Contributors to our Panamenian
Culture and Heritage
Panamanians who have made national and international contributions to our culture and heritage. Click here if you would like to suggest a Notable Panamanian to our list.
- Politicians and elected officials
- Artist & entertainers
- Writers, novelist, poets and essayist.
- Entrepreneurs
- Religious personalities
- Public figures
Dra. Enitza George
Family Medicine
Board Certified Family Practice Physician, a long-distance runner and an athletic trainer.
Justo Arroyo
Educator, ambassador, and writer
He is the recipient of multiple national and international awards for his books.
Luis Russell
Jazz pianist
Pioneering Panamanian jazz pianist, orchestra leader, composer and arranger.
Roberto Morgan
Publisher and organizer
Publisher and organizer of the Annual Encuentro Folklorico Panameno held in different cities in the United States.
Laffit Pincay Jr.
Jockey
Was once flat racing’s winningest all-time jockey, still holding third place many years after his retirement.
Marcos G. McGrath
Roman Catholic Archbishop
Roman Catholic Archbishop. McGrath served as Archbishop of Panama until his retirement on April 18, 1994.
Princess Angela
Wife of Prince Maximilian
Wife of the highest ranked black members of a reigning European dynasty.
Gerardo Maloney
Sociologist, writer, educator
Ambassador of the Republic of Panama to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago 2004 -2009.
Eusebio Pedroza
Boxer
Boxer who held the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight championship from 1978 to 1985.
Humberto Robinson
Major League Baseball relief pitcher
First Panamanian to be drafted and played for Major League Baseball-April 20, 1955(USA)
Ismael Laguna
Boxer
Known as “El Tigre Colonense”, Laguna was the Featherweight Champion from 1962-63.
Juan Williams
Journalist
Writer, poet, missionary, minister and subsequent bishop of the Methodist Church (MCCA).
Lloyd La Beach
First Olympic medalist
Former sprinter from Panama, who won two bronze medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Margarita Henríquez
Latin American Idol
Winner of the third season of Latin American Idol, which she won on October 9, 2008.
Lorraine Dunn
Olympic sprinter
At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, she was Panama’s Flag Bearer in the Opening Ceremonies.
George Headley
Outstanding Cricketer
Considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time and the best batsmen to play for the West Indies
Mariano Rivera
Baseball pitcher
Rivera is regarded by baseball experts as one of the most dominant relievers in major league history.
Rubén Blades
Singer, Songwriter, Actor
Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, actor, Latin jazz musician and activist.
Ephraim S. Alphonse
Missionary, Minister
Writer, poet, missionary, minister and subsequent bishop of the Methodist Church (MCCA).
Irving Saladino
Long jump gold medalist
Won a gold medal in the long jump during 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Nuria Fernandez
GM/CEO for VTA
Nuria White Fernandez is the daughter of the late Vilma Peart de White and Edward White of Panama.
Patricio Scantlebury
Professional baseball player
First Panamanian to play professional baseball outside of Panama-Negro League (USA)
El General
Reggae artist
El General (born Edgardo Franco) is a Reggae artist considered by some to be one of the Fathers of Reggaeton.
Panama Al Brown
Boxer
Bantamweight boxer from Panama who made history by becoming boxing’s first Hispanic world champion.
BY NAME
A |
L |
|
| Jesus Almenas guitarist, composer | Lloyd LaBeach first Olympic medal holder of Panama | |
| Pedro Altamiranda singer, composer | Ismael Laguna boxer | |
| Ephraim S. Alphonse minister | Vincent Laresca actor | |
| Nancy Ames singer | Bobby Lashley professional wrestler | |
| Tanya Aparicio pianist | Oscar Willis Layne cyclist | |
| Julio E. Linares treasury Minister, foreign minister | ||
B |
Hector Lopez baseball player | |
| Ernesto Perez Balladares former president | Victoriano Lorenzo patriot | |
| Felipe Baloy soccer player | Los Rabanes music group | |
| Nicolas Ardito Barletta former president |
M |
|
| Bayano rebel slave | Arnulfo Arias Madrid former president | |
| Panama Al Brown boxer | Harmodio Arias Madrid former president | |
| Jose Dominador Bazan politician | Carlos Francisco Chang Marin folklorist, painter, musician, journalist, activist, writer | |
| Nadia Noemi Franco Bazan writer | Norma Mascoll first female US Director of Engineering and Housing | |
| Reginald Beckford sprinter, first gold medalist of Panama | Luis Anderson McNeil former Minister of Labor | |
| William Bedford basketball player | Ramiro Mendoza baseball player | |
| Ruben Blades singer, actor, minister of tourism | Orlando Miller baseball player | |
| Nando Boom reggae artist | Ricardo Miro poet | |
| Miguel Bose actor, singer | Mireya Moscoso former president | |
| Jordana Brewster actress | Jaime Murrell singer | |
| Floyd Britton political dissident | Julio Ernesto Murray bishop | |
| Rosa Maria Britton writer | ||
| Panama Al Brown first Hispanic world boxing champion | ||
N-P |
||
C-D |
Manuel Chong Neto painter | |
| Rod Carew baseball player | Manuel Antonio Noriega dictator | |
| Jorge Cham webcomics producer, author | Ben Oglivie baseball player | |
| Kenneth Bancroft Clark psychologist, writer | Justine Pasek Miss Universe 2002 | |
| Graciela Dixon lawyer | Eusebio Pedroza boxer | |
| Billy Cobham drummer | Danilo Perez pianist | |
| Irichelle Duran boxer | Laffit Pincay Jr. jockey | |
| Roberto Duran boxer | Jose Luis Rodriguez Pitti photographer, author | |
| Belisario Porras former president | ||
E-G |
||
| El General reggae artist |
S |
|
| Guillermo Endara former president | Irving Saladino Panama’s first Olympic gold medallist | |
| Martin Torrijos Espino former president | Manny Sanguillen baseball player | |
| Alfonso Frazier world champion boxer | Alfredo Sinclair artist | |
| Carlos Fuentes writer | Olga Sinclair artist | |
| Charles Patrick Garcia businessman, author | Alfredo Smith, Jr. jockey | |
| Carlos Garnett jazz musician | Mauricio Smith musician | |
| Melva Lowe Goodin author | Rachel Smith Miss USA 2007 | |
| Gloria Guardia author | Melissa De Sousa actress | |
| Edward Ashton Gaskin Stuart educator, labor leader | ||
H-K |
||
| Omar Torrijos Herrera national guard leader |
T-Z |
|
| Esteban Huertas independence fighter | Marc Anthony Thompson musician, actor | |
| Jorge Illueca diplomat, politician | Consuelo Tomas author | |
| Leroy Jackson basketball player | Omar Torrijos former dictator | |
| Roberto Kelly baseball player | Urraca chieftain | |
| Roberto Vasquez boxer | ||
| Juan Williams television correspondent | ||
| Ingrid De Ycaza singer | ||
| Hilario Zapata boxer | ||
| Aaron Zebede actor, producer |
BY OCCUPATION
Artist |
Politics |
|
| Carlos Francisco Chang Marín, folk artist | Arnulfo Arias Madrid, former president | |
| Chafil Cheucarama, Wounaan carver, illustrator, and painter | Harmodio Arias Madrid, former president | |
| Antonio Jose Guzman, artist | Nicolás Ardito Barletta, former president | |
| José Luis Rodríguez Pittí, poet, artist | Guillermo Endara, former president | |
| Pablo Runyan, painter | Esteban Huertas, independence fighter | |
| Alfredo Sinclair, painter | Jorge Illueca, diplomat and politician | |
| Olga Sinclair, painter | Julio E. Linares, Foreign Minister (1989–1993) | |
| Alicia Viteri, painter | Ricardo Martinelli, former president | |
| Darcilyn S’Masdeu, painter,artistic designer | John McCain, American politician, 2008 presidential nominee | |
| Mireya Moscoso, former president | ||
Beauty queens and fashion models |
Manuel Antonio Noriega, former dictator | |
| Ester Cordet, former Playboy Playmate of the Month | Ernesto Pérez Balladares, former president | |
| Justine Pasek, former Miss Universe | Belisario Porras, former president | |
| Rachel Smith, former Miss USA | Dudley Thompson, Jamaican Pan-Africanist and politician | |
| Martín Torrijos Espino, former president | ||
Business |
Omar Torrijos, former dictator | |
| Ursula M. Burns, CEO of Xerox | ||
| Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines |
Sports |
|
| Roberto Corbin, soccer player | ||
Entertainment |
Manuel Corpas, professional baseball player | |
| Erika Ender, musician/composer | Ed Cota, basketball player | |
| Sharon Aguilar, musician/composer | Kevin Daley, basketball player and Harlem Globetrotter | |
| Pedro Altamiranda, singer/composer | Frank Davis, professional football player | |
| Nancy Ames, singer | Jorge Dely Valdés, soccer player | |
| Tanya Aparicio, pianist | Einar Díaz, professional baseball player | |
| Aloe Blacc, singer | Roberto Durán, world boxing champion | |
| Rubén Blades, singer, actor, former Minister of Tourism | Rommel Fernández, soccer player | |
| Miguel Bosé, Spanish actor and singer | Gary Forbes, professional basketball player | |
| Jordana Brewster, actress | Alfonso Frazer, world champion boxer | |
| Rod Carrillo, Latin music producer, label owner | Rubén Garcés, former basketball player | |
| Casanova, rapper | Stuart Gray, professional basketball player | |
| Billy Cobham, drummer, for Mahavishnu Orchestra | Reggie Grenald, professional basketball player | |
| Melissa De Sousa, actress (film The Best Man) | Darius Holland, professional football player | |
| La Factoría, Spanish reggae duo | George Headley, cricket player | |
| Flex, Spanish reggae artist | Leroy Jackson, professional basketball player | |
| Gaitanes, singers, musical producers, composers | Guillermo Jones, professional boxer | |
| Carlos Garnett, jazz saxophonist | Bayano Kamani, track and field athlete | |
| El General, Spanish reggae artist | Roberto Kelly, baseball player | |
| Margarita Henríquez, singer | Kevin Kurányi,German soccer player | |
| Lori Heuring, actress | Lloyd La Beach, first Olympic medal winner from Panama | |
| Clark Kent, rap music producer | Bobby Lashley, martial arts fighter and wrestler | |
| Vincent Laresca, actor | Carlos Lee, professional baseball player | |
| Eddy Lover, Spanish reggae artist | Héctor López, professional baseball player | |
| Makano, Spanish reggae artist | Jorge Luján, boxer | |
| Jaime Murrell, singer | José Macías, professional baseball player | |
| Uncle Murda, rapper | Ernesto Marcel, professional boxer | |
| Nando Boom, reggae artist | Ramiro Mendoza, professional baseball player | |
| Danilo Pérez, jazz pianist, producer, composer | Orlando Miller, professional baseball player | |
| José Quintero, Broadway director | Omar Moreno, professional baseball player | |
| Los Rabanes, reggae-rock band | Ben Oglivie, professional baseball player | |
| J. August Richards, actor | Eusebio Pedroza, former world boxing champion | |
| Coco Rodriguez, singer, actress | Jaime Penedo, soccer player | |
| Daphne Rubin-Vega, actress and singer | Laffit Pincay, Jr., horse jockey | |
| Samy y Sandra Sandoval, singer, musician | Luis Antonio Rivera, soccer player | |
| Alexis Texas, American adult film actress | Mariano Rivera, professional baseball player | |
| Aaron Zebede, actor, director and producer. | Rubén Rivera, professional baseball player | |
| Jorge I. Ledezma Bradley, Musician, Founder of”Musica Viva” | Humberto Valentino Robinson, major league baseball player | |
| Davis Romero, professional baseball player | ||
Historical figures |
Carlos Ruiz, professional baseball player | |
| Bayano, rebel slave | Olmedo Sáenz, professional baseball player | |
| Floyd Britton, political dissident | Irving Saladino, former World and Olympic track and field champion | |
| Edward Ashton Gaskin Stuart, educator and labor leader | Manny Sanguillén, professional baseball player | |
| Victoriano Lorenzo, patriot | Rennie Stennett, professional baseball player | |
| Luis Anderson McNeil, former labor minister | Luis Tejada, soccer player | |
| Belisario Porras, former president | Ruben Tejada, professional baseball player | |
| Urracá, chieftain | Roberto Vásquez, professional boxer | |
| Roberto Wallace, professional football player | ||
Journalism |
Oscar Willis Layne, cyclist | |
| Escolastico Calvo, journalist | Hilario Zapata, professional boxer | |
| Gwen Ifill, television correspondent and host | ||
| Sacha Pretto, Univision news anchor |
Literature |
|
| Juan Williams, television correspondent | Rosa María Britton, writer | |
| Carlos Fuentes, Mexican writer (born in Panama) | ||
Religious Personalities |
Gloria Guardia, novelist and essayist | |
| Ephraim S. Alphonse, Writer, poet, missionary and minister | Ricardo Miró, poet | |
| Julio Ernesto Murray, Bishop Episcopal Church | Rogelio Sinán, poet and writer | |
| José Luis Rodríguez Pittí, writer | ||
Lawyers |
Consuelo Tomás, writer | |
| Harley Mitchell, Retired President of the Panama Supreme Court | ||
| Graciela Dixon, Retired President of the Panama Supreme Court | Reverence: Wikipedia: List of Panamanians | |
