List of Colombian Americans explained

This is a list of notable Colombian Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Colombian American or must have references showing they are Colombian American and are notable.

List

Artists and designers

• Esteban Cortázar (1984–) – fashion designer
• Miguel Gómez (1974–) – photographer
• Guilloume – Colombian minimalist artist, self-described master of "Bolismo"
• Greg Giraldo – comedian^[1]
• René Moncada – Colombian-born American artist
• Jason Torres (1980–) – Colombian-born American graphic artist. Founder of Jastor | Top 100 most influential Colombians in the US (2012) ^[2]
• Lari Pittman – painter
• Gala Porras-Kim – conceptual artist
• R. J. Palacio – author and graphic designer
• Diego Suarez (1888–1974) – garden designer known for his work at James Deering's Villa Vizcaya in Miami, Florida^[3]

Anchors and TV personalities

• Julie Banderas – Fox News anchor^[4]
• Monica Fonseca (1982–) – television presenter, journalist and blogger

• Ingrid Hoffmann – Colombian-American television personality and restaurateur

Actors

• Thom Adcox-Hernandez – American voice and television actor of Colombian descent (Falcon Crest, The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, Gargoyles)* Odette Annable – American actress of Colombian, French, and Cuban descent^{[5] [6]}
• Moisés Arias – American actor^[7]
• Yancey Arias – American actor of Colombian and Puerto Rican descent
• Stephanie Beatriz – American actress of Colombian father
• Lillo Brancato – Colombian-born American actor (A Bronx Tale, The Sopranos).
• Héctor Luis Bustamante – Colombian American actor
• Sasha Calle – Colombian American actress
• Sofia Carson – Colombian American actress known for the movie Descendants
• Adriana Cataño – American actress and television host
• Alyssa Diaz – American actress of Colombian and Mexican-American descent
• Paula Garcés – actress
• Isabella Gomez – Colombian-born American actress
• Diane Guerrero – American actress of Colombian descent
• Nico Greetham – actor and dancer of Colombian descent best known for participating in So You Think You Can Dance and Power Rangers Ninja Steel.
• Zulay Henao – film and television actress
• Andrew Keegan – actor, mother is Colombian.^[8]
• John Leguizamo (1964–) – actor and comedian
• Melissa Navia – actress, known for
• Kika Perez – born Ilva Margarita Perez, Colombian-American actress and TV host
• Danny Ramirez (1992–) – American actor of Colombian and Mexican descent
• Carolina Ravassa (1985–) – Colombian-born American actress
• Sonya Smith – American actress best known for her roles in telenovelas. Her mother is Venezuelan and her father is of Colombian partially descent.^[9]
• Allison Strong, singer/actress known for Bye Bye Birdie, Mamma Mia!, and The Week Of.^[10]
• Diego Tinoco (1997–) – actor, his father is Mexican and his mother Ecuadorian from Colombian descent.
• Paola Turbay (1970–) – actress, TV host and beauty queen
• Brittany Underwood – American actress to Colombian mother^[11]
• Wilmer Valderrama – actor, of Colombian and Venezuelan descent.^[12]
• Carlos Valdes – Colombian-born American actor, Cisco Ramon on the TV series The Flash
• Alexa Vega – American actress from Colombian father^[13]
• Makenzie Vega – American actress, young sister of Alexa Vega^[14]
• Sofía Vergara (1972–) – Colombian actress, known for the series Modern Family
• Rachel Zegler – of Colombian and Polish descent

Musicians

• Kali Uchis (1994–) – Colombian-American singer and songwriter
• Lil Pump – Florida rapper born to Colombian parents (as stated in an interview with J. Cole)
• Psycho Les – hip hop emcee of the group The Beatnuts
• Adassa – American reggaetón singer-songwriter also known as the "Reggaetón Princess". She was born to Afro-Colombians parents.
• Ryan Cabrera – American singer born to a Colombian father and an American mother
• Jason Castro – singer-songwriter
• Freddy Cricien – American emcee and vocalist for the hardcore band Madball^[15]
• Robo (1955–) – drummer (Black Flag, Misfits)
• Kike Santander – Colombian songwriter and producer naturalized in the United States in 2004^[16]
• Yasmin Deliz – American singer-songwriter, model and actress of Dominican and Colombian and Venezuelan parentage.
• Carlos Dengler (1974–) – former bassist of the band Interpol
• Santiago Durango – guitarist (Big Black, Naked Raygun)^[17]
• Alex González (musician) (1969–) – American-born musician of Cuban and Colombian origin.
• Danny Mercer – Colombian American recording artist, songwriter, and producer
• Ericson Alexander Molano – Gospel Christian singer
• Erick Morillo – Colombian-American DJ, music producer and record label owner
• Billy Murcia – drummer (New York Dolls).^[18]
• Marty Stuart – American country music singer-songwriter. He is of French, English, Choctaw, and Colombian descent.
• Tonedeff – American rapper, producer, and singer-songwriter. He was born to a Cuban mother and a Colombian father.
• Andrés Useche – Colombian American writer, film director, graphic artist, singer-songwriter and activist.
• DJ Yonny – American DJ, producer and remixer.
• Rob Swift – (born Robert Aguilar) American hip hop DJ and turntablist group The X-Ecutioners as of late 2005 and as of 2006; with Mike Patton's project Peeping Tom. Rob Swift is on the faculty of Scratch DJ Academy in New York City.
• Soraya (1969–2006) – Colombian-American songwriter, guitarist, arranger and record producer.

Sports

• Roberto Guerrero (1958–) – Formula One racecar driver
• Juan Pablo Montoya (1975–) – Formula One, Indy and Cart racecar driver
• Juan Agudelo – soccer player^[19]
• Kiko Alonso – NFL player
• Alejandro Bedoya – American soccer player^[20]
• Daniel Barrera – American professional soccer player^[21]
• Lou Castro – first Latin American born player to play in Major League Baseball in the United States, and the first Latin American since player Esteban Bellán in 1873 as a professional baseball player.^[3]
• Diego Corrales (1977–2007) – world champion boxer, father is Colombian and mother is Mexican
• Scott Gomez – retired NHL player. Half Colombian and half Mexican.
• Melissa Gonzalez – hurdler and sprinter. Parents are Colombian; she holds American citizenship by birthright.^[22]
• Diego Gutiérrez – retired Colombian American footballer
• Eliot Halverson – American figure skater
• George Hincapie – cyclist^[23]
• Carlos Llamosa – soccer player^[24]
• Oscar Mercado – MLB player
• Travis Pastrana – American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events
• Fuad Reveiz (1963–) – former NFL player
• Johnny Torres – Colombian-American soccer midfielder and coach
• Fernando Velasco – former NFL player

Models

• Manuela Arbeláez – model (The Price Is Right).^[25]
• Maria Checa – Colombian-American model and actress.

Journalists

• Nina García (1965–) – fashion journalist and critic (Project Runway, Elle, Marie Claire).
• Omar Jimenez – journalist and correspondent for CNN
• Adrian Lamo – hacker and journalist.
• Manuel Teodoro (1960–) – journalist (CBS News, Univision) (also has Filipino descent).

Politicians

• Diana Farrell – member and one of two deputy directors of the United States National Economic Council (NEC) in the administration of President Barack Obama.
• Jeff Frederick – former member of the General Assembly of Virginia.^[26]
• Ruben Gallego – U.S. Representative for Arizona's 7th congressional district and 2024 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate
• Lina Hidalgo – county judge for Harris County, Texas
• Bernie Moreno - Businessman and 2024 Republican U.S. Senate nominee from Ohio
• Scott Perry (politician) – U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district
• José Sarria – first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States

Writers

• James Cañón – Colombian author
• Mo Rocca – American writer, journalist, comedian and political satirist to Colombian (mother) and Italian (father) descent.
• Andrés Useche – Colombian American naturalized writer, film director, graphic artist and singer/songwriter
• Jaime Manrique – Colombian American novelist, poet, essayist, educator, and translator.
• R. J. Palacio – Mexican-born American author to Colombian parents.

Scientists

• Jaime Imitola – neuroimmunologist
• Juan B. Gutierrez – mathematician and author
• Rodolfo Llinás (1934–) – neuroscientist
• Guillermo Owen – mathematician
• Ana María Rey – physicist

Others

• Medaria Arradondo – Minneapolis police chief
• José Luis Castillo (activist) – Colombian-American activist,^[27] politician, and non-profit community liaison in south Florida. He was born to a Dutch mother and a Colombian father in Netherlands. He lives in Florida.
• Arturo Escobar – Colombian-American anthropologist primarily known for his contribution to postdevelopment theory and political ecology
• Carlos Goez (1939–1990) – founder of the original Pomander Book Shop in New York
• Will Jimeno – police officer, 9/11 survivor, portrayed in World Trade Center
• Andre Melendez (1971–1996) – better known as Angel Melendez, was a Club Kid and drug dealer who lived and worked in New York City
• Beto Pérez – Colombian born American dancer and choreographer who created the fitness program Zumba in the 1990s
• Cristina Pérez – judge^[28]
• Julio Mario Santo Domingo (1923–2011) – Colombian billionaire
• Alejandro Santo Domingo (1977–) – Colombian American financier
• Al Williamson (1931–2010) – American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western and science-fiction/fantasy.^[29]
• George Zamka – NASA astronaut^[30]
• Laura DePuy (1971–) – Colombian-American colorist who has produced work for several of the major comics companies, including DC Comics, Marvel Comics and CrossGen.^[31]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Stand up Latino & political comedian Greg Giraldo. https://web.archive.org/web/20080514035130/http://www.comedycontact.com/giraldo.html. dead. May 14, 2008.
2. Aqui Colombia USA
3. He was a grandson of the Colombian revolutionist and caudillo Francisco de Miranda. Biographical details are taken from an interview with Suarez reported in James T. Maher, Twilight of Splendor: Chronicles of the Age of American Palaces (Boston: Little, Brown) 1975:190-91.
4. News: Julie Banderas: 5 Fast facts you need to know. www.heavy.com. January 29, 2019.
5. News: Odette Yustman, in the company of monsters in 'Cloverfield'. Ángela González. NY Daily News. New York. January 6, 2008. 2012-06-29. 2011-06-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20110629174909/http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2008/01/07/2008-01-07_odette_yustman_in_the_company_of_monster.html. dead.
6. Web site: Moreno ValleyPE.comSouthern California NewsNews for Inland Southern California. https://web.archive.org/web/20090326085246/http://www.pe.com/localnews/morenovalley/stories/PE_News_Local_M_mspot24.deb4716.html. dead. March 26, 2009.
7. Colombia Passport: Economics, Culture and Society: "https://web.archive.org/web/20090527141027/http://colombiapassport.com/2009/03/23/moises-arias-of-colombia/ 27 May 2009 archived version of Moisés Arias of Colombia", 23 March 2009. Link retrieved 25 March 2009. Cite: "If some Colombians dream with an American passport, there are cases of Americans who are proud of say they are Colombians. It is the case of New York-born actor Moises Arias, a teen heart throb and an American US television actor who is proud of the origin of his parents: Colombia."
8. Web site: Andrew Keegan - Yahoo! TV. yahoo.com.
9. http://www.biografiadvd.com/2011/10/sonya-smith-biography.html
10. Web site: National Endowment for the Arts Presents Sixth Annual Poetry Pavilion at the National Book Festival: Biographies of Participants. National Endowment for the Arts. en-US. dead. June 3, 2012. September 21, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120921202442/http://www.nea.gov/news/news08/PoetryPavilionBios.html.
11. Web site: Brittany Underwood Fan Page . 2015-02-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120317090917/http://www.soapteens.com/Brittany.html . 2012-03-17 .
12. Web site: Wilmer more than Lindsay's ex. 13 December 2006. heraldsun.com.au.
13. Web site: Alexa Forever Forums :: View topic - Questions for Miss Alexa Vega . 2008-07-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080117145252/http://www.foreveralexaonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=6548#6548 . 2008-01-17 . dead .
14. Web site: Alexa Vega . Alexa Forever Forums . RE: Questions for Miss Alexa Vega . My father's side is Colombian (bogota)... and I don't know why they said my mom was Italian. She's not. My family and I were trying to figure out what my mom was, but we can only go back to 5 generations and they were all from Florida. haha. so .. Floridian? ahhah... my moms last name is French though . 2005-05-11 . 2006-08-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071215044826/http://www.foreveralexaonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=307 . 2007-12-15 .
15. Web site: FREDDY MADBALL: I give respect to religion. 12 November 2009. t-musicvault-en.blogspot.com.
16. News: 27 February 2008. Las lecciones de vida de Kike Santander. The life lessons of Kike Santander. es. Lena Hansen. May 26, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101207065941/http://www.peopleenespanol.com/pespanol/articles/0,22490,1717827,00.html. 2010-12-07. dead.
17. [Michael Azerrad|Azerrad, Michael]
18. Jacobson, Mark. "The Icon: Doll Face", New York (magazine), September 23, 2002. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Then came the sad pictures: Johnny and Jerry, RIP, and Billy Murcia too, their first drummer, a Colombian from Jackson Heights, dead in a London bathtub."
19. Web site: Gold Cup 2011 . . June 5, 2011 . July 21, 2011 . Gold Cup 2011: Juan Agudelo.
20. Bondy, Stefan. "Englewood native Alejandro Bedoya vies for U.S. spot", The Record (Bergen County), May 25, 2010. Accessed February 16, 2011.
21. at yanks-abroad.com, 16-12-2011
22. Web site: Brugler . Dane . The Beast: 2022 NFL Draft Guide . subscription . April 10, 2022 . . 247 . PDF . Melissa holds dual citizenship in the United States and Colombia.
23. Web site: Daily Peloton - Pro Cycling News. Dailypeloton.com. 2008-07-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20090614065959/http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=4462. 2009-06-14. dead.
24. Web site: Soccer Times. Profile: Carlos Llamosa. 2009-04-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20130509223254/http://www.soccertimes.com/usteams/roster/men/llamosa.htm. 2013-05-09. dead.
25. News: Price is Right model Manuela Arbelaez dishes on blunder, says it's the biggest mistake in game show history. www.nydailynews.com. February 8, 2019.
26. News: Jost . Lauren . Muñoz, Frederick Speak of Platforms in Forum . Woodbridge Patch . 2011-07-20 . 2011-09-13.
27. “County Commission Candidates Line Up Endorsements” Miami Herald, August 24, 2000
28. Web site: New York Daily News. https://web.archive.org/web/20091115190926/http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2008/06/26/2008-06-26_speechless_cristina_prez_upsets_judge_ju.html. dead. New York Daily News. November 15, 2009.
29. "Interview with Al Williamson," The Jack Kirby Collector #15 (April 1997), p. 16. Reprinted in The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume Three (TwoMorrows Publishing, 1999), p. 142.
30. Web site: Astronaut Bio: George D. Zamka (03/2013). Jsc.nasa.gov. 2008-07-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20070213072659/http://www11.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/zamka.html. 2007-02-13. dead.
31. . Accessed July 19, 2008