Hispanic entertainers and actors have contributed significantly to the world of American arts and entertainment. Since yesterday marked the end of Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15 – 10/15), let’s look at a few Hispanic celebrities before they were famous for today’s Throwback Thursday.
Shakira
Before Shakira was an international pop superstar, she tried her hand at acting. Disappointed in her early album sales, she took a role on the Colombian soap opera, “El Oasis.” Although she had fun, she admits that she was a terrible actress. Eventually, she went back to her singing career and now is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time. Her return to television came in the form of reality team, serving as a coach on NBC’s The Voice.
George Lopez
George Lopez’s fictional life on his self-titled show, “The George Lopez Show,” actually rang true in some respects. Before becoming a successful comedian, he worked at an aircraft-parts factory–just like his character on the show. The Mexican-America comedian quit his factory job in 1987 in order to pursue his dream of comedy, working the comedy club circuit before catching his first big break as an L.A. morning radio DJ in 2000.
Penelope Cruz
When Penelope Cruz was only 15 years old, she appeared in the music video for the Mecano song, “La Fuerza del Destino” (The Force of Fate). The Spanish actress and model played the love interest of band member Nacho Cano in the video, whom she went on to date. After being signed by an agent, she made her official acting debut at the age of 16, going on to appear on several television shows and a feature film, “Jamon, jamon.”
Mark Consuelos
Before landing a role on the American soap Opera “All My Children,” actor Mark Consuelos worked a job that many young actors and actresses have done before their big break: stripping. After college, the Spanish-born American actor got a job as a roadie, and the other crew members convinced him to try exotic dancing to make extra money. Now, married to Kelly Ripa after meeting her on the set of “All My Children, Consuelos is a recurring guest host on “Live! With Kelly and Michael.”
Cover Photo Source: DFree / Shutterstock.com
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://wpmaster.sjadv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Our-Space-The-San-Jose-Group.png[/author_image] [author_info]Jenny is a Junior Executive at SJG. She earned her BA in Psychology and a minor in Educational Studies in 2014 from Colgate University. Outside the office, Jenny loves to travel (usually to Disney World), bake and watch copious amounts of TLC.[/author_info] [/author]