The 40 most iconic hispanic entertainers of all time

Edward James Olmos is the godfather of Latino sci-fi – he played Gaff in "Blade Runner" and Captain William Adama in the "Battlestar Galactica" reboot – and one of Latino cinema's most important actors, as he portrayed Jaime Escalante in "Stand and Deliver" and the titular character in "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez." He's also an acclaimed director and producer who frequently tells stories of the Hispanic community.

Selena was Beyoncé before Beyoncé was Beyoncé. The Tejano queen was on the cusp of becoming a Hollywood star (she had a supporting role in "Don Juan DeMarco") and breaking over into the world of mainstream music – she was recording her first English language album "Dreaming Of You" – before she was tragically murdered by the president of her fan club.

The Bronx native of Puerto Rican origin has been one of the most dominant figures in pop culture for nearly two decades. J. Lo has dominated the billboard charts – "On The Six" is a classic. She's also found a second calling as an actress, starring in Tarsem Singh's "The Cell" and the NBC drama "Shades of Blue."

Born in Cuba but raised and shaped by Miami, Gloria Estefan first made waves in the mid-'80s as the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine. Estefan eventually became a massive worldwide star thanks to musical hits "Rhythm is Gonna Get You" and "Turn the Beat Around." 

Smits, who was born in the Bronx and identifies as Puerto Rican because of his mother, became a household name because of his role as Bobby Simone in "NYPD Blue." He then made history by becoming the first Latino to portray the president of the United States when he played Matt Santos on "The West Wing." Smits also has the distinction of being the first Latino to be in a "Star Wars" movie, playing Bail Organa in the prequel trilogy and in "Rogue One."

When you think of Latino comedy, the first person you think of is George Lopez. The San Fernando Valley native of Mexican descent has had an illustrious career that has included several HBO standup specials, movies ("Spare Parts" and "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"), television (the ABC sitcom "George Lopez"), and late night ("Lopez Tonight"). 

The actress of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent started her career as an indie darling (she was in "Kids" and "He Got Game") before moving on to bigger roles in movies like "Sin City." Lately, Dawson has ventured into the Marvel universe, portraying Claire Temple in all of the Netflix/Marvel TV shows. 

Gina Rodriguez is one of the youngest icons on this list. The 33-year-old actress of Puerto Rican descent earned her spot by portraying Jane Villanueva in "Jane the Virgin." The CW show is one of the few primetime sitcoms currently on air to prominently feature Latino actors. 

Maria Hinojosa isn't an entertainer (she's a journalist), but her name merits mention regardless because she's accomplished the same thing every person on this list has in using her platform to let Latino voices speak. That's precisely what "Latino USA," the NPR radio program Hinojosa has hosted since 1992, has done. 

Ferrera, who was born to Honduran immigrants, first garnered attention with her performance in the indie film "Real Women Have Curves," but she didn't really become a star until she was cast in the ABC comedy "Ugly Betty." Ferrera currently stars in and produces the NBC sitcom "Superstore."

Danny Trejo is the reason why people deserve second chances. Before becoming "that guy in that movie," Danny Trejo was in jail for armed robbery. It was his criminal expertise that got him a consulting gig in Michael Mann's heist masterpiece "Heat," and eventually a small part in it. Since then, the Mexican-American actor has been in pretty much everything, from "Con Air" to "Spy Kids." In addition to his film career, Trejo is also a successful restaurateur responsible for several eateries around the Los Angeles area.  

The Mexican-American Troublemaker from Texas was the breakout star of the 1993 Sundance Film Festival thanks to "El Mariachi," an action movie he made with just $7,000. Since then, Rodriguez has made "Desperado," "Grindhouse" (a collaboration with his good friend Quentin Tarantino), and "From Dusk Till Dawn." He's also largely responsible for Danny Trejo's success, casting him in the aforementioned movies as well as in the "Machete" movies. 

Gregory Nava is one of the most important figures in Chicano cinema. His 1983 film "El Norte," which was nominated for an Oscar and is currently part of the Criterion Collection, is part of the Latino film canon. So are his films "Mi Familia" – it chronicles a Mexican-American family through multiple generations – and "Selena," the biopic on the slain Tejano star. 

Like too many names on this list, Ritchie Valens was a talent taken away too soon. Born to Mexican farmworkers, Ritchie Valens was a teeny bop sensation thanks to songs like "Donna," "La Bamba," and "Come On, Let's Go." He was on the cusp of attaining even more mainstream success before he tragically died in the same 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a national treasure. He's also a genius (he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, the so-called "genius grant," in 2015). Miranda, whose parents came from Puerto Rico, is the mastermind behind the award-winning musicals "In The Heights" and "Hamilton."

Rita Moreno is a living legend. The Puerto Rican actress is one of only twelve people to have an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). She's best known for portraying Anita in "West Side Story" (earning her Oscar), and has lately been playing Lydia Riera in the "One Day at a Time" reboot. 

Anthony Quinn was in a lot of movies that people consider to be classics, including "Lawrence of Arabia," "La Strada," and "Zorba The Greek." A lot of people don't know that Quinn was Mexican (Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca was born in in Mexico City in 1915), which is somewhat odd because he won one of his two Oscars playing one in "Viva Zapata!" (the other was for "Lust For Life"). 

The Nuyorican (a term of identity and portmanteau of "New York" and "Puerto Rican") musician is one of major drivers of the salsa explosion that took place in the 1970s. Colón was also one of the biggest stars of Fania Records, the legendary salsa label. 

Valdez is a playwright and director best known for "Zoot Suit," a play-turned-film that focuses on the bigotry-fueled riots that targeted young Mexican-Americans in June 1943. Valdez, who identifies as Chicano, also wrote and directed "La Bamba," the Ritchie Valens biopic. 

The former Desperate Housewife of Mexican descent has been quite busy since the ABC drama ended in 2012. Since then, Longoria produced "Devious Maids" for Lifetime and has acted in several movies, including 2016's "Lowriders," which earned her some critical acclaim. 

One half of the iconic comedy duo Cheech & Chong, Cheech Marin has been one of the most visible Hispanic entertainers since "Up In Smoke" came out in 1978. As if that were not enough, Marin, who's Mexican-American, is the proud owner of the largest and most important Chicano art collection in the world. 

Chapa, who's Mexican-American, earned his spot on this list for playing Miklo in 1993's "Blood In, Blood Out" (yet another movie that's part of Latino cinema film canon), as well as for being one of the most prominent filmmakers of the Mexican gangster genre. 

Puerto Rican actor and Brooklyn Native Esai Morales is one of those actors that pops up in your favorite show or favorite movie here and there (he was most recently in "The Ozarks"). But to every Latino, he'll always be Bob Morales, the troubled and problematic (but ultimately lovable) older brother of Ritchie Valens in "La Bamba." Yes, that is more than enough to earn him icon status. 

Christopher Lee Rios, aka Big Pun, wasn't just the greatest Latino rapper of all time, he was one of the greatest rappers of all time, period. The heavyset Bronx native of Puerto Rico descent died tragically in 2000 due to a heart attack stemming from his obesity. He's yet another Latino legend that died too young. 

This Guatemalan-American from Miami will likely be the next Latino actor to win an Oscar. Sure, he was in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (he played Poe Dameron), but he's also been in a lot of other well-received films like the Coen brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" (he played the titular Llewyn Davis) and sci-fi thriller "Ex Machina."

Jenni Rivera was the queen of the Mexican Regional musical genre – she's sold more than 20 million albums – and was on the cusp of being the Mexican-American Kris Jenner. She was producing a reality TV show focusing on her home life called "I Love Jenni," which featured her daughters. She unfortunately died in a plane crash in 2014.

This Colombian-American is the utimate hyphenate. He's an actor ("Carlito's Way," "The Pest"), a voiceover artist (he's Sid the Sloth in the "Ice Age" movies), and a playwright. It is in this latter role that he's doing the most. His latest one-man play,"Latin History for Morons," is a hilarious and much-needed crash course on the many contributions Latino-Americans have made to this country. 

Joseph Antonio Cartagena, best known by his rap moniker, Fat Joe, is the greatest Latino rapper ever not named Big Pun. The Bronx rapper of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent has been one of the most prominent Latino artists in the field dating back since 1992. His 2001 album, "Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)" is one of the best records of early 2000s hip hop, and his 2004 "Lean Back" is still a banger more than a decade later. 

Zombies as we know them wouldn't exist if it weren't for Cuban-American director George Romero. Romero's 1968 "Night of the Living Dead" is the gold standard in the genre, and Romero is universally seen as one of the most important horror directors of all time. 

No joke, perhaps no one has done more than Mario Lopez to normalize Latinos in America. The Mexican-American actor portrayed A.C. Slater in "Saved by the Bell," one of the most '90s, zeitgeist-y shows ever. Though Slater's ethnicity was initially not talked about, it was later revealed that he was Mexican-American, and that his dad had changed his name from Sanchez to Slater to get into a military academy. For a lot of Latino kids who grew up in the '90s, A.C. Slater was the first time they saw themselves reflected on screen. 

The comedian of Puerto Rican descent was a sitcom star thanks to "Chico and the Man," which also happened to be the first time a major U.S. sitcom was set in a Mexican-American neighborhood (in this case, East Los Angeles). Prinze, who struggled with depression, unfortunately committed suicide at the height of his success in 1977. 

Zack de la Rocha's revolutionary credentials go back at least three generations. The Rage Against the Machine frontman's father was a member of Chicano art collective "Los Four," and his grandfather fought in the Mexican Revolution. Since Rage Against the Machine, de la Rocha has collaborated with Run the Jewels and Los Tigres del Norte. 

Armando Christian Perez, better known to the world as Pitbull (or, alternatively, Mr. Worldwide) is one of the world's biggest pop stars. Even if you can't name a single Pitbull song – he's got many, including "Give Me Everything" and "Don't Stop the Party' – you know in your heart of hearts that you've heard a Pitbull song before. 

The Puerto Rican native is the elder statesman of Latino actors. He's also one of the most decorated, having one just about every relevant acting award out there (including an Oscar, which he won in 2000 for "Traffic"). 

By the time Lupe Ontiveros, a Texas native born to Mexican parents, died in 2012, she had played a maid in more than 150 television shows and movies. Ontiveros is arguably one of the most watched Hispanic actors of all time, but the roles she was cast in relegated her to the background. Despite this, Ontiveros and the humanity and dignity she brought her characters always stood out. 

The Mexican-born actor spent the bulk of his career being typecast in stereotypical roles before he starred as Armando in the "Planet of the Apes" franchise and as Khan in "Star Trek"(both the TV show and in "Star Trek 2: The Wrath Of Khan"). Montalban also spent a considerable portion of his time spearheading Nosotros, an organizations that aimed to advocate for Latino actors in Hollywood. 

Born in Mexico but raised in San Francisco, Carlos Santana is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He played Woodstock in 1969 with his psychedelic rock band Santana. He also had a second resurgence in 1999 thanks to "Supernatural," his platinum-selling album that paired him with the likes of Rob Thomas, Wyclef Jean, and Everlast. 

The Puerto Rican-born actor is the first Hispanic man to ever win an Academy Award. Ferrer won "Best Actor" in 1950 for portraying the titular character in "Cyrano de Bergerac." Ferrer also appeared in other classic movies like the original "Moulin Rouge," "The Caine Mutiny," and "Lawrence of Arabia."

The New York City native is a multi-Grammy winning musician who also holds the Guinness World Record for being the best selling salsa artist of all time. You can't talk about Latino culture in the United States without talking about Marc Anthony. 

Christina Aguilera, who's Ecuadorian-American, is one of the most successful pop stars of the 2000s. She's won five Grammys, has sold millions of albums worldwide, and is largely considered one of the "Princesses of Pop."