The Most Famous

ACTORS from Mexico

This page contains a list of the greatest Mexican Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 163 of which were born in Mexico. This makes Mexico the birth place of the 13th most number of Actors behind Spain, and Australia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Mexican Actors of all time. This list of famous Mexican Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Mexican Actors.

1. Salma Hayek (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 71.47, Salma Hayek is the most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 88 different languages on wikipedia.

Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( HY-ek, Spanish: [ˈsalma ˈxaʝek]; née Hayek Jiménez; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela Teresa (1989–1991) as well as the romantic drama Midaq Alley (1995). She soon established herself in Hollywood with appearances in films such as Desperado (1995), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Wild Wild West (1999), and Dogma (1999). Hayek's portrayal of painter Frida Kahlo in the biopic Frida (2002), which she also produced, made her the first Mexican actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In subsequent years, Hayek focused more on producing while starring in the action-centered pictures Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), After the Sunset (2004) and Bandidas (2006). She achieved further commercial success with the comedies Grown Ups (2010), Grown Ups 2 (2013) and The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017), and lent her voice for the animated Puss in Boots (2011), Sausage Party (2016) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). She also earned critical acclaim for her performances in the dramas Tale of Tales (2015), Beatriz at Dinner (2017) and House of Gucci (2021). She played Ajak in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals (2021), which emerged as her highest-grossing live action film. Hayek's directing, producing and acting work on television has earned her four Emmy Awards nominations. She won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Children Special for The Maldonado Miracle (2004) and received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, one for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series and the other for Outstanding Comedy Series, for her work on the ABC television comedy-drama Ugly Betty (2006–2010). She also produced and played Minerva Mirabal in the Showtime film In the Time of the Butterflies (2001) and guest-starred on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock (2009–2013). As a public figure, Hayek has been cited as one of Hollywood's most powerful and influential Latina actresses as well as one of the world's most beautiful women by various media outlets. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023. In 2021, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is married to business magnate François-Henri Pinault, with whom she has a daughter.

2. Verónica Castro (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 63.45, Verónica Castro is the 2nd most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Verónica Judith Sáinz Castro (Spanish pronunciation: [beˈɾonika ˈkastɾo]; born 19 October 1952) is a Mexican actress and television personality. She began her career in the late 1960s with roles in film and television before rising to prominence as the star of the telenovela Los ricos también lloran (1979), a success that established her as one of the leading figures of the genre. Throughout the 1980s, she continued to build her fame with El derecho de nacer (1981), Rosa salvaje (1987), and Mi pequeña Soledad (1990), the latter of which she also produced. Castro also achieved popularity as a talk show host, leading the late-night programs Mala noche… ¡no! (1988) and La movida (1991), both of which earned high ratings. She later expanded into reality television as the host of Big Brother VIP in the 2000s, another major ratings success. After a period of reduced on-screen activity, she returned to mainstream visibility with the Netflix series La casa de las flores (2018). Her accolades include eight TVyNovelas Awards (including two lifetime achievement awards) and the 2005 Spanish Emmy Award for her impact on Latin American television. She is the mother of singer Cristian Castro.

3. Laura Harring (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 62.89, Laura Harring is the 3rd most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Laura Elena Harring (née Herring Martínez, formerly Gräfin von Bismarck-Schönhausen; born March 3, 1964) is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1985 and later began acting in television and film. She is best known for her lead role as Rita in the 2001 movie Mulholland Drive. Her other films include The Forbidden Dance (1990), John Q (2002), Willard (2003), The Punisher (2004), The King (2005), Love in the Time of Cholera (2007), Ghost Son (2007), The Caller (2008), Drool (2009), Sex Ed (2014), and Inside (2016). She also played Carla Greco in General Hospital (1990–1991), Paula Stevens on Sunset Beach (1997), and Rebecca "Becca" Doyle in The Shield (2006).

4. Sara Ramirez (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 62.68, Sara Ramirez is the 4th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (Spanish: [ˈsaɾa eˈlena raˈmiɾes ˈbaɾɣas]; born August 31, 1975) is an American actor, singer and activist. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved from Mexico to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School. Ramírez began acting in Broadway productions, making their debut in Paul Simon's The Capeman, and later ventured into film and television roles. Ramírez's breakthrough came with their portrayal of the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. On Grey's Anatomy, they portrayed Dr. Callie Torres, one of the longest-running LGBT characters in US television history, appearing in 11 seasons and 239 episodes. Ramírez's volunteered addition of the character's bisexuality marked one of the earliest series regular queer roles on primetime television. After departing from the series, Ramírez came out as bisexual and later non-binary, using they/them pronouns. They later portrayed the bisexual and non-binary roles of Kat Sandoval on Madam Secretary and Che Díaz on And Just Like That.... Ramírez debuted as a voice actor in the 1999 PlayStation video game Um Jammer Lammy, where they voiced its title character Lammy in a spin-off to PaRappa The Rapper. They also voiced Queen Miranda in the Disney Junior animated series Sofia the First (2012–2018). Ramírez released their first single "Silent Night" in 2009. Their self-titled EP debuted at number 37 on the Billboard 200 in 2011. Ramírez's extensive campaigns for LGBT rights won the Ally for Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in 2015. In addition to the Tony Award, Ramírez has also been the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Satellite Award, among other accolades.

5. Fernando Colunga (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 61.07, Fernando Colunga is the 5th most famous Mexican Actor. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

Fernando Colunga Olivares (Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando koˈluŋɡa oliˈβaɾes]; born 3 March 1966) is a Mexican actor known for his work in Mexican telenovelas. Colunga gained international fame for his role as Luis Fernando de la Vega in the hit Mexican telenovela María la del Barrio. He is also widely recognized for portraying Manuel Fuentes-Guerra in the historical drama Amor real, set in mid-19th century post-independence Mexico. In 2012, he starred as Jesús García in the romantic comedy telenovela Porque el amor manda. Colunga received his formal acting education at the Centro de Educación Artística (CEA), a drama school run by Televisa in Mexico City.

6. Claudio Brook (1927 - 1995)

With an HPI of 58.49, Claudio Brook is the 6th most famous Mexican Actor. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Claude Sydney Brook Marnat (28 August 1927 – 18 October 1995), known as Claudio Brook, was a Mexican actor. Active in film, stage, and television over a career spanning nearly 40-years, he was one of the stars of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, and was a noted collaborator of director Luis Buñuel. For his work in motion pictures, Brook received two Ariel Awards, and was inducted into the Paseo de las Luminarias.

7. Lupita Nyong'o (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 57.75, Lupita Nyong'o is the 7th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 70 different languages.

Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (US: loo-PEE-tə NYAWNG-oh, Swahili: [luˈpitɑ ˈɲɔŋɔ] , Spanish: [luˈpita ˈɲoŋɡo]; born 1 March 1983) is an actress who has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Daytime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award. The daughter of Kenyan politician Anyang' Nyong'o, she was born in Mexico City, where her father was teaching, and was raised in Kenya from the age of three. She attended college in the United States, earning a bachelor's degree in film and theatre studies from Hampshire College. She later began her career in Hollywood as a production assistant. In 2008, she made her acting debut with the short film East River and subsequently returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga (2009–2012). She then pursued a master's degree in acting from the Yale School of Drama. Soon after her graduation, she had her first feature film role as Patsey in Steve McQueen's biopic 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which she received critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Nyong'o made her Broadway debut as a teenage orphan in the play Eclipsed (2015), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She went on to perform a motion capture role as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019) and a voice role as Raksha in The Jungle Book (2016). Nyong'o's career progressed with her role as Nakia in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films Black Panther (2018) and its sequel (2022) as well as her starring roles in the horror films Us (2019) and A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) and the lead voice role in the animated film The Wild Robot (2024). Aside from acting, Nyong'o supports historic preservation. She is vocal about preventing sexual harassment, working for women's and animal rights. In 2014, she was named the most beautiful woman by People. In 2019, Nyong'o wrote a children's book named Sulwe, which became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller. She also received nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for narrating two episodes of the docu-series Serengeti. In 2020, Nyong'o was named one of Africa's 50 Most Powerful Women by Forbes.

8. Diana Bracho (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 57.57, Diana Bracho is the 8th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Diana Bracho (born Diana Guadalupe Bracho y Bordes Mangel; 12 December 1944) is a Mexican actress.

9. Laura Zapata (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 56.69, Laura Zapata is the 9th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Laura Guadalupe Zapata Miranda (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlawɾa ɣwaðaˈlupe saˈpata miˈɾanda] born July 31, 1956) is a Mexican telenovela actress, singer, and dancer. She has acted in Televisa productions.

10. Daniela Romo (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 56.06, Daniela Romo is the 10th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Teresa Presmanes Corona (born 27 August 1959), known professionally as Daniela Romo, is a Mexican singer, actress and TV hostess. During her career, she has sold 15 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists.

People

Pantheon has 164 people classified as Mexican actors born between 1895 and 2003. Of these 164, 127 (77.44%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Mexican actors include Salma Hayek, Verónica Castro, and Laura Harring. The most famous deceased Mexican actors include Claudio Brook, Irma Serrano, and Lorena Rojas. As of April 2024, 24 new Mexican actors have been added to Pantheon including Eduardo Yáñez, Arturo Peniche, and Mayrín Villanueva.