Spotlight on Hispanic Contributions to the Star Wars Universe

Every year, the United States observes National Hispanic Heritage Month to celebrate the cultures and contributions of people who trace their family histories to Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

Star Wars is a global cultural phenomenon, and the universe we love is richer thanks to the work of Hispanic and Latin actors, filmmakers, writers, and illustrators. Youtini celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by showcasing these creators who have enhanced Star Wars storytelling.

On Screen

‍- Adriana Arjona: A Puerto Rican actress, Adriana Arjona has performed in TV series such as Emerald City and Good Omens and films such as Hit Man and Blink Twice. In the Star Wars universe, she plays Bix Caleen in Andor.

- Benicio del Toro: Veteran Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro has won several awards, including an Oscar for Traffic, and earned many more nominations in a decades-long career. He played the eccentric code breaker DJ in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Lucasfilm

- Dafne Keen: A British-Spanish actress who began performing as a child, Dafne Keen appeared in Logan (and later Deadpool & Wolverine). She also played Padawan Jecki Lon in The Acolyte.

-Danny Trejo: Prolific Mexican American actor Danny Trejo is known for many roles over the years. He came to the Star Wars universe as the Rancor Keeper in Chapter 3 of The Book of Boba Fett.

- Diego Luna: Mexican actor, director, and producer Diego Luna began in Mexican telenovelas before coming to American films and TV. He has won several awards, and his portrayal of Cassian Andor earned a Critics’ Choice nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

Lucasfilm

- Eman Esfandi: An American actor of Ecuadorian and Iranian descent, Eman Esfandi brought Ezra Bridger to live-action in Ahsoka.  

- Ismael Cruz: Puerto Rican actor Ismael Cruz has had roles in film and TV shows as diverse as The Good Wife and Sesame Street. He played the imprisoned mercenary Qin in the first season of The Mandalorian.

- Jimmy Smits: Son of a Puerto Rican mother, Jimmy Smits has won awards for his roles in The West Wing, NYPD Blue, LA Law, and Dexter. He has appeared as Senator Bail Organa in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. He has also voiced the character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars Rebels, and Tales of the Jedi. He helped found the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.

Lucasfilm

- Karol Cristina da Silva: Brazilian actress Karol Cristina da Silva played Rabé, one of the handmaidens in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

- Lupita Nyong’o: Award-winning Kenyan Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o has appeared on Broadway and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her first feature role in 12 Years a Slave earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She played Maz Kanata via motion capture in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. She also voiced the character in several animation and video game appearances

- Oscar Isaac: Born in Guatemala to a Guatemalan mother and Cuban father, Oscar Isaac came to the US as an infant. He has been hailed as the “best actor of his generation” and one of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. In addition to roles in X-Men: Apocalypse and Dune, he is known for playing Poe Dameron in the Sequel Trilogy.

Lucasfilm

- Pedro Pascal: Chilean American actor Pedro Pascal was already a veteran of the stage and TV when he played Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. After appearances in Narcos and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, he took on the role of Din Djarin in The Mandalorian.

- Rosario Dawson: An actress with more than 100 appearances in film TV, Rosario Dawson has Puerto Rican, Taíno, Cuban, and African ancestry on her mother’s side. She brought fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano to live-action in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka.

- Verónica Segura: A Mexican actress who has also appeared in Tribe, Bandido, and Club Dread, Verónica Segura played the handmaiden Cordé in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.

Voice Acting

‍- Brigitte Kali Canales: An actress of Mexican, Cuban, and Spanish descent, Brigitte Kali Canales has appeared in Fear the Acting Dead. She has also had a prolific voice acting career and voiced Trace Martez in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

- Elizabeth Rodriguez: Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Elizabeth Rodriguez is an award-winning stage actress who has also appeared in Blow and Orange Is the New Black. She voiced Rafa Martez in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

- Freddie Prinze Jr.: An actor of Puerto Rican descent on his father’s side, Freddie Prinze Jr. broke out in teen films in the late 1990s, including I Know What You Did Last Summer and She’s All That. His voice-acting credits include Kanan Jarrus in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

- Gina Torres: Gina Torres, the daughter of Cuban parents, has appeared in several TV series and films. She starred in Firefly and Serenity before voicing Ketsy Onyo in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Forces of Destiny.

20th Century Fox

- John Leguizamo: Born in Colombia, John Leguizamo is a stand-up comedian, actor, and producer with more than 100 film and 30 television appearances, as well as more than 20 producer credits. He voiced the gangster Gor Koresh in the premiere episode of the second season of The Mandalorian.

- Luis Tosar: Luis Tosar is a well-known actor in his native Spain. He voiced Sith Master Kutu in the Star Wars: Visions episode “Sith.”

- Myrna Velasco: A Mexican American actress and voice actress, Myrna Velasco has appeared or lent her voice to more than 40 TV shows and films. She voiced Torra Doza in Star Wars Resistance.

StarWars.com

- Ness Bautista: Son of Puerto Rican and Dominican parents, Ness Bautista began his career in music before turning to acting. He’s appeared on TV shows, including The Last Ship and Sense8, and voiced ES-03 in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

- Ricardo Mamood-Vega: A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ricardo Mamood-Vega has several TV appearances, including Criminal Minds and Jane the Virgin. He has done voice work in video games, notably Red Dead Redemption, and TV. He voiced Zygerrian Prime Minister Atai Molec in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

- Úrsula Corberó: Spanish actress Úrsula Corberó has appeared in several series and films in her home country, winning several awards, and made her US film debut in Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins. She voiced Lola in the Star Wars: Visions episode “Sith.”

- Valentina Muhr: Chilean actress Valentina Muhr is a film, TV, and theater veteran. She is the voice of Koten in the Star Wars: Visions episode “In the Stars.”

Video Games

- Carlos Alazraqui: An Argentine American actor and comedian, Carlos Alazraqui has done extensive voice-over work. He has had roles in animated properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Family Guy and video game franchises from Crash Bandicoot to James Bond. He voiced multiple characters in 2001’s Star Wars: Starfighter.

- Elizabeth Grullón: A first-generation American with Dominican parents, Elizabeth Grullón. In addition to TV appearances that include Criminal Minds and Scandal, she voiced Trilla Suduri/the Second Sister in Star Wars” Galaxy of Heroes and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

- Humberly González: A Venezuelan-born Canadian actress, Humberly González has made several TV and film appearances, including the role of Sophie Sanchez in Ginny and Georgia. She joined the Star Wars universe as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws.

Humberly Gonzalez

- Rafael Ferrer: A veteran voice actor and narrator of Puerto Rican descent, Rafael Ferrer has done scores of promos, trailers, and commercials. He voiced Darth Malak in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

Behind the Camera

- Alex Garcia Lopez: A writer and director originally from Argentina, Alex Garcia Lopez directed BAFTA-nominated shows in Britain before coming to the US, where he worked on The Witcher, Daredevil, Cowboy Bebop, and other properties. He directed two episodes of The Acolyte.

- Gabriel Osorio: Chilean director Gabriel Osorio made the 2015 short animated film Bear Story, the first Chilean film to win an Oscar (in the category of Best Animated Short Film). He wrote and directed the Star Wars: Visions episode “In the Stars.”

- Lin-Manuel Miranda: Award-winning songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, and rapper Lin-Manuel Miranda is mostly of Puerto Rican descent and has distant Mexican ancestry. Best known for the musical Hamilton, he also created the soundtracks for Moana and Encanto. He composed two songs heard in Maz’s cantina in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also has a cameo in the victory celebration at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

- Pablo Hidalgo: Chilean-born Pablo Hidalgo is the author of several official reference books in the Star Wars, G.I. Joe, and Transformers franchises. He is a creative executive at Lucasfilm and the official Lore Advisor for Star Wars.

- Robert Rodriguez: Mexican American filmmaker and composer Robert Rodriguez’s credits include Spy Kids, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Sin City, and Machete. He directed an episode of The Mandalorian and three episodes of The Book of Boba Fett. He also voices Dokk Strassi, the Trandoshan crime lord, and Mos Espa mayor Mok Shaiz.

- Rodrigo Blaas: Emmy award-winning Spanish director Rodrigo Blaas has worked in animation for more than 20 years. He has worked at Pixar on films including Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Wall-E. He recently wrote and directed the Star Wars: Visions episode “Sith.”

Writers and Authors

- Alex Segura: Son of exiled Cuban parents, Alex Segura is an author, comic book artist, and editor. He has twice won the Anthony Award for Best Short Story and the Lost Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller for Secret Identity. He is the author of Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall and the short story “Resolve” in Stories of Jedi and Sith. He is also the writer of the comic series Star Wars: Battle of Jakku.

- Daniel José Older: Cuban American Daniel José Older is a New York Times best-selling author who has written three original series, a duology, and two standalone novels. He has written two short stories in the From a Certain Point of View series, standalone novel Last Shot, and an issue in the War of the Bounty Hunters comic series. He serves as one of the story architects for Star Wars: The High Republic and is the author of several comics, middle grade novels, and manga in the series.

Daniel José Older

- Mark Oshiro: Award-winning Latinx author, reviewer, and editor Mark Oshiro writes young adult and middle-grade novels and nonfiction. They are the author of Star Wars Hunters: Battle for the Arena and the short story “Hunger” in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back.

- Zoraida Córdova: Ecuadorian American author Zoraida Córdova created the Brooklyn Brujas series. She wrote A Crash of Fate and The High Republic: Convergence in the Star Wars universe. She has also written the short stories “You Owe Me a Ride” in From a Certain Point of View and “The Lost Nightsister” in The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark.

- Carlos Garzón: Colombian Carlos Garzón has been a comic book illustrator since 1975, working for both Marvel and DC comics. He was penciler, inker, and cover artist for several comics in Marvel’s original Star Wars run.

- Natacha Bustos: Spanish comic book artist Natacha Bustos has worked on several Marvel titles. She has done cover and interior art for the Doctor Aphra (2020) and Bounty Hunters series and variant covers for the 2021 and 2022 runs of The High Republic series.