30 Latina and Hispanic Actresses to Know in 2024

Appearing in one of the summer’s most anticipated films, Barbie, America Ferrera is no stranger to the big screen. Born in LA with Honduran roots, she first made her debut with Real Women Have Curves and hasn’t stopped since. From The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants to Ugly Betty and more, she has won countless awards and accolades for her performances.

Barbie Ferreira is a Brazilian actress and model who grew up in New York City and New Jersey. She started out as a plus-size model for brands like Aerie and Forever 21, and she has appeared in series such as How to Behave and Divorce. However, she is most known for playing Kat in the popular teen drama series Euphoria which has won countless awards.

Melissa Barrera is a well-known actress in both Mexico and the U.S. While she has appeared in several Mexican telenovelas over the years, she has played prominent characters in the U.S. as well. Most of us are familiar with her role as Sam Carpenter from Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023). Plus, she was nominated for her roles in the TV series Vida and in the musical In the Heights for Best Actress!

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Annie Gonzalez is an actress, singer, dancer and public figure. She first got her start at the age of 10 when Annie became a dancer for JammX Kids. Now you can find her in popular shows like Shameless and Gentefied to movies like Flamin’ Hot and East of the Mountains.

Hailing from the Bronx, New York, Jennifer Lopez has made a name for herself as an actress, singer, producer and businesswoman. After getting her start in Hollywood in 1997, she has amassed a roster of movies, including The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan and Enough. Most recently, she starred in the movie The Mother. J.Lo also showed her creative process when it comes to performing music in the Netflix documentary Halftime.

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Like other Latina actresses, Salma Hayek first stepped in front of the cameras for a telenovela. She gained notoriety playing the lead in Teresa. In the U.S., she turned heads with her incredible performance of artist Frida Kahlo in the award-winning movie Frida. Over the last year, Salma has continued to make her mark in Hollywood with parts in Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard and House of Gucci.

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Constance Marie gave memorable performances in the family sitcom George Lopez and the TV drama Switched at Birth but she was first known for her portrayal of Selena Quintanilla‘s mother in the 1997 biopic Selena. Since then, the 56-year-old actress has been featured in Amazon Prime’s With Love and Undone.

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Eva Longoria was born to Mexican American parents in Corpus Christi, Texas (the same hometown as the late singer Selena Quintanilla). After making her acting debut in The Bold and the Beautiful, she landed parts in other daytime soap operas including General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. Eva later translated those talents to network TV with Desperate Housewives. Currently, she has a CNN docuseries coming out inspired after Stanley Tucci‘s show called Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico.

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Mexican actress Kate del Castillo rose to fame starring on Telemundo’s soap opera La Reina del Sur (Queen of the South in English). USA Network later made an American version of the hit Colombian TV series. She was later featured in Netflix’s political drama Ingobernable (Ungovernable in English). Kate first got her start in the acting world through theater as a child and she may be most recognized for her role in the Spanglish movie Under the Same Moon.

Best known for playing Ellie on You, Jenna Ortega landed her most exciting role yet. The actress of Mexican and Puerto Rican roots starred as the lead in Tim Burton’s live-action Addams Family series, Wednesday, on Netflix. What’s more, after Jenna played Tara Carpenter in Scream 5, she returned for the next installment, Scream VI that was released this year.

Sofía was born in Barranquilla, Colombia to her mother, Margarita Vergara Dávila de Vergara, and father, Julio Enrique Vergara Robayo. In 2015, she became the first actress from her country to have her name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Sofía earned widespread recognition for her role playing Gloria in the popular ABC comedy series Modern Family. She also rose to prominence acting in Chasing Papi, Meet the Browns and Madea Goes to Jail.

María José de Pablo Fernández, who goes by “Cote” professionally, was born in Santiago, Chile and moved to Miami with her family when she was 10 years old. As she got older, she began studying and pursuing acting, eventually landing the role of Ziva David in NCIS. Before that, Cote got her big break when she scored a cohosting gig on the talk show Control.

After Anya was born in Miami, her family moved to Argentina where the majority of their relatives lived. Anya called the Latin American country home until she was six. Due to political tensions, her family relocated to London where she discovered her passion for acting. Now, the 26-year-old Spanish-speaking actress is a Golden Globe winner for Netflix’s drama miniseries The Queen’s Gambit. She was also a nominee for the period dramedy film Emma. Previously, Anya starred in BBC’s popular series Peaky Blinders and the supernatural horror movie The Witch.