55 Latina And Hispanic Actresses You Should Know In 2023

This will come as no surprise, but let’s put it out there anyway: Latina and Hispanic actresses have been leaving their mark on Hollywood for decades. Whether you look to Dolores del Río who put Latina actresses on the map with her first roles in 1920s silent films, or breakout star Rachel Zegler in the remake of West Side Story, there’s always been a Latina and/or Hispanic actress leading the way for those who come after them.

And yet Hollywood still hasn’t caught up with the fact that while there are so many talented Latina actors,t hey’re still underrepresented in film and television. Latinx actors held just 7.7 percent of top film acting roles in 2021, according to the 2022 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report. Angered by the disproportionate amount of Latinx folks in the industry, more than 270 Latinx showrunners, creators, and television and feature writers wrote an open letter to Hollywood in October 2020, calling for systemic change, noting: “We refuse to be filtered through a White perspective.”

“As we come to the end of Hispanic Heritage Month in the midst of a global pandemic and continued racial injustice, many of us in the Latinx community have found it difficult to celebrate,” the letter began. “Inspired by the activism of the Black and Indigenous communities, many of whom also identify as Latinx, we stand in solidarity with our fellow Black, Native and Indigenous writers, co-signing their WGAW Open Letters and echoing their demands for systemic change in our industry.”

Two years later, while some progress has been made, more work needs to be done to make sure Latinas have equal representation, and support, in Hollywood as their non-Latinx counterparts. As even when Latinx folks get the opportunity to share their stories in Latinx-centered films and TV shows such as Netflix’s One Day at a Time, HBO Max’s Gordita Chronicles, and, more recently, Leslie Grace’s Batgirl, they often lack the championing of Hollywood executives to stay on air for more than a few seasons, or even air at all.

Basically, it’s time to level up. Want to do your part? Get to know the talented Latina and Hispanic actresses who make your (film and television) world go ’round—and make sure to support their next project.