Famous Latinx Birthdays

Feliz cumpleaños a Arturo Sandoval (1949- ) Photo from arturosandoval.com A legendary Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer, Sandoval was born in Cuba and came to the United States in 1989 with the help of Dizzy Gillespie, his "spiritual father." Sandoval became an American citizen on December 7, 1998. Sandoval has 10 Grammys, 6 Billboard Awards, and one Emmy. In 2013 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to the world of music. A movie about his life starring Andy Garcia, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story , was released in 2000. Listen to him talk about his escape from Communist Cuba (where jazz was prohibited and only state-sanctioned music was allowed), his friendship with Dizzy Gillespie, and the importance of jazz music in this 2013 interview for NPR. See him play There Will Never Be Another You in a live studio session HERE . 

 Feliz cumpleaños a ... David Suazo (Óscar David Suazo Velázquez) (1979-        ) Suazo (left) with his younger son Luis Gabriel and Italian soccer player Paolo Maldini.  A former professional soccer player from Honduras who is now a coach, Suazo played in more than 300 games during his career in Italy and made 100 goals (see some of those goals here ). From 1999 to 2012 he was also a member of the Honduran National Team. Nicknames La Pantera and El Rey David, Suazo was only 19 when he first left Honduras to live and play soccer in Italy. He and his wife Elisa Secchi live with their two sons in Cerdeña, Italy, where he says he feels grateful for everything that has happened to him in his life, but where he also misses his country of Honduras. Asked what he missed the most, he replied, "A mi gente, poder hablar con mis amigos, abrazar a mi familia, ir al (estadio) Morazán a ver un partido de fútbol, la machuca, recordar anécdotas hasta las tres de la mañana, mi país es mi país&quo

 ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Carlos "Patato" Valdes (1926-2007)! An important Cuban-American jazz musician known for his talent with the congos, Patato Valdes was born into a family of musicians in Havana, Cuba in 1926 (read more here ). Nicknamed "Patato" for his diminutive size, he learned multiple instruments as a child, and in the 40s and 50s in Cuba he played with famous groups such as Sonora Matancera and Conjunto Casino.  He appeared often on early Cuban television and was famous for his "Baile del Pingüino" performance (listen here , and see the Sesame Street tribute to the Baile here) . In 1954 he left Cuba and came to live in New York City (he defected while his band was on tour here), where he continued his career with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Machito, Kenny Dorham, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Herbie Mann. He appears in the 1956 film And God Created Woman briefly in a scene where he teaches Brigitte Bardot to dance the mambo. His

 Feliz cumpleaños a ... ¡Lázaro Martínez! (1997-      ) "Le llaman suerte, pero es constancia. Le llaman casualidad, pero es disciplina. Le lleman genética, pero es sacrificio. Ellos hablan, tú entrena." -Lázaro Martínez (Facebook, 2021).  A Cuban athlete from Guantanamera specializing in the triple jump and long jump (t riple salto and salto de longitud ), Martínez is a former world youth record holder (17.24 meters, or 56 feet 6.5 inches in the triple jump in 2016). His mom is former 400 meter sprinter Isabel Santryll. As a young boy Martínez played many sports, including basketball and judo, but when he was 11 he began working with Cuban coach Manuel Guilarte, whom he credits for instilling a love of the sport in him.  Martínez placed 8th in the triple jump in the Río Olympics of 2016. He currently lives and trains in Havana, Cuba and is set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics in summer of 2021. Watch him interviewed (with the reporter speaking broken Spanish) after the tripl

 Feliz cumpleaños a ... Baruc Nsue (1984-             ) "El talento está en la cabeza, es imaginación, creación y carácter, por eso, es infinito. Puedo imaginarlo puedo hacerlo. El talento se trabaja y me da igual del tipo de talento del que hablamos." -Baruc Nsue (@barucnsue) septiembre de 2020 A former professional soccer midfielder known simply as "Baruc," he played for the Ecuatoguinean Senior team, UE Tona in the Spanish Primera Catalona and then for the Hong Kong Football Association. Baruc now works for AKHSM Soccer Agency Management , a company that travels the world looking for up and coming soccer talent to sign and support. Baruc's mom is Spanish, from Catalonia, and his father is Ecuatoguinean, so he holds dual nationality. He tweets from Barcelona in Catalan, Spanish, and English (@barucnsue).

 ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Belita Moreno (1949-     )! Photo from allfamous.org An actress from Texas with Mexican heritage, Moreno is perhaps best known for her role as Benny Lopez on the sitcom George Lopez, though she has had a long career appearing in films, television shows, and live theater (appearing in at least four premieres of Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley's shows during the 80s). More recently, she has acted as an acting coach and advisor on numerous films, including Jerry Maguire , Rush Hour 2 , Almost Famous, and more. Moreno's mother, Aurora, was a Spanish teacher, and her father was a World War II veteran. Both of her parents were Mexican-American. See her speak (in English) with George Lopez about her friendship with his grandmother in this 2009 interview. Read (also in English) about her life growing up Tex/Mex (and how proud she is of this heritage) as well as her career in this 2010 interview with LatinoLA.  For resources for teaching Spanish