At the Golden Globes, everyone is welcome. In its almost 80 years of history, many Hispanic talents have been honored for their work, from the brightest to the almost unknown until that moment.
From Rita Moreno to Gina Rodríguez, The Shape of Water or Roma, there are many examples of Hispanic winners of the prize awarded annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Let’s take a look at some of the Hispanics who have won Golden Globes throughout the history of these awards.
With only five years of the awards’ existence, the first Mexican was placed on the map of the Golden Globes. It was through La Perla (1947), a film directed by Emilio “El Indio” Fernández, and awarded Best Photography (in 1949) by Gabriel Figueroa.
Puerto Rican Rita Moreno took home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in West Side Story (1961). She was nominated in 1976 for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for The Ritz, and in 1982 for Best Actress in a Series TV Comedy or Musical for 9 to 5.
Around the World in 80 Days made Mexican-born actor Mario Moreno “Cantinflas” known worldwide. The film won him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical in 1957, an award for which he was also a nominee in 1961 with Pepe.
Guillermo del Toro, also Mexican, took home the Golden Globe for Best Director in 2018 for The Shape of Water, although his first nomination came with Pan’s Labyrinth and the nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. He was also in the running for this statuette in the category of Best Screenplay with The Shape of Water.
Alejandro González Iñárritu has been a constant presence at the Golden Globes with his filmography. The first time the Mexican director attended the ceremony was with a nomination with Amores Perros (2000), in the category that was then called Best Foreign Language Film.
He received the first statuette in 2007 for Best Dramatic Film for Babel although his best director nod did not materialize that year. In 2011, his Mexican-Spanish co-production Biutiful was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
In 2015, he won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), a film also cited for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, and for Best Director. Finally, in 2016 his film The Revenant earned him the Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Dramatic Film.
His friend and fellow Mexican Alfonso Cuarón won the Golden Globe for Best Director in 2014 with Gravity. Cuarón repeated his triumph in 2019 with Roma, awarded the Golden Globe for Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film, and also nominated for Best Screenplay.
In addition, Cuarón was cited by the Golden Globe in 2002 along with his entire team, thanks to the film Y tu mamá también, which was nominated in the Non-English Language category.

Puerto Rican superstar Benicio del Toro took home the award for Best Supporting Actor in 2000 for his work in the film Traffic. Mexican Gael García Bernal, with his work as a quirky conductor in Mozart in the Jungle, won the award for Best Comedy Actor in a television series in 2016, a nomination that he repeated a year later.
América Ferrera, an actress of Honduran origin, took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Series in 2007 for Ugly Betty, an award for which she was nominated again in 2008 and 2009. Ugly Betty also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical in 2007.
The Guatemalan Oscar Isaac was honored in 2016 as Best Actor in a Television Miniseries for his role in Show Me a Hero, after having been nominated in 2014 as Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Inside Llewyn Davis. He completed his dance card with the citation he received this year for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie for his role in Scenes from a Marriage.
In the case of Jane the Virgin, the series was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical Television Series in 2015, and its actress, Gina Rodríguez, of Puerto Rican heritage, won the award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Television Series in 2015 and subsequently nominated for the same award in 2016 and 2017.
This year, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose were winners at the 79th Golden Globe Awards. Ariana DeBose, of Puerto Rican descent on her father’s side, was awarded Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Musical. And Rachel Zegler, whose mother is Colombian, took home the award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical.
Both triumphed for their roles in Steven Spielberg’s version of West Side Story. The film also won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical.
A historic Latin winner is Michaela Jaé Rodríguez. The performer of African and Puerto Rican descent won this year’s award for Best Actress in a Drama Television Series for her work on Pose, becoming the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe. The series was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Television Series in 2019 and 2022.

In the case of Pixar’s Coco, it won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film in 2018 and was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for “Remember Me,” by Robert and Kristen Anderson López. When accepting the award for the film, director Lee Unkrich stressed that this story pays homage to the Mexican heritage.
The same happened with Encanto, which takes place in an undetermined place in Colombia, and won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film this year. It was also nominated for Best Soundtrack and Best Original Song with “Dos Oruguitas,” a song by the composer of Puerto Rican origin, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Andy García, an actor born in Cuba, was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Godfather III in 1991 and was also nominated for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie for For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story in 2001, a production that also got a nomination for Best Miniseries or Movie for Television.
Mexican actress and producer Salma Hayek cinched a Golden Globe nod for Best Drama Actress for her work in Frida (2002).
In 1996, NYPD Blue star Jimmy Smits won Best Actor in a Television Drama Series for his role as Detective Bobby Simone. He was nominated for this award three more times (1991, 1997, and 1999). NYPD Blue also won the Golden Globe for Best Television Drama Series in 1994.
The Venezuelan Edgar Ramírez was nominated in 2011 for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries for the role of Carlos, winner of the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Television Movie. He also got the 2019 nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries for his performance in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
Argentine filmmaker Luis Puenzo won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film for his drama La historia oficial in 1986.
On the Spanish side, there are also winners of the Golden Globes. Pedro Almodóvar has taken home two statuettes, with Best Film in a Foreign Language in 2000 for All About my Mother, an award he also received in 2003 for Talk to Her.
In total, the director from La Mancha was nominated in this category on eight occasions, including for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1989), High Heels (1992), Volver (2007), Broken Embraces (2010), The Skin I Live In (2012) and Pain and Glory (2020).
Javier Bardem won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in 2008 for his role in No Country for Old Men, directed by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. He was also nominated on four other occasions: for Best Actor in a Dramatic Film in 2001 for Before Night Falls and in 2005 for The Sea Inside, a Spanish production that won the Golden Globe for Best Non-English Language Film.
Bardem was also cited in 2009 for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Bardem was also nominated this year for his work in Being the Ricardos for Best Actor in a Drama.
His wife Penélope Cruz has never won the statuette but the possibility was always close, having been nominated for her performances in Volver (2007), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2009), Nine (2010), and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story ( 2019).
The same goes for Antonio Banderas. In total, the actor from Málaga was in the running for the Golden Globe five times, in cinema with Evita (1997), The Mask of Zorro (1999) and Pain and Glory (2020), and on television with And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2004) and Genius: Picasso (2019). The talented actor has never taken home the award.
As a side note, Joaquin Phoenix, born in Puerto Rico, took home the Golden Globe for Best Drama Actor for his performance in Joker in 2020. The star thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for serving vegan food.
Translated by Mario Amaya