15 famous people from Colombia: from singers to soccer stars

15 famous people from Colombia: from singers to soccer stars

Colombia is a diverse and culturally rich country with a vibrant blend of indigenous, African, and European influences. Various famous people from Colombia have gained fame worldwide. Colombia boasts some of the industry's most talented individuals doing well, from singers to actors.

famous people from colombia
Colombian celebrities from (L-R) Carmen Villalobos, Charlie Zaa and Sofía Vergara. Photo: Raymond Hall, Victor Chavez, Steve Granitz on Getty (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Colombia is a country in South America, with insular regions in North America. The country has produced many famous individuals who have significantly contributed to various fields, such as acting, music, sports, and politics. Below is a list of notable figures from Colombia you can easily recognise.

15 most famous people from Colombia

Colombia has given rise to numerous individuals who have become popular worldwide. This list entails some of the most famous Colombians, ranging from actors, singers, and TV personalities to businesspeople.

1. Shakira

famous people from colombia
Shakira at the Billboard Latin Conference at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo: Manny Hernandez
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
  • Place of birth: Barranquilla, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 2 February 1977

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Shakira has been called the "Queen of Latin Music" and praised for her musical versatility. She is one of the famous Colombian celebrities doing great in the music industry. She served as a coach on two seasons of the American singing competition television series The Voice. Shakira has released 11 studio albums, five live, two compilations, and 69 singles.

2. Pablo Escobar

celebrities from colombia
Drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, boss of the Medellin cartel, and his wife Maria Victoria in 1983, in Colombia. Photo: Eric
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria
  • Place of birth: Rionegro, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 1 December 1949

Pablo Escobar made insane amounts of money from illegal dealings. He ran The Medellin Drug Cartel, one of the most violent gangs in history. Escobar was infamous for keeping cash in walls, beneath floors, and in other hidden locations. He did so while attempting to avoid arrest. Pablo Escobar died on 2 December 1993 in Medellín, Colombia. There have been many movies and TV series based on his life.

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3. Sofía Vergara

colombian celebrities
Sofia Vergara attends the Clooney Foundation for Justice's 2023 Albie Awards at the New York Public Library in New York City. Photo: Taylor Hill/WireImage
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara
  • Place of birth: Barranquilla, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 10 July 1972

Sofia is a talented Colombian and American actress and television personality. She has appeared in numerous films and TV series such as Collateral Damage, Madea Goes to Jail, My Wife and Kids and The Simpsons. She is also a businesswoman. She launched the beauty brand Toty, named after her childhood nickname.

4. Gabriel Garcia Marquez

famous colombians
Colombian writer and Nobel Prize in literature winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez poses for a portrait session in Cartagena, Colombia. Photo: Ulf Andersen
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez
  • Place of birth: Aracataca, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 6 March 1927

Gabriel is a novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist. Some of his best-known novels are One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981), and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). García Márquez died on April 2014. He is regarded as one of the best and famous Colombians in history.

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5. Catherine Siachoque

famous colombian people
Catherine Siachoque poses for a photo during the red carpet presentation of the TV show 'Mujeres Asesinas' at Estacion Indianilla in Mexico City, Mexico. Photo: Mediosy Media
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: María Alexandra Catherine Siachoque Gaete
  • Place of birth: 21 January 1972
  • Date of birth: Bogotá, Colombia

Catherine is among the famous actors from Colombia. She has appeared in numerous numerous telenovelas such as La sombra del arco iris, Sin senos no hay paraíso and El final del paraíso. Since 1999, she has been married to Argentine-Colombian producer, actor, and director Miguel Varoni.

6. Charlie Zaa

colombia celebrities
Charlie Zaa performs at Centro de Bellas Artes in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photo: GV Cruz
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Carlos Alberto Sánchez
  • Place of birth: Girardot, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 30 January 1974

Zaa is one of the famous singers from Colombia whose father, Luis Humberto Sánchez, was also a singer. Since commencing his solo career, Charlie Zaa has released over ten albums.

Lauren Mia Sanchez, his daughter, was a survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in 2018, which killed 17 people, including one of her teachers.

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7. Carmen Villalobos

famous colombian people
Carmen Villalobos speaks on a panel during People en Español 6th Annual Festival To Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month - Day 1 in New York City. Photo: Jared Siskin
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Carmen Villalobos
  • Place of birth: Barranquilla, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 13 July 1983

Carmen Villalobos is among the famous Colombian people best known for her character Catalina Santana in the telenovela Sin senos no hay paraíso. She has also appeared in El Señor de los Cielos, Made in Cartagena and Hasta que la plata nos separe.

8. James Rodriguez

famous colombian soccer players
James Rodriguez of Colombia celebrates after scoring the first goal of his team during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match. Photo: Gabriel Aponte
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: James David Rodríguez Rubio
  • Place of birth: 12 July 1991
  • Date of birth: Cúcuta, Colombia

James is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club São Paulo and the Colombia national team.

He has been praised for his technique, vision, and playmaking skills. He is among the most famous Colombian soccer players, having played for various teams such as Everton, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

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9. Ana Lucía Domínguez

most famous colombians
Ana Lucia Dominguez poses for photos during the red carpet of Cosmopolitan Fashion Night at Campo Marte in Mexico City, Mexico. Photo: Carlos Tischler
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Ana Lucía Domínguez Tobón
  • Place of birth: Bogotá, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 2 December 1983

Ana has been passionate about acting since childhood. This made her study speech, acting, and body language. She has been nominated for several awards. Some of her acting credits include Sofia in Who Killed Sara?, Irene Buenaventura in El fantasma del Gran Hotel and Jackeline Monsalve in Se armó la gorda.

10. Jorge Enrique Abello

famous colombians in history
Jorge Enrique Abello attends the People En Espanol's "Star Of The Year" Celebration at The Shore Club in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo: Alexander Tamargo
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Jorge Enrique Abello
  • Place of birth: Bogotá, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 28 February 1968

Jorge is one of the famous people born in Colombia. He is an actor who has performed roles in various telenovelas. He has appeared in TV series such as Night School, Dreams Never Sleep, Night School, Thousand Fangs, and Los graduados.

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11. Paula Garcés

famous people born in colombia
Paula Garces attends The HBO Max Celebration of The Release Of Their New Film "No Sudden Move" With a 50s-themed Event held at The Dresden in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Albert L. Ortega
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Paula Garcés
  • Place of birth: 20 March 1974
  • Date of birth: Medellín, Colombia

Paula is one of the famous celebrities from Colombia who is known for her appearance in films such as Clockstoppers, Man of the House, Harold & Kumar, CSI: Miami, On My Block, The Shield, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Guiding Light and All My Children.

12. Germán Efromovich

colombian celebs
Germán Efromovich, President of Synergy Group at Avianca headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: Paulo Fridman/Corbis
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Germán Efromovich
  • Place of birth: La Paz, Bolivia
  • Date of birth: 28 March 1950

Germán Efromovich is a Bolivian-born entrepreneur with Brazilian, Colombian, and Polish citizenship. His work history includes:

  • Selling encyclopedias.
  • Converting Mexican films into Portuguese.
  • Running a school in So Bernardo do Campo.

He runs Synergy Group, which is in Rio de Janeiro. He also owns stakes in Wayraper, Avianca Ecuador, and OceanAir, renamed Avianca Brasil later.

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13. Patricia Janiot

colombian celebrities
Patricia Janiot attends the AID for AIDS My Hero Gala 2019 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Photo: Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Ángela Patricia Janiot Martirena
  • Place of birth: Bucaramanga, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 2 October 1963

Patricia is a popular American-Colombian celebrity who is a news anchor, former beauty queen, and model. She was a senior news anchor for 25 years at CNN en Español. She also worked as a news anchor and senior correspondent at Noticias Univision. As a model, she participated in the Miss Colombia pageant in 1983.

14. Juan Pablo Montoya

famous colombian people
Juan Pablo Montoya, former F1 driver during the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix of FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Gongora/NurPhoto
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán
  • Place of birth: Bogotá, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 20 September 1975

Juan Pablo Montoya is a Colombian racing driver who has competed in open-wheel, sports, and stock car racing events. He has driven the BMW FW26, ranked as one of the fastest F1 cars ever. Juan Pablo Montoya drove at an average speed of 162.9 mph or 162.2 km/h in qualifying and thus became a lap record.

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15. J Balvin

most famous colombians
J Balvin during an in-store appearance to release J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 Retro PS ‘Medellín Sunset at We The Best x Snipes store in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo: John Parra
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: José Álvaro Osorio Balvín
  • Place of birth: Medellín, Colombia
  • Date of birth: 7 May 1985

J Balvin is one of the best-selling Latin artists, with over 35 million records sold worldwide. Balvin has won numerous awards throughout his career, including eleven Billboard Latin Music Awards, six Latin Grammy Awards, and five MTV Video Music Awards. He is also the only Colombian celeb artist to reach number one on the Billboard charts 174 times.

Colombia has produced some of the best and most talented individuals. The above famous people from Colombia are talented and are regarded as high-profile individuals from the country. Many other individuals have also helped to put the country on the global map.

Legit.ng recently published a list of the most famous Italian artists and painters. Italy is a country with a rich cultural history spanning centuries. The country has continued to inspire creativity and innovation as far as art is concerned.

The Mediterranean nation has produced some of the greatest artists in the world. From Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to Caravaggio, check out this list of the most famous Italian painters across different generations.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Mercy Mbuthia avatar

Mercy Mbuthia (Lifestyle writer) Mercy Mbuthia is a content writer with five years of experience writing on various topics, including biographies, entertainment, and lifestyle. She joined the Legit team in 2019. Mercy earned a Master of Science (Food, Nutrition & Dietetics) from Dedan Kimathi University in 2022. Her articles have appeared on several media sites such as The Health Channel, The Nation, Tekrati, ValiantCEO and Celebrity Leader. In 2023, Mercy finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. Email: mercymmbuthia18@gmail.com

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