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Learn About 25 Famous People From Cuba; Desi Arnaz, Antonia Rey, Orlando Gregorio Peña, Daisy Fuentes, and a whole lot more!

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Famous People From Cuba

(   (  ( #25 b. 18 April 1819 )  )   )

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo (d. February, 1874 San Lorenzo, Oriente) was a Cuban planter who freed his slaves and made the declaration of Cuban independence in 1868 which started the Ten Years' War.

The Ten Years' War

Céspedes was a landowner and lawyer in eastern Cuba, near Bayamo, who purchased La Demajagua, an estate with a tobacco plantation, in 1844 after returning from Spain. On October 10, 1868, he made the Grito de Yara (Cry of Yara), declaring Cuban independence, which began the Ten Years' War. That morning, after sounding the slave bell that indicated to his slaves it was time for work, they stood before him waiting for orders, and Céspedes announced they were all free men, and were invited to join him and his fellow conspirators in war against the Spanish government of Cuba. For this, he is called Padre de la Patria (Father of the Country). In April 1869 he was chosen President of the Republic of Cuba in Arms.

The Ten Years' War was the first serious attempt to achieve independence from Spain, and to free all slaves. The war was fought between two groups. In the East of Cuba the tobacco planters and farmers, joined by mulattos and some slaves, fought against the West of Cuba, with its sugarcane plantations (which required many slaves) and the forces of the Spanish Governor-General. Hugh Thomas summarises thus: The war was a conflict between criollos (creoles, born in Cuba) and peninsulares (recent immigrants from Spain). The Spanish forces and the peninsulares, backed by rich Spanish merchants, were at first on the defensive, but in the longer run their greater resources told.

Céspedes was deposed in 1873 in a leadership coup. Spanish troops killed him in February 1874 in a mountain refuge, as the new Cuban government would not let him go into exile and denied him an escort. The war ended in 1878 with the Pact of Zanjón. The pact did make concessions: liberation of all slaves and Chinese who had fought with the rebels, no action for political offences; but not freedom for all slaves, and no independence. The Grita de Yara had achieved something, though not enough; but it had lit a long-burning fuse. Lessons learned there were later put to good use in the Cuban War of Independence.

(   (  ( #24 b. 11 May 1881 )  )   )

Alfredo A. Cabrera was a former major league shortstop. His nickname was Pájaro, which is Spanish for "Bird."

He played his one and only major league game on May 16, 1913. He went a disappointing 0-2 at the plate in that game. However, he did make history as he became the first Spanish-born and also the first and even to this day only African-born major leaguer.

Cabrera played in the Cuban League from 1901 to 1920 and was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942. He also managed in the Cuban League and won a championship in the winter of 1915/16 as manager of the Almendares team.

(   (  ( #23 b. 13 September 1887 )  )   )

Dr. Ramón Grau San Martín (d. July 28, 1969, Havana, Cuba) was a Cuban physician and the 7th and 15th President of Cuba (1933–1934, 1944–1948).

His mother, a rich tobacco grower, wanted him to continue in his footsteps, but he wanted to be a doctor. He studied at the University of Havana and graduated in 1908 with a degree of Doctor of Medicine. He then lived in Europe to expand his medical knowledge and returned to Cuba in 1921 and became a professor of physiology at the University of Havana.

In the 1920s he was involved with the student protests against then-president Gerardo Machado, and in 1931 he was jailed. Upon his release he went into exile in the United States.

Though he initially became President, he was eventually marginalized by army chief of staff Fulgencio Batista, who distanced the military from other elements of the revolution and became de facto leader of Cuba behind the scenes. Batista forced Grau's resignation in 1934. That same year he went on to found the Partido Auténtico.

His niece, Pola Grau Alsina (1915–2000), served as First Lady of Cuba.

(   (  ( #22 b. 16 January 1901 )  )   )

Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (d. August 6, 1973) was a Cuban President, dictator, and military leader closely aligned with and supported by the United States. He served as the leader of Cuba from 1933–1944, and 1952–1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution.

Batista initially rose to power as part of the 1933 "Revolt of the Sergeants" that overthrew the government of Gerardo Machado, becoming the Army Chief of Staff, with the rank of colonel, and effectively controlling the five-member Presidency. He maintained this control until 1940, when he was himself elected President of Cuba, serving until 1944. From 1944-1952 he lived in the United States, returning to Cuba as leader of a U.S. backed coup that preempted the 1952 elections in which Batista was running a distant third.

Throughout the 1950s, Batista's corrupt and repressive regime systematically profited from the exploitation of Cuba's commercial interests, in partnership with U.S. corporations and the American Mafia. As a result, for three years Fidel Castro's July 26th Movement and other rebelling elements led a guerrilla uprising against Batista's regime which culminated in his eventual defeat following the Battle of Santa Clara on New Year's Day 1959. Batista immediately fled the island with an amassed personal fortune.

Batista eventually found political asylum in Portugal, where he lived until dying of a heart attack on August 6, 1973 near Marbella, Spain.

(   (  ( #21 b. 14 August 1903 )  )   )

Millard Mitchell (d. October 13, 1953) was an American character actor whose credits include roughly thirty feature films and two television appearances.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Mitchell appeared as a bit player in eight films between 1931 and 1936. He returned to film work in 1942 after a six-year absence. Between 1942 and 1953, Mitchell was a successful supporting actor.

For his performance in the 1952 film, My Six Convicts, Millard Mitchell won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Mitchell is also known for his role as Col. Rufus Plummer in Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948), as Gregory Peck's commanding officer in the war drama Twelve O'Clock High (1949), and as movie mogul "R. F. Simpson" in the musical comedy Singin' in the Rain (1952).

Mitchell died at the age of fifty from lung cancer in Santa Monica, California and was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

(   (  ( #20 b. 02 March 1917 )  )   )

Desi Arnaz (d. December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the classic American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to whom he was married at the time.

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(   (  ( #19 b. 02 March 1917 )  )   )

Antonio Prohías (January 17, 1921 – February 24, 1998), born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, was a cartoonist most famous for creating the comic strip Spy vs. Spy for MAD Magazine.

(   (  ( #18 b. 13 August 1926 )  )   )

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician and former president. One of the primary leaders of the Cuban Revolution, Castro served as the Prime Minister of Cuba from February 1959 to December 1976, and then as the President of the Council of State of Cuba and the president of Council of Ministers of Cuba until his resignation from the office in February 2008. He currently serves as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, a position he has held since 1965.

(   (  ( #17 b. 12 October 1927 )  )   )

Antonia Rey is a Cuban actress.

Rey was born Antonia Francesch in Havana, Cuba, the daughter of Emilia (née Rangel), a nurse, and Antonio Francesch, a dentist. She married director Andres Castro in 1958.

Rey is better known for her cameos in various movies like Jacob's Ladder and King of the Gypsies. She has also appeared in shows such as Who's the Boss?, Third Watch, Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

(   (  ( #16 b. 29 October 1930 )  )   )

Omara Portuondo Peláez is a Cuban singer and dancer whose career has spanned over half a century. She was one of the original members of the Cuarteto d'Aida, and has performed with Ignacio Piñeiro, Orquesta Anacaona, Orquesta Aragón, Nat King Cole, Adalberto Álvarez, Los Van Van, the Buena Vista ensemble, Pupy Pedroso, Chucho Valdés and Juan Formell. She currently tours worldwide alone and with the spinoff band the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club.

(   (  ( #15 b. 03 June 1931 )  )   )

Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz is the President of the Cuban Council of State and the President (As Premier) of the Council of Ministers of Cuba. The younger brother of Fidel Castro, he is also Second Secretary of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, and Air Force)

On 31 July 2006, Raúl Castro assumed the duties of President of the Council of State in a temporary transfer of power due to Fidel Castro's illness. According to the Cuban Constitution of 1976, Article 94, the First Vice President of the Council of State assumes presidential duties upon the illness or death of the president.

Raúl Castro was elected President at the 24 February 2008 National Assembly as Fidel Castro had announced his intention not to stand for President again on 19 February 2008.

(   (  ( #14 b. 17 November 1933 )  )   )

Orlando Gregorio Peña [peh-nya] (b. in Victoria de Las Tunas, Cuba) is a former pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between 1958 and 1975 for the Cincinnati Reds (1958-60), Kansas City Athletics (1962-65), Detroit Tigers (1965-67), Cleveland Indians (1967), Pittsburgh Pirates (1970), Baltimore Orioles (1971, 1973), St. Louis Cardinals (1973-74) and California Angels (1975). He batted and threw right-handed.

In a 14-season career, Peña posted a 56-77 record with 818 strikeouts and a 3.71 ERA in 427 games pitched, including 93 starts, 21 complete games, four shutouts, 40 saves, and 1202.0 innings.

(   (  ( #13 b. 09 October 1941 )  )   )

Chucho Valdés (b. Jesús Dionisio Valdés in Quivicán, Cuba) is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. In 1972 he founded the group Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists. His father is the famed Cuban pianist and former director of Havana's famous "Tropicana" night club band Bebo Valdés.

Chucho has won three Grammy awards: one in 1978 for the album Live at Newport by Irakere, a second in 1998 for his contribution to the CD Havana by his band Crisol (formed in 1997), with two songs Mr. Bruce and Mambo para Roy written by Chucho, and the third in 2003 for his album Live at the Village Vanguard.

On 16 October 2006, Chucho Valdés was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In 2008 Sony released an album of Chucho playing with his father Bebo Valdés.

Chucho's son, Chuchito, is also a jazz pianist.

(   (  ( #12 b. 26 August 1947 )  )   )

Emiliano Díez is a Cuban film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Vic Palmero in the sitcom George Lopez, as well as his role as Manny Beltrán in the sitcom Los Beltrán.

(   (  ( #11 b. 26 August 1947 )  )   )

Rudy Sarzo is a Cuban American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. Sarzo has played with many well known heavy metal acts including Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Manic Eden, Dio and Blue Öyster Cult.

(   (  ( #10 b. 17 November 1966 )  )   )

Daisy Fuentes (b. in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban-American model and television personality. Daisy Fuentes broke barriers as MTV's first Latina VJ (Signed to MTV US and MTV Latin America simultaneously), and as Revlon's first Latina spokesperson to be signed to a worldwide contract.

(   (  ( #09 b. 16 February 1965 )  )   )

Dave Lombardo (b. in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with American thrash metal band Slayer. He has performed with Slayer on seven albums, including their groundbreaking 1986 release Reign In Blood and their 2006 release Christ Illusion, for which he received critical praise. Lombardo's music career has spanned more than 25 years, during which he has been involved in the production of 29 commercial recordings spanning a number of major genres with bands such as Grip Inc., Fantômas, and Testament in addition to Slayer.

(   (  ( #08 b. 02 July 1964 )  )   )

Osvaldo "Ozzie" Canseco Capas (b. in Havana, Cuba) is a former Major League Baseball player and the identical twin brother of former Major League Baseball player José Canseco.

(   (  ( #07 b. 19 October 1964 )  )   )

Jorge Luis Gonzalez (DOB disputed) is a former heavyweight boxing contender and prospect born in Havana, Cuba. He won the gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games and the 1987 Pan American Games and the former WBO Latino Heavyweight Champion.

(   (  ( #06 b. 06 January 1964 )  )   )

Carlos Santiago Espada Moises (born January 6, 1964), also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent. Konnan is well-known in Mexico due to his appearances on Mexican television, particularly with the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, and has in the past been described as "the Mexican Hulk Hogan", reflecting his mainstream popularity.

(   (  ( #05 b. 20 November 1965 )  )   )

Sen Dog (born Senen Reyes) is a Cuban rapper, and member of rap group Cypress Hill. He is the older brother of fellow rapper Mellow Man Ace.

Sen Dog has been developing his own solo career in addition to his work with Cypress Hill. Along with his brother Mellow Man Ace, he formed the duo "The Reyes Brothers" and in October 2006 released the album "Ghetto Therapy." In addition to his work with Cypress Hill and Mellow Man Ace, he headlines the rap rock band SX-10.

(   (  ( #04 b. 20 August 1977 )  )   )

Mayra Verónica (b. in Havana, Cuba), is a Cuban-born, American-raised model and singer who acquired her fame in the United States. Verónica's role on Univision's Don Francisco Presenta brought her to the attention of FHM magazine's US edition. After appearing in FHM she was included in its 2004 calendar and went on to do additional magazine work. She made appearances on many Spanish language television shows, as well as appearing in music videos and television commercials.

(   (  ( #03 b. 14 June 1978 )  )   )

Annia Portuondo Hatch (b. in Guantánamo, Cuba) is a Cuban-American gymnast who competed for the United States at the 2004 Olympics.

(   (  ( #02 b. 23 December 1981 )  )   )

Yuriorkis Gamboa Toledano is a Cuban professional boxer who, as an amateur boxer, won an Olympic gold medal in the flyweight division at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the current WBA "Regular" Featherweight Champion. Gamboa's younger brother is fellow professional boxer Yoelvis Gamboa.

(   (  ( #01 b. 09 June 1984 )  )   )

Yulieski Gourriel is a Cuban baseball player. A member of Cuba's national team and Sancti Spíritus in the Cuban National Series, Gourriel is primarily a third baseman, though he has also played other positions, such as shortstop and 2nd base. The son of former Cuban player Lourdes Gourriel, Yulieski is currently regarded as the best player in Cuba and, at the World Baseball Classic in 2006, Major League Baseball scouts projected that Gourriel would be a first-round draft pick if he were eligible for the draft.

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