Mexico has been the motherland of many talented people in different fields. For a glimpse of the celebrities from Mexico, read this Entertainism article.
Mexico is the land of many distinguished personalities, who have made the Mexicans proud of their remarkable work. Here, we take a look at some famous Mexicans.
Alfonso Cuarón
Born on November 28, 1961, he is a Mexican film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. He has been nominated for 6 Academy Awards and is the only Latin American to have won it for Best Directing. He studied philosophy and filmmaking and started work in the television industry as a technician and went on to become a successful director. In 2014, he won the Golden Globe Award as Best Director for Gravity and also received 2 Oscars.
Ana Barbara
Born on January 10, 1971 in Rio Verde in San Luis Potosi, Ana Barbara went on to become a famous singer and a winner of the Latin Grammy Award. She was inspired by her elder sister Viviana Ugalde who was a singer in San Luis Potosi. Before Ana became a singer, she had won the title of Miss San Luis Potosi and was to contest for Miss Mexico. Her career in music began in 1993 when she became the Ambassador of Ranchera Music. Her CDs were much appreciated, earning her fans from around the world.
Jorge Kahwagi
Born on May 28, 1968, Jorge came from a rich family. He graduated from the UNAM University in 1990 and became a successful businessman. He served as the vice president of Mexico’s confederation of the National Chambers of Commerce. In 2000, he was made a commissioner of the Mexican Government. In 2002, he emerged as a boxer, and won two consecutive competitions in Madrid, Spain. In 2005, there were rumors about his relationship with Ana Barbara. They ended the relationship later that year.
Gelsen Gas
Born in the Mexico City in 1933, Angel Sanchez Gas, also known as Gelsen Gas, grew up to become a notable theater and film director, film producer, actor, and poet. He is also a painter and sculptor whose works are a part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City. His film Anticlimax and his self-portrait Autogelsen are a few of his most famous works.
Miguel de Icaza
He is a Mexican software engineer who started the GNOME and Mono projects. His father was a physicist and his mother, a biologist. From a young age, he began to write free software. He was also called for an interview at Microsoft. Lacking a University degree, he could not make it. To create a free desktop environment and a component model for Unix-like operating systems, he came up with the GNOME project. In 1999, he received an award for Advancement of Free Software and the Innovator of the Year Award of the MIT Technology Review. He was in the list of 100 innovators of the Time Magazine in 2000.
Luis Herrera-Estrella
Born on June 21, 1956, Luis Herrera-Estrella went on to become a geneticist and director of the Plant Biotechnology Unit at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies in Mexico. After earning a B.Sc. in biochemical engineering and a Ph.D. in plant molecular biology, he contributed to the research on genetic engineering in plants. He is the winner of the Javed Husain Award from UNESCO, the National Award in Science, and some other prestigious awards for his work in genetics and biotechnology.
Cristobal Magallanes Jara
Born in Totatiche, Jalisco, Mexico, on July 30, 1869, Cristobal was a son of farmers and spent his early years working as a shepherd. At the age of thirty, he was ordained after which he served as chaplain of the School of Arts and Works. While he was a priest, he helped in the establishment of many schools and shops. He helped in founding the mission of the town of Azqueltan. He died in May 1927 and in 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized him. He is one of the most respected saints in Mexico.
Fernando Valenzuela
Born on November 1, 1960, he is a Mexican former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Starting his professional career in baseball in 1977, he entered the Mexican Baseball League in 1978. In 1981, he led the Los Angeles Dodgers team to the world series and they also won it. He became the only player in MLB history to win the Rookie of the Year award and the Cy Young Award in the same season. After retiring from MLB in 1997, he has been a color commentator for the Dodgers since 2003.
Carlos Santana
Born on July 20, 1947, he started playing the violin and the guitar at a very young age. After many years of working as a dishwasher in a diner, he took up music full-time. His first performance came as an accident when the artist who was scheduled to perform during a matinee show could not come. Soon after, he formed the Santana Blues Band. His band Santana, is known for fusing rock and Latin American music. Rolling Stone has enlisted him among the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He is the winner of 10 Grammy Awards and 3 Latin Grammy Awards.
These were a few of the celebrated Mexican names. For a closer look at the talent that Mexico hosts, you might like to read about some of the very famous Mexican artists. You may also like to go through this list of famous Mexican actors and actresses for a glimpse of Mexican cinema.
