Hispanic and Latino American dramatists and playwrights

John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (Colombian Spanish: born July 22, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, and film producer. He rose to fame with a co-starring role in Super Mario Bros. (1993) as Luigi, and a supporting role in the crime drama Carlito's Way (1993). He later notably starred in the film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since appeared in Romeo + Juliet (1996), A Brother's Kiss (1997), Body Count (1998), Summer of Sam (1999), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Collateral Damage (2002), The Alibi (2006), Righteous Kill (2008), Repo Men (2010), The Counselor (2013), and John Wick (2014). He has provided voice-work for Sid the Sloth in the animated film series Ice Age (2002–2016), as the narrator of the sitcom The Brothers García (2000–2004), and as Bruno in Encanto (2021). Leguizamo had a recurring role on ER and was a series regular on The Kill Point. He is also known for his role as Ozzy Delvecchio on Bloodline.

Roberta Colindrez (born May 28, 1986) is a Mexican-American actress and writer. She is best known for originating the role of Joan in the musical Fun Home. Additionally, Colindrez is known for roles in the TV shows I Love Dick, Vida, and Amazon Prime's A League of Their Own, as well as the films Ms. White Light (2019) and Cassandro (2023). Her main contributions to the film industry include portraying queer Latine characters and adapting them as her own to avoid stereotypes.

Lin-Manuel Miranda ((born January 16, 1980)) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, composer, director, producer, author and playwright. He created and starred in the Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton. His awards include a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2018.

Raúl Castillo Jr. (born August 30, 1977) is an American actor and playwright. He is known for his acting roles in Amexicano and Cold Weather and his role as Richie Donado Ventura in the HBO series Looking and its subsequent series finale television film, Looking: The Movie. He received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the film We the Animals.

Carlos Lacámara (born November 11, 1958), sometimes credited as Carlos Lacamara or Carlos LaCamara, is an American actor and playwright who has had a long career on American television, making his first appearance in 1983 on the sitcom Family Ties. Lacamara has mostly played supporting characters and guest star roles, with the exception of his roles as Paco Ortíz on the sitcom Nurses, and as Ray García, the family patriarch on The Brothers García. Carlos also starred as "Horace Diaz" in the series Mighty Med.

María Irene Fornés (May 14, 1930 – October 30, 2018) was a Cuban-American playwright and director, notable in off-off-Broadway in the 1960s. She was first inspired to write while living with Susan Sontag, whom she encouraged at a difficult moment in Sontag’s own writing career. Fornés’ plays range widely in subject-matter, but often relate to the impact of economic conditions on personal relationships. Fornés won many Obie Theatre Awards and was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Pedro Pietri (March 21, 1944 – March 3, 2004) was a Nuyorican poet and playwright and one of the co-founders of the Nuyorican Movement. He was considered by some as the poet laureate of the Nuyorican Movement.

Reinaldo Arenas (July 16, 1943 – December 7, 1990) was a Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright known as an early sympathizer, and later critic of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution, and a rebel of the Cuban government.

Luis Miguel Valdez (born June 26, 1940) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor. Regarded as the father of Chicano theater in the United States, Valdez is best known for his play Zoot Suit, his movie La Bamba, and his creation of El Teatro Campesino. A pioneer in the Chicano Movement, Valdez broadened the scope of theatre and arts of the Chicano community.