15 Latinx Celebs Who Hail from L.A.
Hollywood is home to countless big-name stars, in the arenas of film, television, music, sports, and more
Photo: Unsplash/@jngabo
Hollywood is home to countless big-name stars, in the arenas of film, television, music, sports, and more. It seems like everyone who wants to make it big packs up their bags, leave their hometowns, and heads on over to SoCal. But there are many stars who didn’t have to travel far. They’re actually from Los Angeles, like these 15 Latinx stars. Each of these celebs comes from either Los Angeles proper, or another city within Los Angeles County, which is bound to give you Latinx Angelenos a big dose of local, L.A. orgullo Latino.
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Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo, Chicano badass of films including Desperado and Machete, and shows like Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy, was born in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. He has made sure to keep his success in L.A., opening Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts, Trejo’s Tacos, and Trejo’s Cantina, as well as brewing Trejo Cerveza in the city.
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B-Real
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Cypress Hill is a group essential to both West Coast and Latino rap. Made up of all Latinxs, the group features Chicano and Cuban rapper B-Real, born Louis Freese. B-Real was born in L.A. and grew up in South Gate and Bell. Some of the jams you have heard him on include, “Insane in the Brain,” “Armada Latina,” and “(Rap) Superstar.”
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Jhené Aiko
Plenty of folks don’t know that Grammy-nominated singer and Ladera Heights native Jhené Aiko is Latina. The artist is Dominican, Japanese, and Spanish from her mother’s side, and African-American, American Indian, Jewish, and German from her father’s side, making her both Afro-Latinx and Asian-Latinx. She has released two solo studio albums: 2014’s Souled Out, and 2017’s Trip.
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Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos has served as one of the main faces of Latinos in film for over 40 years. The L.A.-born actor and director has appeared in classics, including Stand and Deliver, American Me, and My Family/Mi Familia.
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Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya made sure everyone knew he was Chicano. The East L.A.-born former boxer, boxing promoter, and MMA promoter would wear a boxing robe and trunks that featured the Mexico flag on one side and the United States flag on the other. De la Hoya won Olympic gold in the 1992 games and five boxing titles during his career.
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Tessa Thompson
Afro-Latina actress Tessa Thompson has appeared in several films and television shows, including Dear White People, Selma, Mississippi Damned, and For Colored Girls. The star was born in Los Angeles and attended Santa Monica College before making it big.
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Cheech Marin
Chicanx Richard “Cheech” Marin is an iconic South Los Angeles native. He is one half of the legendary comedy duo of Cheech and Chong, has starred in films including Born in East L.A., and in shows like Nash Bridges, The Golden Palace, and Grey’s Anatomy.
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Miguel
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Born Miguel Jontel Pimentel, in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, Afro-Latino Miguel is an R&B crooner, who gave us the hit, “Adorn.” He gets his Chicano heritage from his father.
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America Ferrera
Honduran actress America Ferrera is another Latinx celeb who was born and raised in Los Angeles. She has repped for Latinxs in film and television roles, including in Real Women Have Curves, Ugly Betty, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
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George Lopez
Comedian, actor, and producer George Lopez was born in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California, and is of Mestizo Mexican descent. The funny man has built his career on using humor to talk about his Chicano life, including on his own sitcom, George Lopez.
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Becky G
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Singer and actress Becky G was born Rebecca Marie Gomez in Inglewood, California, the daughter of parents from Jalisco, Mexico. Although Becky has had hit songs, like “Sin Pijama,” and “Mayores” she hasn’t dropped a debut album yet. Mala Santa is set to be released on October 17.
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Fergie
You may know Stacey Ferguson, also known as Fergie, from singing in The Black Eyed Peas and from her successful solo career. Did you know that this blonde-haired, blue-eyed chanteuse has Mexican heritage? Fergie is English, Irish, American Indian, Scottish, and Mexican. In addition to singing, the Whittier native is a songwriter, entrepreneur, fashion designer, television host, and actress.
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Christian Serratos
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We can all be proud that in the zombie apocalypse, there is a badass Chicana keeping order. Christian Serratos plays Rosita Espinosa in the monster hit The Walking Dead. Born in Pasadena, California, Serratos is the daughter of a Chicana mother. We recently have learned that Christian will also be playing Selena Quintanilla in Netflix’s upcoming Selena: The Series.
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Naya Rivera
Afro-Puerto Rican actress and singer Naya Rivera got her big break on the hit television show Glee, where she was able to showcase her singing ability. From there, the Santa Clarita native went on to get a record deal and released the single “Sorry,” as well as appearing in various films and shows such as Devious Maids. She also penned a memoir called Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up.
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Maria Elena Salinas
Born in L.A., Chicana Maria Elena Salinas holds the title of longest running female network anchor in the country, having had a career with Univision that lasted 36 years. Some of the awards she has received include a 5 Emmys, another Emmy for Lifetime Achievement, a Peabody Award, and a Golden Mike Broadcast Legend Award from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California.
