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. Anthony Quinn (1915 - 2001)

With an HPI of 79.24, Anthony Quinn is the most famous Mexican Actor. His biography has been translated into 78 different languages on wikipedia.

Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 film, television and stage roles between 1936 and 2002. He was a two-time Academy Award winner, and was also nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and a Tony Award. Quinn was born in Chihuahua City, Mexico, and was raised in El Paso, Texas and East Los Angeles. After stints as a boxer and an architect, he made his film debut in the Cecil B. DeMille Western The Plainsman in 1936. Initially typecast as a "heavy" and playing other minor parts as well, he was gradually cast in more substantial parts, including co-starring roles in Blood and Sand (1941) and The Ox-Bow Incident (1943). He won his first Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor, for his portrayal of Eufemio Zapata in Viva Zapata! (1952), becoming the first Mexican-born performer to win an Academy Award. He received his second Oscar in 1957 for Lust for Life. He would be nominated for Best Actor twice more, for his roles in Wild is the Wind (1958) and Zorba the Greek (1964). His other notable films included La Strada (1954), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Guns for San Sebastian (1968), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Across 110th Street (1972), The Message (1976), Lion of the Desert (1980), Jungle Fever (1991) and Seven Servants (1996). He also starred in the Broadway plays A Streetcar Named Desire (replacing Marlon Brando), Becket (earning a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play), and Zorba (reprising his film role). Aside from his acting career, Quinn was also a civil rights activist, an avid painter, and the author of several autobiographical books. In 1987, he was presented with the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. Through both his artistic endeavors and activism, he is considered a seminal figure of Latin-American representation in the media of the United States.

2. Silvia Pinal (1931 - 2024)

With an HPI of 66.60, Silvia Pinal is the 2nd most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Silvia Pinal Hidalgo (12 September 1931 – 28 November 2024) was a Mexican actress. She began her career in theatre before venturing into cinema in 1949. She became one of the greatest female stars of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and, with her performance in Shark! (1969), part of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her work in film and popularity in her native country led Pinal to work in Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy. Pinal achieved international recognition by starring in a trilogy of films directed by Luis Buñuel: Viridiana (1961), The Exterminating Angel (1962) and Simon of the Desert (1965). In addition to her film career, Pinal pioneered musical theatre in Mexico, had a successful career in television, and held a series of public roles and political offices, including First Lady of Tlaxcala in the 1980s and elected terms in the Chamber of Deputies, the Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District, and the Senate of the Republic. She was considered "the last diva" of the Golden Age of Mexican film.

3. Sara Ramirez (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 62.68, Sara Ramirez is the 3rd 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.

4. Adriana Barraza (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 59.56, Adriana Barraza is the 4th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Adriana Barraza González (born 5 March 1956) is a Mexican actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Babel (2006).

5. Gael García Bernal (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 59.38, Gael García Bernal is the 5th most famous Mexican Actor. His biography has been translated into 56 different languages.

Gael García Bernal (Spanish: [ɡaˈel ɣaɾˈsi.a βeɾˈnal]; born 30 November 1978) is a Mexican actor and filmmaker. He is known for his performances in the films Amores perros (2000), Y tu mamá también (2001), Bad Education (2004), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Babel (2006), Coco (2017), Old (2021), Cassandro (2023) and Magellan (2025). On television, he portrayed music conductor Rodrigo De Souza in the series Mozart in the Jungle (2014–2018), and starred as the titular character in the Disney+ special Werewolf by Night (2022). García Bernal was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of a young Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries in 2005, and in 2016 won his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for Mozart in the Jungle. He and fellow actor Diego Luna founded the production company Canana Films in Mexico City. In 2016, Time magazine named him in the annual Time 100 most influential people list. In 2020, The New York Times ranked him No. 25 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.

6. Ana Martín (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 58.52, Ana Martín is the 6th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ana Beatriz Martínez Solórzano (born 14 May 1945), known professionally as Ana Martín, is a Mexican actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She won the Miss Mexico 1963. which took her to compete in Miss World 1963 in London, where she was disqualified for being underage. Since 1965 she has appeared in numerous telenovelas and films.

7. Eugenio Derbez (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 58.33, Eugenio Derbez is the 7th most famous Mexican Actor. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Eugenio González Derbez (Spanish: [ewˈxenjo ðeɾˈβes]; born September 2, 1961) is a Mexican actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films and television series, including The Book of Life, The Angry Birds Movie 2, and CODA. In the 2010s, he appeared in many American films and television series, such as Jack and Jill, Girl in Progress, Rob!, and Miracles from Heaven. Derbez provided the Spanish dubs for many characters in the Spanish versions of American films, including Dr. Dolittle, Mulan, 102 Dalmatians, and the Shrek franchise.

8. Lupita Nyong'o (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 57.75, Lupita Nyong'o is the 8th 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.

9. Maite Perroni (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 57.02, Maite Perroni is the 9th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Maite Perroni Beorlegui (born 9 March 1983) is a Mexican actress, singer, songwriter, and producer. She gained international fame in 2004 after starring in the Mexican youth telenovela Rebelde, which launched the pop-rock group RBD, nominated for a Latin Grammy. As an actress, Perroni's career began in 2004, and she has since starred in numerous television series. She gained acclaim in 2009 when she was named "The New Queen of Telenovelas" by Univision. In 2016, she won the Premios TVyNovelas for Best Actress for her work in Antes muerta que Lichita. She has also starred in the Netflix series Dark Desire and Triada, portraying triplets in the latter. She has also lend her voice to the Huevos franchise since its third film, voicing the character Di. Perroni also provided the voice for the Tooth Fairy in the Latin American Spanish dub of the 2012 DreamWorks Animation film Rise of the Guardians. In 2012, Perroni signed a contract with Warner Music Group and the following year released her debut solo album Eclipse de Luna (2013), which debuted at number 3 on the AMPROFON chart, the main table of Mexican albums, and peaked at numbers nine and two on the Billboard Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts, respectively.

10. Kate del Castillo (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 56.89, Kate del Castillo is the 10th most famous Mexican Actor. Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Kate del Castillo Negrete Trillo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkejd del kasˈtiʝo neˈɣɾete ˈtɾiʝo]; born October 23, 1972) is a Mexican and American actress. At the age of 19, del Castillo became known for her lead role in the telenovela Muchachitas for Televisa in 1991. Afterwards, she continued her career in film and television in Latin America, playing the leading roles in telenovelas, including Alguna vez tendremos alas (1997), La Mentira (1998), Ramona (2000), Bajo la misma piel (2003–04) and La Reina del Sur (2011–present). In 2011, del Castillo earned worldwide recognition for playing the lead role in the Telemundo series La Reina del Sur. In 2017, she went on to star in the Netflix political drama series Ingobernable, playing First Lady of Mexico Emilia Urquiza. Since then, del Castillo has starred in the Peacock comedy-drama series 'Til Jail Do Us Part (2022), and the Fox crime drama series The Cleaning Lady (2024). Del Castillo made her Hollywood debut as the female lead in the 2007 drama film Under the Same Moon, and later appeared in supporting roles in the films K-11 (2011), No Good Deed (2014), The 33 (2015), El Chicano (2019), and Bad Boys for Life (2020).

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 Sara Ramirez, Adriana Barraza, and Gael García Bernal. The most famous deceased Mexican actors include Anthony Quinn, Silvia Pinal, and Irma Serrano. As of April 2024, 24 new Mexican actors have been added to Pantheon including Michael Ronda, Eduardo Yáñez, and Arturo Peniche.