Laura Elena Harring Martinez, born March 3, 1964 in Los Mochis, Mexico, is the first Latina to win Miss USA. She grew up in Mexico before she and her family relocated to San Antonio, Texas when she was ten. At twelve, she suffered a head injury when she was caught in a crossfire from a driveby shooting at twelve.
After studying theater and dance in Europe, she moved to El Paso and began competing in beauty pageants. She won Miss El Paso USA, Miss Texas USA, and then Miss USA 1985 becoming the first Hispanic woman to do so.
She went on to have a successful acting career, most notable is her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.
Katy Jurado, born Maria Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado Garcia January, 16, 1924 in Mexico City, is the first Latin American actress to win a Golden Globe for her work in High Noon in 1952. She is the first Latin American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Broken Lance in 1954.
She began her film career in 1943 appearing in the Mexican film No mataras. She appeared in 16 more films over the next seven years in what has been named the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.
Jurado made her American cinema debut in Bullfighter and the Lady. Although she was not interested in appearing in American films, she worked on numerous American western films. She appeared in High Noon with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. She starred in Arrowhead with Charlton Heston and Jack Palance.
Jurado was married to Ernest Borgnine for four years, and had a romantic relationship with Western novelist Louis L'Amour.
She continued acting until 2002 when she appeared in her final film Un secreto de Esperanza, which was released after her death from kidney failure and pulmonary disease in July 2002.
Joe Gandara, born April 25, 1924 in Santa Monica, California to Mexican immigrants, was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2014. He joined the army in February 1943. In June 1944, Private Gandara and his detachment came under fire in Amfreville, France, from a German force, and were pinned down for four hours. Private Gandara volunteered to advance solo toward the enemy's position. He fired his machine gun from the hip and destroyed three hostile machine guns before he was killed.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in a March 18, 2014 ceremony as part of a review through the Defense Authorization Act which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War to ensure no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.
Katya Echazarreta, born June 15, 1995 in Guadalajara, Mexico, is the first female Mexican-American astronaut. She was selected as part of Space for Humanity's Citizen Astronaut Program. She went into space aboard Blue Origin NS-21 launched in June 2022 for a sub-orbital flight, lasting 10 minutes, 5 seconds.
Bill Melendez, born November 15, 1918 in Sonora, Mexico, was a character animator, director, and producer. He worked for Walt Disney Productions, Warner Brothers, and UPA before working on the Peanuts animated series.
Although being born in Mexico, Melendez attended school in Douglas, Arizona and Chouinard Art Institute (now California Institute of the Arts). He started at Disney in 1938 where he worked on some of the classic movies: Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi.
In 1941, he went to Leon Schlesinger Productions (now Warner Bros Cartoons) where he worked on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. He was hired to do animated TV commercials in 1959, featuring characters from the comic strip Peanuts.
Charles Schulz trusted Melendez to turn the Peanuts into televisions specials. He worked on every single TV special for the Peanuts and directed most of them. He also provided the voices for Snoopy and Woodstock. The last special he worked on was He's a Bully, Charlie Brown in 2006.
He passed away in 2008 at the age of 91.
He won 7 Primetime Emmys: Outstanding Children's Program in 1966 for A Charlie Brown Christmas; Outstanding Children's Special in 1975 for Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus; Outstanding Children's Special in 1976 for You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown; Outstanding Individual Achievement - Animation Program in 1979 for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; Outstanding Animated Program in 1981 for Life is a Circus, Charlie Brown; Outstanding Animated Program in 1984 for Garfield on the Town; Outstanding Animated Program in 1987 for Cathy. He was nominated for 19 more Primetime Emmys. He was nominated for an Oscar and five Grammy Awards.
The Mexican fantasy film Santa Claus was released in the US November 24, 1959. It features Pitch, a demon, sent to ruin Christmas by killing Santa Claus and making children do evil. He manages to sabotage Santa's visit to Mexico City by trapping him in a tree with a vicious dog underneath. However, Merlin the magician intervenes and defeat Pitch, allowing Santa to complete his task.
The film has been deemed the worst and the best of the worst. It did win the Golden Gate award for Best International Family Film at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1959.
Santa Claus was featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 Christmas Eve 1993, giving it a cult status.
Martha Bernal, born April 13, 1931 in San Antonio, Texas to Mexican immigrants. Overcoming racism about her ethnicity she received her Bachelor's Degree from Texas Western College, now University of Texas at El Paso in 1952. After getting her Master of Arts degree in 1955 from Syracuse, she transferred to Indiana University where she was faced with sexism. She wanted to quit her studies but a teacher persuaded her to finish her doctorate, which she did in 1962, becoming the first Latina in the U.S. to obtain a PhD in psychology.
She contributed significantly to the field, especially for her work on children's behavioral problems, and to develop organizations that focused on ethnic groups to combat issues of racism, sexism, discrimination, etc.
She passed away in September 2001 after losing her fourth battle with cancer.
The only reason I know about this movie is because it was featured in a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode, where it was riffed by Mike Nelson (who celebrates his birthday today!) and the bots. Santo vs. las Mujeres Vampiro (Santo. vs. the Vampire Women) was released in Mexican theaters October 11, 1962.
The main character Santo was the title of professional wrestler Rodolfo Guzman Huerta, born September 1917. He appeared in numerous movies portraying El Santo (The Saint).
In this movie, Santo must battle a group of female vampires who have wakened from a 200-year sleep. The queen vampire must find a successor and has her sights set on a professor's daughter. The professor employs Santo to keep her safe.
Emile Kuri, born June 11, 1907 in Cuernavaca, Mexico, was a set decorator who won two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and was nominated fore six more.
In 1942, he was nominated for Best Art Direction for Silver Queen, becoming the first Hispanic to be nominated for an Academy Award in any category. He won the Academy Award in 1949 for The Heiress, and again in 1954 for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
He received nominations for Carrie (1952), Executive Suite (1954), Executive Suite (1954), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), Mary Poppins (1964), and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).
Thomas Fears, born December 3, 1922 in Guadalajara, Mexico, became the first Mexican-born player to be drafted into the National Football League. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was six. He attended LA's Manual Arts High School where he first played football. He enrolled at Santa Clara University but studied only one year before being drafted to serve the next three years in military service in WWII. Although he sought to become a fighter pilot, he was shipped to Colorado Springs to play football for a service team.
When he was released, he was drafted by the Rams in 1945 as a defensive back, but remained in school, and transferred to UCLA. His abilities allowed him to become a wide receiver in 1948. In his first three seasons, he led all NFL receivers in catches, and broke the league's single-season record with 77 catches in 1949.
During the October 18, 1953 game against the Detroit Lions, he fractured two vertebrae, which would limit his ability for the next to years.
On January 27, 1957, he was hired as head coach of the New Orleans Saints expansion team, becoming the first Latino head coach in the NFL. His term was not long, and after three dismal seasons, he was replaced.
He passed away in January 2000 after a six-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. He is the first Mexican-born NFL player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Carlos Santana, born July 20, 1947 in Mexico, is a musician who formed the band Santana, pioneering a fusion of rock and roll and Latin American jazz. He has won ten Grammy awards, eight of them with Santana. He has won three Latin Grammy Awards, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.
Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (Anthony Quinn), born April 21, 1915 in Chihuahua, Mexico, was an actor and is the first Mexican-American actor to win an Academy Award. He won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor first in 1952 for his role in Viva Zapata! and the second in 1956 for Lust for Life.
He was nominated for Best Actor twice, and won the Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe in 1987.
Quinn passed away from respiratory failure in June 2001 in Boston.
Katya Echazaretta, born June 16, 1995 in Guadalajara, Mexico, went into space aboard Blue Origin NS-21 as a Space for Humanity Ambassador in June 2022. She worked at NASA JPL as an intern, and after her graduation from UCLA, she got a full-time position as an engineer.
She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in electrical and computer engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Speedy Gonzales, the second appearance of the fastest mouse in all of Mexico, won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject - Cartoons at the 28th ceremony March 21, 1956. It featured Mel Blanc as the voice of Speedy and was directed by Friz Freleng.
Speedy first appeared as a prototype in Cat-Tails for Two in 1953.
I could only find the short film in color without sound, or without color with sound. I preferred to hear what was going on, so here it is.
Rodolfo Neri Vela, born in Chilpancingo, Mexico February 19, 1952, is the first astronaut from Mexico and the second Latin-American in space. He traveled aboard Atlantis (STS-61-B) as a payload specialist in November-December 1985.
Cipriano Andrade, born September 1, 1840 in Tampico, Mexico served in the US Navy for 40 years and attained the rank of Rear Admiral. During the Civil War, he served aboard the USS Lancaster from August 1861 to October 1863. He served aboard the USS Pontiac from December 1863 to June 1865. He served as chief engineer on the USS Ashuelot from September 1, 1881 to November 1881.
He was changed to Captain on March 3, 1899 and in July 1901, he was transferred to the retired list of the Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral.
Marcelino Serna, born April 26, 1896 in Chihuahua, Mexico, was the most decorated soldier from Texas in WWI, and was the first Hispanic to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
He crossed the Rio Grande entering the US in El Paso, Texas in 1916. He was working as a farm hand in Denver, Colorado when he was rounded up by federal officials. To avoid being deported, he joined the Army. When the Army realized he was a Mexican national, they told him he did not have to fight, but he chose to stay. For his actions at Saint-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military award. He was also awarded the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster and the World War I Victory Medal, among numerous awards from France.
William Fraker, born September 29, 1923 in Los Angeles, California, is a six-time nominee for an Academy Award. His mother was a native Mexican who fled the revolution. His parents died when he was a child and raised by his Mexican grandmother. He served in the Coast Guard during WWII.
He was nominated for Best Cinematography for Murphy's Romance, WarGames, 1941 (for which he was also nominated for Best Visual Effects), Heaven Can Wait and Looking for Mr. Goodbar.
Coco, released November 2017, is the first movie with a nine-figure budget ($175M) to feature an all-Latino principal cast. The film has been praised for its respect for the Mexican culture through music, voice acting and its heart-warming story. The film is based on the Mexican holiday, Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead).
The story follows Miguel, a twelve-year-old boy who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he has to seek help from his deceased great-great-grandfather to return to his family in the living.
It won two Academy Awards, one for Best Animated Feature and the other for Best Original Song, Remember Me. It won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. It won just about every Best Animated Film award out there.
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo, born in Chihuahua, Mexico in December 1859, is the first Mexican-American to serve in the United States Senate. He moved to Arizona when he was 11.
He studied law and was a teacher and principal. He was instrumental for securing the Spanish language for use in conducting public business.
In 1918, he was elected as a Republican as governor of New Mexico. In 1928, he was elected to fill the senatorial seat of Andrieus Jones, who had died in office. Upon taking the seat on December 7, 1928, he became the first Hispanic-American to serve in the US Senate. Unfortunately, he passed away after serving only three months.
