Name
Rubén Blades
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1948-07-16 (78 years old)
Place of Birth
Panama City, Panama
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres. As songwriter, Blades brought the lyrical sophistication of Central American nueva canción and Cuban nueva trova as well as experimental tempos and political inspired Nuyorican salsa to his music, creating thinking persons' (salsa) dance music. Blades has composed dozens of musical hits, the most famous of which is "Pedro Navaja," a song about a neighborhood thug who appears to die during a robbery (his song "Sorpresas" continues the story), inspired by "Mack the Knife." He also composed and sings what many Panamanians consider their second national anthem. The song is titled "Patria" (Fatherland). He is an icon in Panama and is much admired throughout Latin America, and managed to attract 18% of the vote in his failed attempt to win the Panamanian presidency in 1994. In September 2004, he was appointed minister of tourism by Panamanian president Martín Torrijos for a five-year term. He holds a law degree from the University of Panama and a master's in international law from Harvard University. He is married to singer Luba Mason.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Rubén Blades, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
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A lawyer finds himself in far over his head when he attempts to get involved in drug traff...
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A police chief in the war-torn streets of Los Angeles discovers that an extraterrestrial c...
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Putting its own 'twist' on the story of Oliver Twist, the orange runt of a litter of kitte...
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A dangerous CIA renegade resurfaces after a decade on the run. When the safe house he's re...
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Set during the unsettling disappearances in Buenos Aires during the dictatorship of the 19...
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Frankie McGuire, one of the IRA's deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the c...
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A color-blind psychiatrist is stalked by an unknown killer after taking over his murdered ...
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The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other'...
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The year is 1949. A young Texan named John Grady finds himself without a home after his mo...
- 1990 Predator 2 as Danny Archuleta
- 1994 Color of Night as Hector
- 1997 The Devil's Own as Edwin Diaz
- 1997 Chinese Box as Jim
- 1989 Disorganized Crime as Carlos Barrios
- 1987 Critical Condition as Louis
- 1999 Cradle Will Rock as Diego Rivera
- 1990 The Two Jakes as Mickey Nice
- 2004 Secuestro Express as Carla's Father
- 1988 The Milagro Beanfield War as Sheriff Bernabe Montoya
- 1987 Fatal Beauty as Carl Jimenez
- 2003 Assassination Tango as Miguel
- 2009 Spoken Word as Cruz-Sr.
- 2021 Nueva York: A Musical History of Latin New York as Self (archive footage)
- 1991 The Super as Marlon
- 1990 The Heart of the Deal
- 2003 The Maldonado Miracle as Cruz
- 2012 Safe House as Carlos Villar
- 1991 The Josephine Baker Story as Count Giuseppe Pepito Abatino
- 1989 The Lemon Sisters as C.W.
- 2013 The Counselor as Jefe
- 1991 One Man’s War as Perrone
- 2003 Spin as Ernesto
- 2011 Rubén Blades: Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 1
- 2011 Rubén Blades: Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 2
- 1996 Scorpion Spring as Border Patrolman Sam Zaragosa
- 1993 Miracle on Interstate 880 as Pastor Beruman
- 1983 The Last Fight as Andy "Kid" Clave
- 1991 Crazy From the Heart as Ernesto Ontiveros
- 2012 Outlaws - For Greater Glory as Président Calles
- 1985 Crossover Dreams as Rudy Veloz
- 1985 The Making of Sun City as Self
- 1985 The Return of Rubén Blades as himself
- 1990 Mo' Better Blues as Petey
- 2016 Hands of Stone as Carlos Eleta
- 2024 Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple as Self
- 2011 ¡Sonó, Sonó… Tite Curet!
- 1996 Al compás de un sentimiento: la música de Pedro Flores
- 1995 Somos un solo pueblo as Self
- 2002 Encuentro
- 2004 En mi país as Self
- 2007 Lo mejor de nuestra música popular: 15 años de éxitos as Self
- 2008 La clave
- 2000 All the Pretty Horses as Rocha
- 2024 Stay Homas. The Band That Shouldn’t Exist as Self - Singer
- 2014 Yo soy la salsa
- 1997 From Son to Salsa
- 2003 Imagining Argentina as Silvio Ayala
- 1989 Dead Man Out as Ben
- 2018 Ruben Blades Is Not My Name as Self
- 1998 Willie Colón & Rubén Blades - Live In Venezuela as Rubén Blades
- 2011 The Next Season as Benito
- 1998 A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway
- 2018 John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons as Self
- 2019 Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage as Self
- 1988 Homeboy as Doctor
- 2005 The Hunters and the Hunted: The Making of 'Predator 2' as Self (archive footage)
- 2003 Once Upon a Time in Mexico as Jorge, Retired FBI Agent
- 1994 A Million to Juan as Bartender
- 2021 Red Pill as Rocky
- 1991 Rabbit Ears - Joseph and His Brothers as Narrator (voice)
- 2025 Salsa Lives as Ruben Blades
- 1979 Beats of the Heart: Salsa as Self
- 2014 Invasion as Self
- Soon Armadillo United as Coach Yepez
- 1993 Life with Mikey as Angie's Dad (uncredited)
- 2026 Campeón Gabacho
- 1982 Rubén Blades: un Rey de la salsa as Self
- Soon Pa'l Pueblo: Fania for the People as Self
- 2002 Las caras lindas de Tite Curet as Self
- 2020 El accidente feliz as Self (Archive Footage)
- 1993 The X-Files ( 1 episode ) as Conrad Lozano
- 2000 Gideon's Crossing ( 21 episodes ) as Dr. Max Cabranes
- 2015 Fear the Walking Dead ( 82 episodes ) as Daniel Salazar
- 2011 Músicos de Latinoamérica ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1997 Arthouse ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2000 Latin Grammy Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2002 Las Lunas del Auditorio ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1982 Late Night with David Letterman ( 1 episode ) as Self - Musical Guest
