List of Cuban Americans

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

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Athletes

Mary Joe Fernández

Ryan Lochte

Dara Torres

• Aric Almirola, current NASCAR driver
• Osvaldo Alonso, midfielder for Seattle Sounders soccer team
• Carlos Alvarez, former college football player for the University of Florida, known as "The Cuban Comet"
• Robert Andino, infielder for the Baltimore Orioles
• Gilbert Arenas, professional basketball player with the Washington Wizards
• Javier Arenas, cornerback and punt returner for the Arizona Cardinals
• J. P. Arencibia, current catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays
• René Arocha, former MLB pitcher
• Rolando Arrojo, former MLB pitcher
• Bronson Arroyo, starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks and member of World Champion 2004 Boston Red Sox; Cuban father
• Alex Avila, current catcher for the Detroit Tigers
• Danys Báez, relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
• Yan Barthelemí, Cuban professional boxer
• Steve Bellán, former baseball player
• Yuniesky Betancourt, current MLB free agent
• Bert Campaneris, former MLB All-Star shortstop
• Bárbaro Cañizares, current first baseman
• José Canseco, former MLB All-Star outfielder and DH; author (Juiced); reality show contestant (The Surreal Life)
• Ozzie Canseco, former MLB outfielder
• Rene Capo, former Olympic judoka
• José Cardenal, former MLB outfielder and coach
• John Carlos, Olympic track and field medalist, professional football player, founding member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights; Cuban mother
• Joel Casamayor, Cuban professional boxer
• Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
• Elieser Castillo, Cuban professional boxer
• Eliseo Castillo, Cuban professional boxer
• Yoenis Céspedes, current MLB outfielder
• Aroldis Chapman, relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
• Vinnie Chulk, relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
• José Contreras, current MLB free agent pitcher
• Mike Cuellar, former MLB All-Star pitcher
• Orestes Destrade, former MLB first baseman and current broadcaster
• Eric Eichmann, former US National Team and American professional soccer player; Cuban mother
• Yunel Escobar, current shortstop for the Miami Marlins
• Alex Fernandez, former pitcher for the Florida Marlins
• Mary Joe Fernández, tennis player
• Osvaldo Fernández, former MLB pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
• Tony Fossas, former MLB relief pitcher
• Ryan Freel, former MLB utility player
• Tito Fuentes, former MLB second baseman
• Yuriorkis Gamboa, "El Ciclón de Guantanamo", professional boxer
• Danny Garcia, former MLB outfielder, Kansas City Royals
• Preston Gómez, former MLB infielder and manager
• Anthony Gonzalez, WR Atlanta Falcons National Football League
• Gio Gonzalez, current MLB pitcher for the Washington Nationals
• Joaquin Gonzalez, offensive line, Indianapolis Colts, National Football League
• Luis Gonzalez, former outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Yasmani Grandal, current catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Henry Gutierrez, former US National Team and American professional soccer player
• Ricky Gutiérrez, former shortstop
• Annia Hatch, originally Annia Portuondo; Cuban-American gymnast, former member of Cuban and U.S. National gymnastics teams; 1993 World Gymnastics Championships and 1995 Pan American Games medal winner (representing Cuba); 2004 Olympics medal winner (representing USA); U.S. Classic winner
• Evelio Hernández, starting pitcher for the Washington Senators
• James "Chico" Hernandez, of Wheaties fame; US Sombo Wrestling Champion; World Cup silver; three-time British silver medalist
• Liván Hernández, starting pitcher for the New York Mets
• Orlando Hernández, half-brother of Liván, starting pitcher for New York Mets
• Eric Hosmer, first baseman for Kansas City Royals
• Raúl Ibáñez, left fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• José Iglesias, current MLB shortstop for the Detroit Tigers
• Jon Jay, outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Danell Leyva, Olympic gymnast
• Ryan Lochte, gold medal Olympic swimmer
• Doug Logan, Chief Executive Officer of USA Track & Field, the national governing body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking
• Neil Lomax, former quarterback for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Hector Lombard, mixed martial artist; Judo competitor at 2000 Sydney Olympics
• Brook Lopez, current NBA player for the Brooklyn Nets; Cuban father
• Mickey Lopez, former second baseman
• Robin Lopez, current NBA player for the New Orleans Pelicans; Cuban father
• Frank Martin, current head men's basketball coach at South Carolina
• J. D. Martinez, current MLB player
• Jorge Masvidal, mixed martial artist
• Christina McHale, professional women's tennis player
• Minnie Miñoso, former MLB All-Star outfielder
• Frank Mir, mixed martial artist and former UFC Heavyweight Champion
• Al Montoya, current goalkeeper for the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL
• Pablo Morales, Olympic swimmer
• Kendrys Morales, current first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels
• Alex Ochoa, former MLB outfielder and current first base coach in the Boston Red Sox organization
• Sergio Oliva, former 3-time Mr. Olympia; only bodybuilder to have ever beaten Arnold Schwarzenegger in a Mr. Olympia competition
• Tony Oliva, former MLB All-Star outfielder
• Rey Ordóñez, former shortstop, New York Mets
• Henry Owens, former relief pitcher for the Florida Marlins
• Orlando Palmeiro, former MLB outfielder and pinch-hitter
• Rafael Palmeiro, former MLB All-Star first baseman and member of the 3,000 Hit and 500 Home Run clubs
• Camilo Pascual, former MIB pitcher
• Brayan Peña, current MLB catcher
• Eduardo Pérez, former MLB first baseman and current bench coach of the Houston Astros
• Tony Pérez, former MLB All-Star infielder
• Jorge Posada, catcher for the New York Yankees; Cuban father
• Yasiel Puig, professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball
• Alexei Ramírez, current shortstop for the Chicago White Sox
• Nap Reyes, former MLB infielder
• Guillermo Rigondeaux, Cuban professional boxer
• Amy Rodriguez, frontline for U.S. women's national soccer team
• Jennifer Rodriguez, Olympic medal-winning speed skater
• Sean Rodriguez, second baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays

Danny Valencia

• Cookie Rojas, former MLB infielder
• Yoel Romero, mixed martial artist
• Cody Runnels, current WWE wrestler known by his ring names Cody Rhodes and Stardust; Cuban maternal grandfather
• Alberto Salazar, runner and marathon winner
• Alex Sánchez, former outfielder
• David Segui, former first baseman
• Odlanier Solís, Cuban professional boxer
• Danny Tartabull, former MLB All-Star outfielder
• Tony Taylor, former MLB infielder
• Luis Tiant, former MLB All-Star pitcher
• Dara Torres, Olympic gold-medalist (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2008)
• Danny Valencia, current third baseman for the Kansas City Royals

Business

Carlos Gutierrez

• Alex Aguila, co-founder of Alienware
• Raúl Alarcón, president and CEO of the Spanish Broadcasting System
• Alfredo Alonso, SVP of Clear Channel Radio
• Ralph Alvarez, former president and COO of McDonald's
• Bacardi family, owners of Bacardi Rums, Grey Goose, Martini & Rossi and Dewar's
• Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon.com, owner of The Washington Post
• Paul L. Cejas, CEO of PLC Investments, Inc.
• Armando Codina, CEO of the Codina Group
• Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO of AT&T Mobility
• Enrique C. Falla, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of The Dow Chemical Company
• Alfonso Fanjul, sugar baron
• Jose Fanjul, sugar baron
• Raul J. Fernandez, co-owner of the NBA Washington Wizards, NHL Washington Capitals and WNBA Washington Mystics
• Jorge Figueredo, Senior Vice President of Dow Jones
• Robert C. Goizueta, former CEO of the Coca-Cola Company
• Nelson Gonzalez, co-founder of Alienware
• Efraim Grinberg, CEO of Movado watches
• Gedalio Grinberg, founder and former CEO of Movado watches
• Carlos Gutierrez, former CEO of Kellogg Company
• Bobby Maduro, baseball entrepreneur; owner of Havana Sugar Kings
• Jorge Mas Canosa, CEO of MasTech, political activist, former head of Cuban-American National Foundation
• Alex Meruelo, CEO of the Muruelo Group
• Alvaro de Molina, Chief Financial Officer of Bank of America Corporation
• Antonio Luis Navarro, former vice president of W. R. Grace and Company
• Jorge M. Perez, real estate developer, CEO of the Related Group
• Joe Quesada, CCO of Marvel Entertainment; former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics
• George Reyes, Chief Financial Officer of Google
• Marcos A. Rodriguez, entrepreneur, broadcaster, movie producer
• Felix Sabates, entrepreneur, philanthropist, holds ownership in NASCAR, Charlotte Bobcats

Education

• Dr. Ruth Behar, anthropologist, poet, and filmmaker, first Latina recipient of a MacArthur award, University of Michigan
• Dr. George J. Borjas, Robert W. Scrivner Professor of Economics and Social Policy, Harvard University
• Dr. Ana Mari Cauce, President of the University of Washington, Seattle
• Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre, prolific author on Hispanic religiosity, Iliff School of Theology
• Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez, Antonio Madero Professor of Mexican and Latin American Politics and Economics, Chairman of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University
• Dr. Roberto González Echevarría, Sterling Professor of Hispanic and Comparative Literature, Yale University
• Dr. Carlos M. N. Eire, T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University; his memoir of the Cuban Revolution, Waiting for Snow in Havana (Free Press, 2003), won the National Book Award for non-fiction
• Dr. Jorge J. E. Gracia, Samuel P. Capen Chair in Philosophy, University at Buffalo
• Dr. Robert Lima, Knight Commander, Order of Queen Isabel of Spain; academician ANLE; Corr. Member RAE; Emeritus Professor and Emeritus Fellow, IAH (Penn State University)
• Dr. Modesto A. Maidique, former President of Florida International University
• Dr. Elsa A. Murano, President of Texas A&M University
• Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, President of Miami Dade College, immediate past chair of the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE)
• Dr. Alejandro Portes, Professor of Sociology, Director of the Center for Migration and Development, Princeton University
• Dr. Gregory Rabassa, literary translator and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures at Queens College, City University of New York and in the Ph.D. Program in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures of the Graduate School and University Center of the CUNY Graduate Center
• Dr. Carmen Reinhart, Minos A. Zombanakis Professor of the International Financial System, Harvard Kennedy School
• Dr. Teofilo Ruiz, Distinguished Professor of History, UCLA and recipient of the National Humanities Medal at the White House
• Dr. Rubén G. Rumbaut, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Irvine
• Dr. Ernest Sosa, Board of Governors Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University
• Armando Vilaseca, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Education

Entertainment

Cameron Diaz

Andy García

Joanna Garcia

Eva Mendes

Actors

• Laz Alonso, actor
• Odette Annable, actress (Cloverfield); Cuban mother
• Desi Arnaz, actor (I Love Lucy)
• Desi Arnaz Jr., actor
• Lucie Arnaz, actress
• Nelson Ascencio, comedian (MADtv)
• Ariana Barouk, TV host, actress, model, and singer; represented Cuba in the seventh edition of the environmentally oriented Miss Earth, international beauty pageant
• María Canals Barrera, voice actress
• Steven Bauer, actor (Scarface, ¿Qué Pasa, USA?, credited as Rocky Echevarría)
• Jason Canela, actor; brother of Jencarlos Canela
• Jencarlos Canela, actor (Mas sabe el diablo)
• Bobby Cannavale, actor (Third Watch, Will & Grace), Cuban mother
• Irene Cara, actress (Flashdance)
• Nestor Carbonell, actor (Suddenly Susan, Lost, The Dark Knight, The Lost City)
• Matt Cedeño, actor and model
• Eddie Cibrian, actor (Vanished, Invasion)
• Damien Crosse, actor
• Valerie Cruz, actress (Nip/Tuck, The Dresden Files)
• Sammy Davis, Jr., actor, singer, dancer; mother was of mostly Cuban descent, though often reported as Puerto Rican
• Rosario Dawson, American actress (Rent, Kids), mother of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban descent
• Kamar de los Reyes, soap opera actor (One Life to Live)
• Cameron Diaz, actress (father was of Cuban descent)
• Guillermo Díaz, actor (films Half Baked, Party Girl)
• Joey Diaz, actor and comedian
• Emiliano Díez, actor (the George Lopez TV series)
• Majandra Delfino, actress (Roswell)
• Marieh Delfino, actress
• Raúl Esparza, actor
• Mel Ferrer, actor
• Daisy Fuentes, model and television personality (MTV's House of Style)
• David Fumero, soap opera actor (One Life to Live)
• Gene Gabriel, actor (Numb3rs, Law & Order: Criminal Intent)
• David Gallagher, actor, 7th Heaven, Cuban mother
• Melissa Gallo, television actress, One Life to Live
• Robert Gant, actor (Queer as Folk)
• Andy García, Academy Award-nominated actor (The Godfather Part III, Ocean's Eleven, Oceans Twelve, The Lost City)
• Joanna García, film and television actress (Reba)
• Jorge Garcia, actor (Lost)
• Jsu Garcia, actor
• Nona Gaye, singer and actress (Ali)
• Carlos Gómez, actor
• Marga Gomez, comedian/playwright
• Adam Irigoyen, actor (Shake It Up)
• Oscar Isaac, actor, (Inside Llewyn Davis, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
• David Lago, actor
• Paul Le Mat, American actor of partially Cuban descent
• William Levy, actor
• Faizon Love, actor, born Langston Faizon Santisima
• Natalie Martinez, actress (Sons of Tucson)
• Ana Margarita Martínez-Casado, actress (El Super, ¿Qué Pasa, USA?)
• Eva Mendes, actress (Hitch, 2 Fast 2 Furious)
• Olga Merediz, actress and singer
• Christina Milian, singer and actress (Be Cool)
• Louisa Moritz, Cuban-American actress, real estate holder and former lawyer
• Enrique Murciano, actor (Without a Trace)
• Giovanni Niubo, Cuban-American actor
• Oscar Nuñez, actor (The Office)
• Luis Oquendo, actor (film, Guaguasi, ¿Qué Pasa, USA?)
• Elizabeth Peña, actress (Rush Hour)
• Danny Pino, actor (Cold Case)
• Tony Plana, actor (Ugly Betty)
• Carlos Ponce, actor and singer; born in Puerto Rico to Cuban immigrants
• Armando Riesco, actor (film Garden State)
• Adam Rodríguez, actor (CSI: Miami), of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent
• Génesis Rodríguez, actress (Dona Barbara, Dame Chocolate and Prisionera)
• Cesar Romero, actor (The Joker on Batman (1960s TV series), Ocean's Eleven, Week-End in Havana)
• Mercedes Ruehl, Academy Award-winning (The Fisher King) and Tony Award-winning actress, mother is of part Cuban descent
• Caitlin Sanchez, actress (Dora The Explorer)
• Marco Sanchez, actor
• Saundra Santiago, actress (Miami Vice, The Sopranos)
• Tessie Santiago, actress (Queen of Swords), (Good Morning, Miami)
• Bianca A. Santos, actress (The Fosters)
• Cristina Saralegui, famous Hispanic talk show host
• Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress (The Sopranos), mother is of Cuban descent
• Georg Stanford Brown, actor (Roots)
• Bella Thorne, actress Shake It Up; father was of Cuban descent
• Oscar Torre, actor and director (Hangover III, Cane, Ladrón que roba a ladrón)
• Gina Torres, actress (The Matrix sequels, Firefly and Serenity)
• Tammy Trull, American actress of Venezuelan and Cuban descent
• Bob Vila, This Old House host
• Jordi Vilasuso, actor (Guiding Light)

Cartoonists

• Antonio Prohías, creator of Mad Magazine's Spy vs Spy series

Directors, screenwriters and producers

• Ozzie Alfonso, TV director, writer, producer; directed Sesame Street in the 1970s; was senior producer, writer, ad director of 3-2-1 Contact in the 1980s; free-lanced for many clients; adjunct college professor at St. John's University
• Manny Coto, executive producer (24), writer (24, Star Trek: Enterprise)
• René Echevarria, writer (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Medium), co-creator of The 4400
• Andy García, director (The Lost City)
• Silvio Horta, creator and writer (Ugly Betty), writer (Urban Legends, Jake 2.0)
• Leon Ichaso, director/screenwriter (El Super), director (Ali: An American Hero, Crossover Dreams, Pinero, El Cantante)
• Joe Menendez, TV and film director (Ladrón que roba a ladrón), director (A Golden Christmas 2: The Second Tail, Hunting of Man), co-executive producer of (Imagination Movers)
• Roberto Orci, executive producer (Star Trek, The Proposal) and writer (Transformers, Eagle Eye, Star Trek)
• George A. Romero, American film director, screenwriter and editor (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead), creator of the Living Dead film series; son of a Cuban-born father of Castilian Spanish parentage and a Lithuanian American mother
• Amy Serrano, director, cimematographer, and writer (The Sugar Babies), producer of documentary films, poet

Fashion

• Lazaro Hernandez, fashion designer; born in Miami
• Jorge Manuel, bridal fashion
• Narciso Rodriguez, fashion designer
• Isabel Toledo, former creative director for Anne Klein; designed Michelle Obama's inauguration day dress

Musicians

Gloria Estefan

Rock

• Juan Croucier, rock bassist (Ratt, Dokken, Quiet Riot)
• Dave Lombardo, drummer of Slayer
• Al Jourgensen, frontman of Ministry; born in La Habana, Cuba, to Cuban and Norwegian parents
• Rudy Sarzo, rock bassist (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Manic Eden, Dio)
• Al Jourgensen, frontman of Ministry; born in La Habana, Cuba, to Cuban and Norwegian parents
• Tico Torres, drummer of Bon Jovi, singer
• Paul Masvidal, guitarist for metal band Cynic; born in Puerto Rico to Cuban parents
• Johnny Goudie, rock musician
• Frank Ferrer, American rock drummer and session musician
• Nil Lara, rock musician

Latin American popular music

• Gloria Estefan, 7-time Grammy-winning and Academy Award-nominated singer
• Emilio Estefan, 19-time Grammy-winning producer
• Camila Cabello, member of the girl group Fifth Harmony
• Lauren Jauregui, member of the girl group Fifth Harmony
• Franky Gee, member of German eurodance group Captain Jack; born in Cuba, of African American descent

Singers

• Roger Miret, singer for Agnostic Front
• Jorge Moreno, Grammy award-winning singer, writer and TV producer
• JD Natasha, Latin pop musician
• Albita, Grammy-winning singer
• Elizabeth Caballero, lyric soprano
• Willy Chirino, singer
• Olga Guillot, singer
• Addys D'Mercedes, singer
• Celia Cruz, multiple Grammy-winning singer
• Nayer, American singer of Cuban parents
• Syesha Mercado, singer
• A. J. McLean, member of the Backstreet Boys; of Cuban and German ancestry on his mother's side
• Martika, Grammy-nominated singer/actress (film Annie; television series Kids Incorporated)
• Courtney Love, actress and frontwoman of rock band Hole; great-grandmother was Cuban immigrant
• Lissette, singer, actress; wife of Willy Chirino; daughter of Olga y Tony
• Rey Ruiz, singer
• Mayra Verónica, singer, model, television personality
• Jon Secada, two-time Grammy-winning singer
• Carly Simon, singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author; mother, Andrea Louise Simon, was of German, French, and Afro-Cuban descent
• The DeCastro Sisters, singing group
• Lola Falana, singer, actress and dancer
• Ana Cristina, singer, songwriter, actress, Miss South Florida USA 2011
• Angela Bofill, American R&B and jazz singer and songwriter of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent
• Irene Cara, Oscar and Grammy-winning singer (Flashdance), actress (Fame); born in the Bronx, New York; mother was an American of Cuban descent

Rap & hip-hop

• Pitbull, Cuban American; born in Miami, Florida
• P-Star, rapper, actress Born: Priscilla Star Diaz
• Ángel, Cuban American rapper
• Sen Dog, Cuban rapper, member of Cypress Hill
• B Real, member of rap group Cypress Hill; born Louis Freese; father is Mexican, mother is Cuban
• Don Dinero, rapper, born Jose Manuel Guitian
• Olivia, born Olivia Longott; rapper; Cuban and Jamaican
• Mellow Man Ace, "godfather of Latin hip hop"; born Ulpiano Sergio Reyes; Afro-Cuban

Producers

• Desmond Child, American musician, songwriter, and producer; mother is Cuban songwriter Elena Casals
• Scott Herren, music producer; father is Catalan and mother is of Irish and Cuban descent
• Rudy Pérez, Cuban composer and music producer
• Tonedeff, American rapper, producer, and singer-songwriter; Cuban mother and Colombian father

Percussionists

• Francisco Aguabella, Afro-Cuban master percussionist
• Chano Pozo, Afro-Cuban, Latin Jazz percussionist, conga player
• Horacio Hernandez ("El Negro"), Grammy-winning drummer and percussionist
• Walfredo Reyes, Jr., percussionist and drum set player; born in Havana to a historically musical Cuban family; former member of Santana; current member of Chicago; expert in jazz, Latin, world music, world fusion, Afro-Cuban, and rock

Composers and/or bandleaders

• Xavier Cugat, bandleader
• Arsenio Rodríguez (1911–1970), Cuban musician, composer and bandleader; born in Cuba, he died in United States, where he lived in the last years of his life
• Lucy Simon, American composer for the theatre and popular songs; known for the musical The Secret Garden; sister of Carly and Joanna Simon

Classical

• Joanna Simon, mezzo-soprano; sister of Carly Simon
• Manuel Barrueco, classical guitarist
• Andrés Cárdenes, violinist
• René Touzet, composer, pianist
• Zenaida Manfugas, concert pianist
• Horacio Gutiérrez, prize-winning classical concert pianist
• Jorge Bolet, classical concert pianist specializing in Liszt
• José Curbelo (1917–2012), Cuban-born American pianist and manager

Jazz

• Fats Navarro (1923–1950), American jazz trumpet player; a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s; of Cuban-Black-Chinese descent
• Arturo Sandoval, jazz trumpeter and pianist; composer
• Mongo Santamaría, Latin jazz musician Grammy winner
• Paquito D'Rivera, Grammy-winning saxophonist
• Mario Bauza, trumpeter, saxophonist, composer, arranger, bandleader and Afro-Cuban Jazz pioneer

Folk, country and other music

• Nini Camps, Cuban-American folk rock singer-songwriter
• La Lupe, singer and gay icon
• Raúl Malo, lead singer of American country music band The Mavericks
• Ras Juan Perez, international Cuban reggae star, member and founder of the reggae group Arawak Jah in Orlando, Florida
• Voltaire, dark cabaret musician; born Aurelio Voltaire Hernández

Reality television contestants

• Rachel Campos, featured on The Real World: San Francisco
• Jose "Pepi" Diaz, contestant on season 5 of The Apprentice
• Marlon Fernández, winner of Objetivo Fama (third season)
• Janette Manrara, finalist, So You Think You Can Dance, Season 5
• Jeanine Mason, winner of Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance
• Ashley Massaro, Survivor: China contestant, WWE wrestler, Playboy model
• Syesha Mercado, American Idol contestant
• Chris Núñez, artist and reality television personality (Miami Ink)
• Melissa Padrón, featured on The Real World: Miami
• Veronica Portillo, Playboy model and Road Rules contestant
• Janu Tornell, Vegas showgirl and reality show contestant (Survivor)
• Pedro Zamora, AIDS activist, featured on The Real World: San Francisco

Writers

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Cuban American writers.

• Alex Abella, mystery/crime novelist, non-fiction writer, and journalist
• Mercedes de Acosta, poet, playwright
• Reynaldo Arenas, poet, author
• Joaquín Badajoz, poet, author, essayist, member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language
• Richard Blanco, Spanish born poet
• Rafael Campo, Cuban born American poet
• Nilo Cruz, playwright, the first Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
• Silvia Curbelo, poet
• Carmen Agra Deedy, children's books author
• Carlos Eire, writer, won the 2003 National Book Award in Nonfiction
• Frank Fernández, anarchist, author of exile-related themes
• Roberto G. Fernández, novelist
• María Irene Fornés, playwright
• Paula Fox, author, winner of Hans Christian Andersen Medal, biological grandmother of musician Courtney Love
• Cristina García, novelist
• Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, mystery novelist and descendant of Cuban independence patriot Francisco Vicente Aguilera
• Oscar Hijuelos, first Hispanic to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction
• José Kozer, poet, author of over sixty books and Pablo Neruda Ibero-American Poetry Prize 2014
• Robert Lima, author of twenty-seven books, poet, literary critic, biographer, editor, translator, bibliographer
• Rosa Lowinger, author of Tropicana Nights: the Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub
• Ana Menéndez, author (books In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd and Loving Che)
• Anaïs Nin, author
• Achy Obejas, novelist
• Ricardo Pau-Llosa, poet, art critic
• Carlos Pintado, author, playwright and award-winning poet of Sant Jordi International Prize for Poetry
• Jorge Reyes, memoirist, short-story writer, poet, children's books
• Antonio Sacre, children's books, playwright
• Cecilia Samartin, novelist, (books Broken Paradise, Tarnished Beauty, Vigil)
• Virgil Suárez, novelist
• Piri Thomas, author (memoir Down These Mean Streets)
• Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, writer (The Dirty Girls Social Club)
• Armando Valladares, writer (Against All Hope: A Memoir of Life in Castro's Gulag)

Journalists

• Jim Acosta, CNN's Senior White House Correspondent
• Jessica Aguirre, anchor for KNTV NBC Bay Area News, San Francisco, California
• Manny Alvarez, medical correspondent for Fox News Channel
• Cathy Areu, founder of Catalina magazine
• Liz Balmaseda, columnist, Miami Herald
• Bárbara Bermudo, anchor, Primer Impacto
• Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, business news general assignment reporter for CNBC television
• Myrka Dellanos, former anchor, Primer Impacto
• GiGi Diaz, sports reporter, Pompano Park, and journalist in Miami
• José Díaz-Balart, anchor and reporter
• Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, National Public Radio
• Max Gomez, medical correspondent for WCBS-TV in New York City
• Pedro Gomez, ESPN reporter and Barry Bonds' bete-noire
• Eva Golinger, journalist and presenter
• Ambrose E. Gonzales, co-founder of The State newspaper in South Carolina and author of several books in Gullah language
• Narciso Gener Gonzales, co-founder of The State newspaper in South Carolina
• Perez Hilton, celebrity blogger and television personality
• Dan Le Batard, sportswriter for The Miami Herald
• Tom Llamas, correspondent for ABC News
• Antonio Mora, host on Al Jazeera America
• Belkys Nerey, anchor WSVN, Fox in Miami
• Jackie Nespral, anchor WTVJ, NBC in Miami
• Soledad O'Brien, Al Jazeera America correspondent, independent producer
• Mirta Ojito, Pulitzer Prize winner
• Rafael Pineda, veteran TV personality, former anchor WXTV in New York City
• Ellie Rodriguez, anchor WSVN in Miami
• Maggie Rodriguez, co-anchor of CBS's The Early Show
• Mari Rodriguez Ichaso, filmmaker, columnist, journalist, Vanidades, Harper's Bazaar en Espanol, Travel & Leisure en Espanol
• Rick Sanchez, anchor
• Amile Waters, Cuban born head sports editor and columnist; radio personality;painter of the "Dark Metal" arts; former American pornographic and indie film actress; daughter of a Cuban mother and Guyanese father

Government

United States ambassadors

• Eduardo Aguirre, former United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra
• Everett Ellis Briggs, United States Ambassador to Panama
• Paul L. Cejas, former United States Ambassador to Belgium
• Miguel H. Díaz, United States Ambassador to Holy See
• Lino Gutierrez, former United States Ambassador to Argentina
• Hugo Llorens, United States Ambassador to Honduras
• Carlos Pascual, former United States Ambassador to Mexico
• Mauricio Solaún, former United States Ambassador to Nicaragua

Cabinet members

• Carlos Gutierrez, former United States Secretary of Commerce
• Mel Martinez, former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• John H. Sununu, White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush and former governor of New Hampshire

United States House of Representatives

• Carlos Curbelo, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Florida's 26th district
• James Devereux, former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Maryland's 2nd district
• Lincoln Díaz-Balart, Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Florida's 21st district
• Mario Díaz-Balart, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Florida's 25th district
• Joe Garcia, former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Florida's 26th district
• Joseph Marion Hernández, first Hispanic elected to the United States Congress
• Alex Mooney, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing West Virginia's 2nd district
• David Rivera, Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Florida's 25th district
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Florida's 18th district
• Albio Sires, Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 13th district

2008 Congressional candidates

• Raul L. Martinez, Democratic candidate for Florida's 21st district

United States Senate

• Ted Cruz, United States Senator (R–Texas)
• Mel Martinez, former United States Senator (R-Florida)
• Bob Menendez, United States Senator (D–New Jersey), and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; former representative for New Jersey's 13th district
• Marco Rubio, United States Senator (R-Florida)
• John E. Sununu, former United States Senator (R-New Hampshire), former representative for New Hampshire's 1st district

Federal government

• Al Cardenas, Washington, D.C. lobbyist
• Alex Castellanos, Republican media consultant; senior advisor to 2008 Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney
• Nils J. Diaz, former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Emilio T. Gonzalez, Ph.D, director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• Eliot A. Jardines, first Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open Source
• Otto Reich, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
• Mauricio J. Tamargo, 14th Chairman of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission

Local government

• Carlos Alvarez, mayor of Miami-Dade County
• Joe Carollo, former mayor of Miami
• Manny Diaz, mayor of Miami
• Rosario Kennedy, former commissioner and vice-mayor of Miami
• Raul L. Martinez, former mayor of Hialeah
• Carlos Mayans, mayor of Wichita, Kansas
• Alex Penelas, former mayor (D–FL), Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Tomas Regalado, mayor of Miami
• Julio Robaina, former mayor of City of Hialeah
• Xavier Suarez, former mayor of Miami
• Silverio Vega, mayor of West New York, New Jersey
• Bill Vidal, former mayor of Denver, Colorado; born in Camagüey, Cuba

State government

• Zulima Farber, former Attorney General of New Jersey
• Anitere Flores, Florida State Senator and former Florida State Representative, first Republican Hispanic woman to serve in both the Florida House and Senate since 1986
• Bob Martinez, former governor of Florida, first Cuban-American governor in United States history
• Joseph Miró, Delaware state representative, president National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
• Alex X. Mooney, member of the Maryland state senate representing District 3
• Vincent Prieto, New Jersey State Assemblyman, 32nd District
• Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator from Florida, and former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
• Katherine Fernandez Rundle, State Attorney for Miami-Dade County

U.S. Commonwealth government

• Roberto Arango, Puerto Rico Senator

Judiciary

• Cecilia Altonaga, United States District Court Judge
• Danny Boggs, Chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati
• Raoul G. Cantero, III, first Hispanic justice on the Florida Supreme Court
• Adalberto Jordan, United States District Court Judge
• Jorge Labarga, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court
• Jose L. Linares, United States District Court Judge of United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey
• Joseph H. Rodriguez, United States District Court Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey
• Eduardo Robreno, United States District Court Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia
• Esther Salas, United States District Court Judge of United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey
• Mauricio J. Tamargo, Chairman of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission

United States Armed Forces

• Adolfo Fernández Cavada, Captain in the Union Army during the American Civil War who later served as Commander-in-Chief of the Cinco Villas during Cuba's Ten Year War
• Federico Fernández Cavada, Colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later Commander-in-Chief of all the Cuban forces during Cuba's Ten Year War
• Mercedes O. Cubria, Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army; first Cuban born female officer in the US Army
• Julius Peter Garesché, Lieutenant Colonel in the Union Army who served as Chief of Staff, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans
• Ambrosio José Gonzales, Colonel in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War
• Erneido Oliva, Major General; former deputy commander of the D.C. National Guard
• Félix Rodríguez, U.S. Army helicopter pilot, former CIA officer known for his involvement in the Bay of Pigs Invasion and his involvement in the capture and interrogation of Che Guevara
• Lola Sánchez, Confederate spy during the American Civil War; played an instrumental role in the Confederate victory in the Battle of Horse Landing
• Loreta Janeta Velazquez (1842-c.1902), aka Lieutenant Harry Buford, Cuban-born woman who claimed that she masqueraded as a male Confederate soldier during the American Civil War

World leaders

• Éamon de Valera, third president of Ireland

Science and technology

• Aida de Acosta, first female to fly a powered aircraft
• Aristides Agramonte, physician, pathologist and bacteriologist
• Luis Walter Alvarez, Nobel Prize winning experimental physicist (his paternal grandfather immigrated from Spain to Cuba and then to the United States)
• Serena M. Auñón, American physician, engineer, and NASA astronaut
• Nils J. Diaz, former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Isabel Pérez Farfante, carcinologist
• Carlos Juan Finlay (1833–1915), Cuban physician and scientist recognized as a pioneer in yellow fever research
• Albert Siu, internist and geriatrician at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City

Visual arts

• Mercedes de Acosta, socialite, author, best known for her affairs with Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich
• Rita de Acosta Lydig, socialite
• Jose Ramon Diaz Alejandro, painter
• José Bernal, artist
• Fernando Bujones, ballet dancer
• Manuel Carbonell (1918–2011), the last of the Cuban master sculptors; lived and died in Florida
• Jose Manuel Carreño, award-winning ballet dancer, American Ballet Theatre
• Humberto Castro, painter
• Emilio Cruz (1938–2004), American artist of African and Cuban descent; his work is held in several major museums in the United. States
• Alberto Cutié, priest and television host, EWTN, and a daily talk show on Telemundo Network
• Alina Fernández, radio personality, daughter and critic of Fidel Castro
• Teresita Fernández, artist
• Coco Fusco, artist and writer
• Agustin Gainza, artist
• Joe Garcia, 2008 Democratic congressional candidate
• Félix González-Torres, artist
• Jose Acosta Hernandez, artist
• Dinorah de Jesús Rodriguez, experimental filmmaker
• Josignacio, abstract artist
• Nelson De La Nuez, pop artist, designer
• Guerra de la Paz, Cuban born, American artist duo Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz, who work in sculpture, installation and photography
• Ana Mendieta, performance artist, feminist
• Maria Teresa Mestre, wife of Luxembourg's constitutional monarch Grand Duke Henri; her title is Grand Duchess
• Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos, woman at the center of the Carl Tanzler case
• Corso de Palenzuela, outsider-primitive-visionary visual artist
• Javier Peres, contemporary art dealer
• Henry Pollack, radio host of "Havana Rock"
• Charles "Bebe" Rebozo, close friend and confidant of President Richard Nixon; key Watergate scandal figure
• Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, artist
• Emilio Sánchez, contemporary art painter and lithographer
• Consuelo Yznaga, wife of George Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester

Others

• Juanita Castro, sister of former Cuban President Fidel Castro and incumbent President Raúl Castro; has lived in the United States since 1964 and is a naturalized citizen
• Michelle Font, beauty queen who won Miss Washington USA and competed in the Miss USA pageant on April 11, 2008 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada; of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent
• Emilio Núñez (1855–1922), soldier, dentist, and politician
• Manny Puig, Cuban born wildlife entertainer
• Enrique Ros (died April 10, 2013), Cuban born businessman and activist opposed to Cuban president Fidel Castro
• Andrea Louise Simon, community leader
• Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, Cuban born lawyer; writer; historian; expert in the field of human rights and international law; retired high-ranking United Nations official; peace activist; since 2012 the United Nations Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order (also known as Special Rapporteur), appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council