Cuban Link, rapper
*Cubanito 20.02, hip-hop band
*Dave Lombardo, drummer of the Heavy metal band Slayer
*David Calzado, musician
*Didier Hernandez, singer-songwriter
*Don Dinero, rapper
*Donato Poveda, Cantante y compositor Del Duo "Donato y Estafano"
*Elvis Manuel, Cantante De Reggaeton Cubano
*Elena Burke, Singer
*El Medico, timba musician
*Eliades Ochoa, guitarist and singer
*Emilio Estefan Productor y compositor
*Ernesto Lecuona, pianist.
*Fat Joe, rapper.
*Francisco Aguabella, percussionist
*German Nogueira Gomez, Songwriter, composer and producer
*Gilberto Velazquez, salsa singer and composer
*Gloria Estefan, singer
*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 Croucier, former bassist of hard rock band Ratt
*Juan Formell, leader of Los Van Van
*Juan de Marcos González, musician
*Kumar y mate, singer
*La Lupe, singer is also Puerto Rican
*Lena, singer
*Lissette, singer
*Cesar F. Morales, classical pianist
*Luis Manuel Molina, classical guitarist, composer
*Malena Burke, singer
*Manuel Barrueco, Classical Guitarist
*Mayra Veronica, singer, model and television personality
*Manolito Simonet, musician
*Mellow Man Ace, rapper
*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
*Pedro Luis Ferrer, singer and songwriter
*Pío Leyva, singer
*Pitbull, rapper
*Raekwon The Chef, Rapper From wu-tang clan
* Raul Paz, singer
*Rey Ruiz, singer
*Roberto Faz, singer and conductor
*Rosita Fornés, singer, actress, known as The First Showwoman of Cuba (La Primera Vedette de Cuba) and The First Showwoman of the Americas (La Primera Vedette de América)
*Rita Marley, background singer (I-Threes) for Bob Marley and Wailers, Wife of Bob Marley
*Rubén González, pianist
*Rudy Perez, Songwriter, Producer, Musician and Singer
*Rudy Sarzo, Rock Bassist
*Santiago Rodriguez, pianist
*Sen Dog, rapper
*Silvio Rodriguez, singer and songwriter
*Tico Torres, drummer and percussionist for rock band Bon Jovi.
*Willy Chirino, singer
*Voltaire (musician), popular goth musician on Projekt Records
*Xavier Cugat, musician
*Yamila Guerra, singer, actress and TV host
*Yalil Guerra, producer, musician and composer
*Yotuel Romero, rapper
*Zeyda Ruga Suzuki, concert pianist
*Harold Lopez Nussa, jazz pianist

Film directors

*Fernando Pérez
*Humberto Padrón
*Jorge Luis Sánchez
*Juan Carlos Cremata
*Neil Blainey
*Juan Padrón
*Miguel Coyula
*Rodrigo Garcia
*Santiago Álvarez
*Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
*Will Vazquez

Journalists

*Oscar Espinosa Chepe
*Nicolás Guillén
*Raúl Rivero
*Pablo de la Torriente Brau
*German Pinelli
*Rick Sanchez
*Héctor Zumbado, writer, journalist, humorist, and critic.

Dancers

*Alicia Alonso, Prima Ballerina Assoluta, director of the Cuban National Ballet (Ballet Nacional de Cuba)
*Jorge Esquivel, principal dancer
*Fernando Bujones, principal dancer
*Jose Manuel Carreño - American Ballet Theater principal dancer
*Loipa Araújo, prima ballerina
*Menia Martínez, ballerina
*Lenny Croft, stripper
*Josefina Méndez, prima ballerina
*Martha García, prima ballerina
*Mirtha Plá, prima ballerina
*Lydia Diaz Cruz, prima ballerina
*Miguel Campaneria, ballet dancer, currently artistic director of the National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico
*Vida Guerra Video Dancer
*Yat-Sen Chang, principal dancer, English National Ballet

Other entertainment

*Alvarez Guedes, comedian and author
*Ana María Polo, television personality and lawyer
* comedians and actors
*Cachita, television personality
*Cristina Saralegui, magazine editor, talk show host ("Cristina") and actress
*Vida Guerra Model/Actress
*Lili Estefan, television personality and former model
*Martita, television personality
*Mauricio Zeilic, television personality
*Mayra Veronica, model
*Nelson Ascencio, comedian ("Madtv")
*Raul De Molina, television personality
*Raul Musibay, Food Network chef and author
*Rosaura Andreu, children's television entertainer
*Sissi, model

Sport

Baseball

* Adolfo Luque, Cincinnati Reds
* Alex Sánchez
* Ariel Pestano, Cuba national baseball team
* 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, Baltimore Orioles
* 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
* 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 Tartabull, Kansas City Athletics
* Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels
* Liván Hernández, Arizona Diamondbacks
* Luis Tiant, Cleveland Indians
* Martín Dihigo, Negro Leagues - Baseball Hall of Fame
* Mike Cuellar, Cincinnati Reds
* Minnie Miñoso, Chicago White Sox
* Octavio “Cookie” Rojas, Cincinnati Reds
* Omar Linares, Pinar del Río Vegueros, Cuban national baseball team
* Orestes Destrade, New York Yankees, ESPN on-air personality
* Orlando Hernández, New York Mets
* Ozzie Canseco, Oakland Athletics
* Pedro Ramos, Washington Senators
* Preston Gómez, Washington Senators
* Rafael Palmeiro, Baltimore Orioles
* Ray Noble, New York Giants
* René Arocha, St. Louis Cardinals
* René Monteagudo, Washington Senators
* Rey Ordóñez, former
* Roberto "Bobby" Estalella, Washington Senators
* Rolando Arrojo, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
* Sandy Amorós, Brooklyn Dodgers
* Tony Fossas, Texas Rangers
* Tony González, Cincinnati Reds
* Tony Oliva, Minnesota Twins
* Tony Pérez, Cincinnati Reds
* Tony Taylor, Chicago Cubs
* Yuniesky Betancourt, Seattle Mariners
* Zoilo Versalles, baseball player and first Latin American major league MVP 1965

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
* Elpidio Pizarro, heavyweight 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

* Aldo Arencibia, cyclist, gold medalist
* Alberto Juantorena, basketball, track
* Aliecer Urrutia, triple jump
* Ana Fidelia Quirot 800m
* Anier Garcia, hurdler
* 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

wimming

* Joel Armas, record holder in the US in monofin swimming
* Neisser Bent, bronze medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics
* Rodolfo Falcón, silver medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics
* Leonel "Bebito" Smith, gold medalist in the 1926 and 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games

Other

* Alberto Delgado, soccer
* Ivan Dominguez, two time gold medalist in the Pan American Games and Cuban national champion in cycling
* José Raúl Capablanca, chess world champion, grandmaster considered "the Mozart of Chess"
* Héctor Socorro, footballer
* Ibrahim Rojas, flatwater canoer
* Juan Corzo, chess
* Juan Tuñas, former Cuban footballer
* Lázaro Bruzón, chess grandmaster
* Rafael A. Lecuona, Gymnast
* Rey Ángel Martínez, soccer
* Rodolfo Falcon, swimmer
* Tomás Fernández, footballer in the 1938 world cup
* Yanelis Yuliet Labrada Diaz, Olympic silver medallist in Taekwondo
* Maykel Galindo, Soccer.

Politics

[
thumb|100px|right|Poet and writer, José Martí.]

Current

*Abelardo Colomé Ibarra vice president of the Council of State of Cuba
*Alfonso Fraga-Perez, diplomat, Secretary General of the Organization of Solidarity of the People of Asia, Africa & Latin America (OSPAAAL), former Head of Cuban Interests Section
*Carlos Lage Dávila executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers of Cuba
*Felipe Pérez Roque Cuban government minister
*Fidel Castro, previous 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 President of the Council of State of Cuba
*Roberto Fernández Retamar President of the Casa de las Américas
*Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada President of the Cuban National Assembly
*Rosa Elena Simeón Negrín Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment.

Historical

*Abel Santamaría Cuban Revolutionary
*Alcibiades Hidalgo former ambassador to the U.N.
*Ana Betancourt first to campaign for equal rights for Cuban women, in 1868 during the Ten Years' War.
*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.
*Antonio Maceo, revolutionary, military strategist
*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.
*Federico Laredo Brú, President of Cuba from 1936 to 1940
*Fernando Tarrida del Mármol, Cuban anarchist.
*Fabio Grobart, Communist leader.
*Fulgencio Batista, former Cuban President.
*Frank País, 20th century revolutionary.
*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
*Jose Marti, Poet, Philosopher, Politician, Writer, Revolutionary
*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 presidency of Batista
*Ramón Grau, Cuban president for two terms 1933, 1940-44.
*Saturnino and Mariano Lora Brothers and 19th century revolutionaries
*Vilma Espín Guillois, President of the Cuban Federation of Women, wife of Raúl Castro.
*Virgilio Paz Romero, anti Castro paramilitary

Religion

*Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, Cardinal Archbishop of Havana
*Félix Varela, beatified priest, candidate for sainthood
*Alfredo Llaguno-Canals - former Auxiliary Bishop of Havana
*Agustin Roman - retired Auxiliary Bishop of Miami
*Braulio Orue-Vivanco - former Bishop of Pinar del Rio
*Eduardo Tomas Boza-Masvidal - former Auxiliary Bishop of Havana

Royalty and nobility

*Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
*Edelmira Ignacia Adriana Sampedro-Robato, Countess of Covadonga, first wife of Alfonso Prince of Asturias
*Marta Ester Rocafort-Altazarra, second wife of Alfonso Prince of Asturias

Military

*Emilio Mola Vidal (June 9, 1887 – June 3, 1937) was a Nationalist commander during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). He is best-known for coining the phrase "fifth column."
*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
*Jesús 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
*Víctor Dreke, Communist leader and a General in the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
*Tomás Diez Acosta, revolutionary soldier and historian

cience

*Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, First Cuban cosmonaut and the first person from a country in the Western Hemisphere other than the U.S. 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
*Luis Alvarez, winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics, worked on the Manhattan Project
*Juan Gundlach, 19th century naturalist and taxonomist.

Other Categories

*Elián González, boy who came to the US, leading to a custody battle between his American family and his father in Cuba
*Delfin Fernandez, High ranking in government, defected to Spain
*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.

ee also

*List of people by nationality
*List of Cuban-Americans