By iDominick – Wikimedia

Top 10 Famous Columbian people


 

There is nothing as precious as having pride in where you come from. This can be said of Colombians who love and cherish their culture and traditions.

Columbians are famous when it comes to football, acting, singing, food and culture.

Whenever one spots bright yellow, blue and red jerseys, they quickly relate it to the Columbian national football team.

Celebrities from Columbia never miss giving their country a shout as they represent their country on stage.

With that said, here are the top 10 famous Columbian people.

1. Shakira – Singer

By Serenity – Sourced from Wikimedia

She is one of the most popular musicians in the world. Starting in her own backyard, Shakira moved to the English market while still representing her country.

Shakira not only sings but is also a songwriter, producer, dancer and actress. She grew up in Barranquilla and has come to be known as the Queen of Latin music.

Shakira made her recording debut at the age of 13 under Sony Music Colombia.

Although her first two albums did not do so well, her third and subsequent albums were a success in Hispanic countries.  

She made an entry into the English-speaking market in 2001 following the release of her 5th album.

Shakira was a coach on two seasons of the American singing competition television series The Voice between 2013 and 2014.

2. Sofía Vergara – Actress

By iDominick – Photo sourced from Wikimedia

She is famous for her role in the comedy series Modern Family. Sofia has always made sure she represented her country.

Her character’s role shared the same background as her and there was frequent mention of her country Colombia.

The show shed light on Colombian culture and its customs.

Sofia got nominated for the Emmy Award from her role as Gloria Delgado in the film Modern Family. She has also featured in Meet the Browns, Happy Feet Two and Hot Pursuit.

3. J Balvin – Singer

He is so proud of Colombia, that he makes it known wherever he goes. J Balvin is a popular Columbian reggaeton artist known both at home and in the continent.

His given name is José Álvaro Osorio Balvín but goes by the name J Balvin. He has been labelled as the Prince of Reggaeton.

J Balvin has sold more than 35 million records both singles and albums worldwide.

At 17, he moved to the United States to learn the English language from Medellin and lived in Oklahoma and New York.

He later returned to Medellín and became popular after performing at clubs in the city.

The Guinness World Records acknowledged him as a leader of a second-generation reggaeton.

4. James Rodríguez – Footballer

By Danilo – Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Another famous Columbian person is James Rodriguez who is a popular football star. He started playing in youth tournaments in his home town Medellin.

A few years later, he moved to Munich playing for Bayern Munich, Monaco and Madrid. He has been recognized as one of the country’s best players.

His father was a professional footballer who played in Cucuta in northern Columbia. This talent was passed on to his son who was an instant natural at the football field.

James went ahead to inherit his father’s number 10 shirt in the national team.

5. Juan Manuel Santos – Former President of Colombia (2010-2018)

Retired President Santos with Hillary Clinton. Photo by State Department – Sourced from Wikimedia

Juan Manuel won The Nobel Peace Prize 2016, his motivation being the resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end.

Santos was born in Bogota, Colombia. He served in the Navy for a few years before going to study economics at the University of Kansas, later the London School of Economics, and finally Harvard University.

Before venturing into politics, Santos worked as a journalist and editor.

As a politician, he represented the liberal-conservative Partido Social de Unidad Nacional. He served as Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Finance and Public Credit and as Minster of National Defense.

In 2010 he was elected president of Colombia.

6. Fernando Botero – Painter and Sculptor

Fernando Botero is a Colombian painter and sculptor. He has been recognized as one of the few Latin American artists with great acceptance internationally.

His artistic style gave each of his characters the protagonist role, this style made him popular. He also used volumetric stylization of figures and objects.

Fernando always infused daily life in Colombia in his art. He also featured historical references such as Mona Lisa and abuses of power.

He drew inspiration from artists like Francisco de Goya and Diego Velazquez whose work he saw at the Prado Museum in Madrid.

His works can be viewed in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museo Botero in Bogotá.

7. Nairo Quintana – Cyclist

By Katie Chan – Sourced from Wikimedia

From a famous painter, we move to one of Columbia’s top cyclists.

Nairo Quintana has participated in several cycling races and won Vuelta a España 2016, Tour de Romandía 2016, Giro d’Italia 2014, Volta a Cataluña 2013. He came in third in the 2013 Tour de France.

Nairo is a specialist climber who has the ability to launch sustained and repeated attacks on ascents of steep gradient and endure others’ attacks.

He is also a decent time trialist as well as being a consistent contender for the general classification at stage races.

Nairo’s peak was when he won the 2014 Giro d’Italia and 2016 Vuelta an España. He is not the only one in the family that cycles, his brother Dayer is also a professional cyclist.

8. Catherine Siachoque – Actress and Model

Catherine continues to represent the beautiful women of Colombia. She was born in Bogota and has become a household name when it comes to Columbian Television.

Her popular films include Missing, Las Juanas, and Without Breasts There Is No Paradise.

She has played different roles from a soft character to a villain. In her role in La Casa de al Lado, she played a villain.

Catherine has had a continuing role in the telenovela Sin senos hay Paraiso.

9. Karol G – Reggaeton Singer

Karol G has made a name for herself as a woman in the reggaeton world. Born and raised in Medellin, Karol G has been described as reggaeton and Latin trap artist.

Her first public performance was at the Columbian spinoff of the X Factor talent show. She remains to be the most prominent female artist in the reggaeton scene.

In 2018, Karl G won the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist and was nominated for several Billboard Latin Music Awards.

10. Ximena Duque – Actress

Ximena has built a name and brand for herself in the acting world. She is greatly loved by her fellow Columbians.

She was born in Cali, Valle del Cauca in Columbia but grew up in Miami Florida where she studied acting and accent neutralization. Throughout the years, Ximena Duque has acted in quite a lot of telenovelas with Telemundo.

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