Famous Latinx Birthdays

¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Bianca Santos! (1990-      ) Photo from Wikimedia commons.  An American actress of Cuban and Brazilian descent (her mother is from Havana and her father is from Rio de Janeiro), Santos is known for her roles on Freeform's The Fosters and MTV's Happyland, as well as films such as Ouija (2014), The Duff (2015), and Priceless (2016). She is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Santos attended California Lutheran University, where she studied psychology and sociology. She didn't pursue acting seriously until after college, as she didn't believe that she could make a career of it. A world traveler from a young age, she told Pop Sugar Latina that she had been to Brazil, Mexico, and Spain several times by the time she was 10 (read more HERE ). For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from futbolred.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Hugo Rodallega! (1985-      ) A Colombian soccer player who currently plays for Trabzonspor in Turkey, Rodallega scored the most goals in the U-20 South American Championship in 2005. His cousin, Carmen, has played for the Colombian women's national team. He and wife Carolina have a son, Hugo. See his 2016-2017 goals, skills, and assists HERE . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from eonline.com, 2015 Latin Music Billboard Awards.  Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Kendra Santacruz! (1989-      ) A Mexican television actress from Cuernavaca, Santacruz began her career in 2004 when she appeared as Daniela in the telenovela Corazones al límite. She has since appeared in more than ten telenovelas and was nominated for a Premios Tu Mundo award in 2014. She currently lives in Miami, Florida. See her discuss her role on Bajo el mismo cielo (she plays a nurse who works in a prison) HERE  ("el sueño americano no es tan fácil como se ve en las películas"). For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from La Prensa Federal. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Pedro Aznar! (1959-       ) An Argentinian musician whose music is a mix of jazz, Argentinian folk music, and rock, Aznar has had a successful career of more than 35 years. He is also the author of several books of poetry published in Argentina. In 1984 he joined The Pat Metheny group as a vocalist. The group recorded three Grammy-winning albums. He later became successful as a soloist. For his official website, click HERE . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from businessinsider.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Oscar de la Renta (Óscar Aristídes Renta Fiallo)! (1932-2014) A Dominican American fashion designer who dressed many first ladies and Hollywood stars, de la Renta was born the seventh child, and only son, to a Dominican mother, Carmen María Antonía Fiallo, and a Puerto Rican father, Oscár Avellino de la Renta. Though his father wanted him to follow his footsteps and go into insurance, de la Renta showed an inclination for art at a young age. After his mother died from complications of multiple sclerosis when he was 18, he left for Spain to study painting at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. For extra money, he drew clothes for newspapers and fashion houses. The wife of the U.S. ambassador to Spain saw a dress he had sketched and commissioned him to design a gown for her daughter for her debutante ball. She wore it on the cover of Life magazine, and de la Renta's career was launched. He apprenticed und...

Photo from us.hola.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Fey (María Fernanda Blázquez Gil)! (1973-     ) A Mexican singer who became famous in 1995 with her album Fey (Sony Music),  she has since released six more studio albums, including Tierna la noche , which reached #10 on the Billboard Top Latin Album charts, El color de los sueños, Vertigo, La Fuerza del destino , which earned her her first Latin Grammy nomination, Faltan Lunas, and Dulce Tentación . She has a daughter, Isabella (2011), with Mexican businessman Alonso Orozco, who she married in 2010. Orozco and Fey divorced in 2014. In 2017 Fey toured across Mexico and the U.S. on a 90s Pop Tour alongside artists such as Erik Rubin and OV7. You can see her videos on the Fey Channel on YouTube. For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from billboard.com. Click HERE.  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Carlos Santana! (1947-       ) A Mexican American musician named one of the "greatest guitarists of all time" by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003, Santana has won 10 Grammys and 3 Latin Grammys during his impressive career. Born in Jalisco, Mexico and taught guitar by his father, who was a mariachi, Santana moved to San Francisco with his family as a child. It was there that he got his first chance to perform, at the Fillmore West in 1966, where he impressed audiences with his guitar solos. Soon after, he formed a band, Santana, with other street musicians, and they had a memorable performance at Woodstock in 1969. Santana was extremely popular throughout the 1970s, and they received a resurgence in popularity in the 90s. He is known for pioneering a fusion of rock and Latin American jazz with Afro-Cuban sounds, though it wasn't until 2014 that he produced his first Spanish-language album, Corazó...

Photo from elliberal.com.ar, 2012. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Sabrina Garciarena! (1982-     ) An Argentinian actress who most recently was one of the protagonists on the Argentinian telenovela Los ricos no piden permiso,  Garciarena has  appeared in many television series and movies. In 2009 she was nominated for three Premios Goya for her work in the movie Pagafantas, and in 2010 she won a Premio Cóndor de Plata for her work in the movie Felicitas . Garciarena has a son (León, 2014) with journalist Germán Paoloski. For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK

Photo from cineinformacion.blogspot.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Vanessa Andreu! (1979-     ) A Mexican actress and singer, Andreu is best known for hosting the Disney channel's show Zapping Zone (2000-2012). In June of 2013 she announced on Twitter that she was pregnant. Daughter Lorenza was born in 2014. For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK

Photo from 2018.miamifilmfestival.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a Dolores Fonzi! (1978-     ) An Argentinian actress who has appeared in many critically acclaimed films (see the trailer for 2017's Paulina HERE ), Fonzi began her career on the television series La Nena in 1996. She has since appeared in many television shows, as well as many movies, such as  Plata quemada (2000), Esperando al mesías (2000), El fondo del mar (2003), El Aura (2005), Truman (2015), Paulina (2015) and El futuro que viene (2017). Fonzi has two children with Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, Lázaro, born in 2009, and Libertad, born in 2011.  Fonzi and García Bernal split in 2014.  For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.  

Photo from The Literature of Uprootedness: An Interview with Reinaldo Arenas (in 1983) from The New Yorker, Dec. 2013 (click HERE ).  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Reinaldo Arenas! (1943-1990) A Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright whose memoir  Before Night Falls was on the New York Times' "10 Best Books of the Year" list in 1993 (and made into a movie starring Javier Bardem in 2000), Arenas was an early sympathizer of Fidel Castro who later became a critic and rebel. Though he had joined Castro's rebels in the mountains in 1959, he soon became disillusioned with the regime. His writing, openly gay lifestyle, and unauthorized publishing outside the country got him in trouble, and in 1974 he was sent to prison by the Cuban government for "ideological deviation." He escaped and tried to leave Cuba, but was rearrested and imprisoned alongside hardened criminals. He survived by helping them write letters to their wives and girlfriends. He was released in 1976 ...

Photo from the hollywoodreporter.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Gabriel Iglesias! (1976-   ) Iglesias, known professionally as "Fluffy," is a Mexican-American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, writer, and producer. He was the youngest of six children born to Esther P. Mendez in San Diego, who raised him and his siblings alone. His father, Jesus Iglesias, has recently returned to his life. Growing up, Iglesias lived in Section 8 housing, mostly in Long Beach, and got through the many challenges in his life with humor (and with the help of his mom, who he has said had a wonderful sense of humor).  He was working for a cell phone company in L.A. in 1997 when he decided to pursue stand-up comedy full-time. He struggled at first to make ends meet, and he was evicted from his home and lost his car. He gradually started getting jobs and in 2006 was one of the finalists on the fourth season of Last Comic Standing . He was worked extensively in voice ac...

Photo from Revista Arcadia. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a... Andrés Ospina! (1976-    ) A Colombian writer who has also worked in radio and television, Ospina often writes about Bogotá, where he was born and raised. Since May of 2014 he has hosted the documentary series Callejeando , about the history and culture of Bogotá (click HERE to see an episode). And since 2016 he has written and presented the show Leer es volar TV (click HERE) . Ospina has written novels, stories, newspaper columns, and essays. See a text-based interview with him (easy for students to follow!) with El Tiempo HERE . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Guillermo Ochoa (Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña)! (1985-      ) Photo from skysports.com. Click HERE .  Guillermo Ochoa, or "Memo," as he is commonly called, is a Mexican soccer player (goalkeeper) for both the Belgian club Liege and the Mexican national team. He has been widely praised for his performance in Mexico's 2018 World Cup game versus Germany, which they won 1-0 with help from Ochoa's nine saves (see one of them  HERE ). Ochoa was also Mexico's starting goalkeeper for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he made four saves in a game against Brazil, including a powerful header from Neymar. Ochoa and Mexican model Karla Mora married in July of 2017 and have two children together, a daughter (2013) and a son (2015). Ochoa wears #13 because his birthday is July 13th. For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from bundesliga.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... James Rodríguez! (1991-     ) A Colombian soccer player currently on the Bayern Munich team (on loan from Real Madrid) and the Colombian national team, James is considered one of the best players of his generation. He won the Golden Boot at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and Lebron James once declared him his favorite player ("The name helps"). Though his father was a professional soccer player in Colombia, James' parents split when he was young, and he moved with his mother to her hometown of Ibague, where she managed his soccer career. James was married to volleyball player Daniela Ospina in 2011, and the two have a daughter, Salome (2013), though they announced plans to file for divorce in 2017. To see some of his best goals, click HERE . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from newsok.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Eduardo Nájera! (1976-     ) A retired Mexican professional basketball player who is now a scout with the Dallas Mavericks and a sports analyst on Fox Sports Southwest, Nájera was only the second Mexican-born NBA player (Horacio Llamas was the first). He was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma, where he helped the team to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances during his college career. He was drafted into the NBA in 2000 and first played for the Dallas Mavericks. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors, the New Jersey Nets, and the Charlotte Bobcats during his career. See him interviewed (in Spanish) as he made the transition from player to coach HERE . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from El Porvenir. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Nicolás Guillén! (1902-1989) A Cuban poet, journalist, political activist, and writer of African-European descent, Guillén was known during his life as the National Poet of Cuba. Born in Camagüey, he was the oldest of six children born to Nicolás Guillén y Urra, who had fought for Cuban independence from Spain, and Argelia Batista y Arrieta. Guillén's father belonged to the Partido Libertad and founded the daily newspaper La Libertad to express his views. Government forces assassinated Guillén's father for protesting electoral fraud and closed down his printing press. After that, Guillén's family struggled financially. Guillén was greatly influenced by meeting African-American poet Langston Hughes in 1930. Hughes' enthusiasm for Afro-Cuban music inspired Guillén, who was familiar with 'son' music from his father. Hughes immediately recognized the similarities between son music in Cuba and the b...

Photo from sacm.org.mx. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Jesús Navarro Rosas! (1986-      ) The lead vocalist for the Mexican group Reik, which first became popular in 2005, Navarro was born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. He began singing in church when he was six years old and soon after learned to play the piano. Reik, formed by Navarro and bandmates Julio Ramírez Eguía (guitar/background vocals) and Gilberto Marín (guitar), has been extremely successful in Mexico in the United States, with their first single, Yo Quisiera , reaching number one. They have a total of five studio albums: Reik (2005), Secuencia (2006), Un día más (2008), Peligro (2011), and Des/Amor (2016). They also have two live albums, Sesión Metropolitana (2006) and En vivo desde el auditorio nacional (2013). Un día más won a Latin Grammy for Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group in 2009. Click HERE for Navarro's biography (in Spanish), and HERE to see their latest video, Me niego ...

Photo from skyscrapersports.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Jaime García! (1986-     ) A professional baseball player from Mexico who started his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he played in the major leagues from 2008 to 2016. In 2011, the Cardinals defeated the Rangers 4-3 in a best of seven series to win the World Series. When García started in Game 2, he became the second Mexican born pitcher since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 to start in a World Series Game. García was traded to the Atlanta Braves in December 2016. He has since played for the Minnesota Twins, the New York Yankees, and the Toronto Blue Jays. García, who was born in Reynosa, Mexico, was raised in both Mexico and the United States (Reynosa, Mexico and McAllen, Texas). His father was a civil engineer, and García attended Sharyland High School in Mission, Texas. where he was a star on the baseball team. Read (in Spanish) about how he was honored to represent Mexico in t...

Photo from alchetron.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Karina Galvez! (1964-       ) An Ecuadorian American poet who was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and lived in the United States from 1985 until 2012, Galvez is also a songwriter and children's book author. She published her book, Karina Galvez - Poetry and Songs, in 1995, which includes a prologue written by Ecuador's former Vice President León Roldós Aguilera. She speaks Spanish, English, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. In 2012 she won the Medalla Presidente Salvador Allende for her peaceful promotion of Ecuador's culture. For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from Wikipedia.  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Francisco Moncion! (1918-1995) A charter member of the New York City Ballet who danced in its productions for nearly 40 years, Moncion was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the United States with his family when he was 4 years old. He did not start his dance training until he was 20, when he was offered a scholarship to the recently established School of American Ballet, which at the time was recruiting male students. After enlisting in the Army for two years during World War II, he returned to New York to dance. He was also a choreographer himself. In later years, he lived in Woodstock, New York. He was a talented amateur painter and sometimes exhibited his work. When Moncion died, he established a scholarship fund to promote dance training for Hispanic youths. Read his New York Times obituary HERE . See him dance (in 1948) HERE . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from dailymotion.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Danay García! (1984-     ) A Cuban-American actress known for her roles as Sofía Lugo on Fox's Prison Break and Luciana Galvez on AMC's Fear the Walking Dead , García grew up dancing in Havana before switching to acting at the age of 15. At that point she began studying acting seven days a a week and doing a play every other weekend. At the age of 20, and with an 18-month-old son, she made her way to the United States through Mexico. "It was honestly terrifying," she told E! news in 2017 (click HERE ). Once in the United States, García worked on her English with Robert Easton, the same accent coach who worked with Al Pacino for his role as Tony Montana in Scarface . She continued her ballet training at the Debbie Allen Dance Academyand began auditioning for roles, booking a few commercials at first. Eventually, she landed a role on the feature film Danika with Marisa Tomei. Roles on CSI: New Yo...

Photo from alchetron.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Sonia Pierre! (1963-2011) A human rights advocate in the Dominican Republic who worked to improve the conditions of people of Haitian descent living there, Pierre received the Amnesty International Award in 2003, the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2007, and the International Women of Courage Award (presented by Michelle Obama) in 2010. Born in Villa Alta Gracia, San Cristobál, Dominican Republic to Haitian parents (her mother had migrated with a temporary work permit in 1957 and her father had entered the country illegally), Pierre was raised in a batey , or migrant worker camp, where many of the Dominican Republic's Haitian population lives. One of twelve children, she slept alongside them on the dirt floor of the tiny barrack where they lived. When she was 14, she helped organize a five-day protest of sugar cane workers, leading to her arrest, but also to better conditions for the workers, such as impro...

Photo from arte-online.net. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Cristian Mac Entyre! (1968-      ) A well-known Argentinian artist who has exhibited his work in Argentina, the United States, and Russia, Mac Entyre is the son of Eduardo Mac Entyre (1929-2014), founder of the Generative Art movement. He was born in Barracas, Buenos Aires and graduated from Colegio Cardenal Cisneros before attending the University of Buenos Aires, where he studied graphic design. Because of his mother's love for music, he also learned to play the guitar and cello, which has become an important part of his work. Click HERE for more information (in Spanish) and HERE to see some of his work. For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from immigrantarchiveproject.com. Several interviews, in English and Spanish,  about what it means to be an immigrant (her parents were immigrants from Mexico). Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Jenni Rivera! (1969-Dec. 9, 2012) "Ver la sonrisa, y el orgullo de mis papás para mí significa mucho." A Mexican-American singer, songwriter, actress, television producer, and entrepreneur who was a top-selling female artist in the Mexican music genre, Rivera had sold 20 million records worldwide at the time of her death, in a plane crash, in 2012. During her life she was also honored with two Oye! Awards (Mexico's equivalent of a Grammy), two Billboard Music Awards, 22 Billboard Latin Music Awards, and 18 Lo Nuestro Awards. She has a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars and received four Latin Grammy nominations. Rivera was born in Long Beach, California to Mexican immigrant parents. Her family was tight-knit and musical. An honors student all her life, Rivera...

Photo from justjaredjr.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Raini Rodriguez! (1993-     ) An American actress of Mexican descent, Raini Rodriguez is best known for her role as Trish in the Disney series Austin & Ally. She won Best Young Actress at the 2013 Imagen awards. Born in Bryan, Texas to tire store owners Diane and Roy Rodriguez, she is the only girl of four children. Her younger brother, Rico Rodriguez, is also an actor (best known for his role in Modern Family). Raini was discovered at an IMTA showcase by Susan Osser, a California talent agent, when she was only 11. Osser convinced Raini's mom to come to California to give Raini a year for career opportunities. Her mom home-schooled her and her brothers while they lived in California. Rodriguez has worked on many television shows and several films. Most recently, Raini was the voice of Starehe in the television show The Lion Guard in the episode The Golden Zebra. Click HERE to see Raini and ...

Photo from usatoday.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... José Emilio Pacheco! (1939-2014) A Mexican poet, essayist, and novelist who won the Premio Cervantes (2009) and the Premio Reina Sofía de Poesía (also 2009), among many other awards and honors, Pacheco used his writing to explore profound questions. He began his career in the 1960s addressing societal ills such as pollution, poverty, and government corruption. He often wrote about the cruelty of nature and considered humans to be the most cruel of all the animals ("Fish don't torture"). Pacheco was born in Mexico City and raised with a grandmother who told him Mexican legends, and a grandfather who taught him to read. He studied literature and law at UNAM (though never earned a degree) and worked for literary publications there. Later in life he taught at universities in Canada, England, and the United States, including many fall semesters at the University of Maryland. He was married to Cristina Pachec...

Photo (of Suzette, left, and sister Selena) from hiplatina.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Suzette Quintanilla! (1967- ) Best known as the sister of the late Latina superstar Selena , Suzette Quintanilla is an award-winning musician as well. She played drums for Selena y Los Dinos . The band released more than a half dozen albums and won many awards before Selena's tragic death in 1995. In 2017 she spoke about her family's life, including how she began playing drums at a time when many girls didn't, with Google after Google launched a Google Doodle celebrating Selena's life (click HERE for the full interview). For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from hola.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Chayanne (Elmer Figueroa Alce)! (1968-     ) A Puerto Rican singer, actor, and composer, he has released 21 solo albums and sold over 30 million albums worldwide. The third of five siblings, he was given his nickname by his mother after his favorite television show, Cheyenne (Chayanne's mother passed away in 2014 after a long battle with cancer). Chayanne has been married to former Venezuelan beauty queen Marilisa Maronese since 1989, and the two have two children together, son Lorenzo and daughter Isadora. To see him perform Salomé, click HERE . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from Twitter. @frangavilanv ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Francisca Gavilán! (1973-      ) A Chilean film, theater, and television actress, Gavilán played folksinger Violeta Parra in the 2011 movie Violeta Went To Heaven (click HERE for the trailer). The movie won the World Cinema Jury Prize (Dramatic) at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and Gavilán was widely praised by the critics for her work (she won multiple "best actress" awards for the role). Gavilán is married to Eduardo Tironi, with whom she has a son, Simón Tironi. She has another son, Joaquín Schwartz, with former spouse Pablo Schwartz. While she is most recognized for her work on Violeta, she has appeared in some 20 plays and some 20 television shows throughout her career, as well as a handful of other movies. For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Photo from express.co.uk. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Joel Campbell! (1992-      ) A Costa Rican professional soccer player who plays for Arsenal and the national team, Campbell was an important member of the team that won the 2014 Copa Centroamericana. Campbell has three siblings, Nekisha, Humberto, and Katherine, and he is in a relationship with Maria Fernanda Cascante. A devout Christian, he recites Psalm 27 before every game. See a video of some of his best plays HERE . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Carlos Delgado! (1972-       ) Photo from nbcnewyork.com. Click HERE .  A former professional baseball player (1993-2009) from Puerto Rico who began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, he is a World Series champion (1993), a two-time All Star (2000, 2003), and a three time AL Silver Slugger, among other distinctions. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Delgado is well known for his humanitarian efforts, and in 2006 he won the Roberto Clemente Award for his work. He took part in the Navy-Vieques protests to oppose the use of Puerto Rico's Vieques island as a bombing target practice by the Department of Defense (bombing halted in 2003) and did not stand during "God Bless America" during the 2004 season as a protest of the United States' war with Iraq, which he considered unjust. Though criticized, he said he had to stand up for what he believed in. Delgado regularly visits hospitals in Puerto Rico on ...

Photo from biography.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Lionel Messi (Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini)! (1987-       ) An Argentinian soccer star who plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentinian national team, Messi is often considered the best in the world. He has a record five European Golden Shoes and a record-tying five Balon D'Or awards.  He has won 9 La Liga titles with FC Barcelona and holds the record for most official goals scored in La Liga. Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina, the third of four children. His father was a steel factory manager, and his mother worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. His maternal grandmother, Celia, had a huge influence on his life and often took him to training and matches. She died when he was 11, and since then he has looked up and pointed to the sky after his goals in a tribute to her. At age 13 Messi enrolled in Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia. He stayed with his father while his mother move...

Photo from vogue.com in 2017. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Danna Paola! (1995-       ) A Mexican actress and singer, Danna Paola first appeared on Plaza Sésamo (Mexico's version of Sesame Street) when she was four years old. She went on to appear in many television shows (i.e.  Rayito de Luz, Maria Belén, Amy, la niña de la mochila azul, Pablo y Andrea, Atrévete a soñar . She also sang, releasing her first album, Mi Globo Azul , in 2001, and releasing two albums with the cast of Atrévete a soñar in 2009, both which were certified double platinum in Mexico. From 2013 to 2015 Paola played "Elphaba" in the Spanish-language production of the Broadway musical Wicked in Mexico City. She has since starred in the telenovela ¿Quién es Quién? , which now airs in the United States once a week on Telemundo. She has also appeared in movies, such as 2017's Lo más sencillo es complicarlo todo , and is currently in Madrid filming Netflix's new teen drama s...

Photo from earnthenecklace.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a Anaís! (1984-         ) A singer from the Dominican Republic who gained fame when she won the Puerto Rican reality show Objetivo Fama in 2005 (click HERE to see her final act), Anaís then released her debut album, Así soy yo , in 2006. The album earned a Latin Grammy nomination. That same year she recorded a song for the FIFA World Cup, Arriba Arriba , with Pablo Montero, Mariana Seoane, and Ana Bárbara (click HERE to see the video). In 2007 Anaís released the album Con todo mi corazón . Her live performance of Como tu mujer at a televised tribute to Mexican singer Marco Antonio Solis was widely hailed as the best performance of the night (click HERE ). Anaís is currently recording in English as well as Spanish. In 2017, she joined the cast of Love and Hip Hop: New York for season 8 of the show. Anaís and her husband have two young sons. See her interviewed in Univisión in 2016 HER...

¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Rey Ruiz! (1969*-        ) *some sources list 1966 as his year of birth Photo from megalatina.fm. Click HERE .  Rey Ruiz, also known as "El Bombón de la Salsa," is a Cuban-American musician who began performing in Cuba at a young age and eventually became a member of the famous Cabaret Tropicana music group. During one of the group's tours in the Dominican Republic, Ruiz defected and went to live with friends in the United States. Once there, he began working on his solo career, and in 1992 he released the album Rey Ruiz , which helped him win Billboard and Premios Lo Nuestro awards. In 1993, Ruiz released his second album, Mi Media Mitad , and made his debut in New York's Madison Square Garden. He has since released some ten successful albums. See him interviewed on Martí Noticias in April of 2018 (a news source for Cuban exiles in the United States)  HERE , and listen to him talk about Miami's Little Havana in this video in...

Photo from clarin.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Javier Pastore! (1989-      ) A soccer player from Argentina who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germaine and the Argentina national team, Pastore lives in Paris with wife Chiaria Piccone, an Italian model and television host, and their two children (Martina, 2015, and Santiago, 2018). Pastore was born in Córdoba, Argentina to a middle class Italian-Argentinian family. He got his nickname, "El Flaco" (Skinny), in childhood. After he started playing soccer for his school, his coach noticed his talent and encouraged his parents to get him involved in Argentina's youth soccer system. He started playing for Talleres soon after. Little by little he rose through the ranks. In 2008 he turned down several prestigious clubs to play for Palermo, in Italy, so that he could be near extended family. He moved to Pari's Saint Germaine in 2011 for a reported 39.8 million euros. In November of 2015, Pastore lost two f...

Photo from allure.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Zoë Saldaña! (1978-      ) An American actress with a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother, Saldaña was born in New Jersey and raised in New York and the Dominican Republic. She first became well-known when she starred in the 2000 movie Center Stage , where she played a struggling ballet dancer, and she has since appeared in many films, including huge box office hits such as Star Trek, Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers. Zoe, who grew up speaking Spanish at home, lost her father in a car crash when she was only nine. She and her family subsequently moved to the Dominican Republic, where she discovered her love of dance, especially ballet. She moved back to New York when she was in high school. Saldaña is an outspoken proponent on bilingualism, and she and husband Marco Perego are raising their three sons (twins Bowie and Cy, 2014, and son Zen, 2017) to speak at least Spanish and Engli...

Photo from clarin.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Liz Solari! (1983-      ) An Argentine actress who began her career as a model after winning an International Competition in 2001, she is currently a UNICEF ambassador for Argentina as well as host of the travel show El Resto del mundo (click HERE for the promo video). As noted in the video, she was born in Colombia, raised in Argentina, and has lived around the world due to her career. In 2008 she was in El Desafío , the Argentinian version of High School Musical (click HERE ). In 2010, her boyfriend, model Leonardo Verhagen, died in her arms from cardiac arrest. She processed her grief and trauma by getting into meditation, yoga, and other spiritual exercises (read more, in Spanish, HERE ).  In 2018 she collaborated on the book Meditaciones para un viaje interior with her meditation teacher Cher Chevalier (click HERE ). For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Image from portalguarani.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Carmen Casco de Lara Castro! (1918-1993) Carmen Casco de Lara Castro, also known as "Coca," was a Paraguayan teacher, leading women's and human rights advocate, and  politician. She was one of seven children born into a wealthy, politically liberal family and studied at the Colegio María Auxiliadora. When she was a teenager, her father left to fight in the Chaco War (1932-1935), which was fought between Paraguay and Bolivia over control of the Gran Chaco region. Her uncle, President of Paraguay José Félix Estigarribia, died in a (presumed accidental) plane crash a year after his election. In 1954 Alfredo Stroessner came to power in an army coup, and he would lead Paraguay with an iron first for 35 years. It was under these conditions that Casco de Lara, who saw many in her own family exiled, fought for human rights. In 1962 (only one year after women gained the right to vote in Paraguay) she and sev...

Photo from pulsoslp.com. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Fátima Torre! (1988-     ) A Mexican actress who got her start as a child on telenovelas such as Cuento de Navidad and El diario de Daniela , she has appeared on some 15 telenovelas since, as well as many tv shows and one movie, 2003's Los no invitados . She has also acted in various theater productions in Mexico. Torre is married (to Hector Salazar, 2015) with one child, Isabella, and she writes about being a mom as well as beauty, health, and other issues on her YouTube channel . For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.