Rose of Lima is revered as the patron saint of Peru. Legend has it that she had chopped off her hair and damaged her skin to avoid getting married. A member of the Dominican Order, she was the first from the Americas to be canonized by the Catholic Church.
Martin de Porres was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order. He was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI. He lived an austere life and often went hungry. He abstained from meat and was said to be able to communicate with animals. He is the patron saint of mixed-race people and those who seek racial harmony.
Businessman and politician Jim Himes started his career with Goldman Sachs and eventually rose through the ranks to become its VP. A Harvard alumnus, he later joined the Democratic Party and represented Connecticut's 4th district at the U.S. House of Representatives. He now chairs the House Fair Growth Committee.
Alberto Fujimori is a Peruvian politician who served as the President of Peru from 1990 to 2000. He is a controversial figure accused of several charges of human rights abuses and corruption. He has also been proclaimed guilty of murder, causing bodily harm, and kidnapping. In 2009, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Stephanie Cayo is a Peruvian actress, songwriter, and singer. She is best known for playing the female lead Paloma Velacochea in the popular telenovela, Besos robados. Stephanie Cayo has also played main roles in other popular telenovelas like La marca del deseo, El Secretario, and La hipocondríaca.
Alexis Amore is a Peruvian feature dancer, pornographic actress, and columnist. Best known for appearing in lesbian pornographic films, Amore has received a couple of NightMoves Awards. In 2018, she was inducted into the Urban X Award Hall of Fame and AVN Award Hall of Fame. Alexis Amore has also contributed as a columnist for a Peruvian magazine named Oye.
Ollanta Humala is a Peruvian politician whose presidency, which lasted from 2011 to 2016, was marred by several corruption scandals. Originally regarded as a left-wing nationalist and socialist, Humala founded the Peruvian Nationalist Party. Despite leading the party to success, Ollanta Humala eventually lost his popularity and was arrested in 2017 on corruption charges.
Christian Meier is a Peruvian singer and actor. Over the course of his acting career, Meier has achieved popularity in Latin America and in the Spanish speaking world. As a musician, Christian Meier achieved fame after forming an alternative-rock band named Arena Hash, where he performed as a keyboardist and occasional singer during the 1980s and 1990s.
Former prime minister of Peru, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar had also been the country’s foreign relations minister and the Peruvian ambassador to many countries, such as France and Switzerland. He had also served the UN as its secretary-general. A former Club of Madrid member, he led the Union for Peru party.
Susana Higuchi was a Peruvian engineer and politician. She is best remembered for her role as the First Lady of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 23 August 1994. Higuchi was stripped of her title as the First Lady in 1994, when she condemned her husband Alberto Fujimori as a tyrant. Susana Higuchi divorced Fujimori in 1996.
Gustavo Gutiérrez is a Peruvian Catholic theologian, philosopher, and Dominican priest. A respected theologian, Gutiérrez has served as a visiting professor in many prestigious universities in Europe and North America. Gustavo Gutiérrez has also taught at the Harvard University, the University of Michigan, the University of Cambridge, and the University of California, Berkeley among other schools.
Flavia Laos is a Peruvian model, actress, singer, and TV host. She achieved popularity in 2005, when she won a variety show titled Miss Pequeñita. Her popularity increased in 2007, when she started hosting another variety show titled La Hora Warner, which she hosted until 2009. Apart from appearing in variety shows, Flavia also appears in TV series and films.
Daniel Hannan is a British journalist, writer, and former politician. Since 2020, he has been serving as an adviser to the UK Board of Trade. Hannan has also contributed as a columnist for publications like The Sunday Telegraph and the Washington Examiner. He also works as the editor-in-chief of a quarterly journal of cultural and political affairs named The Conservative.
The daughter of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori and politician Susana Higuchi, Keiko Fujimori is the current leader of the right-wing Peruvian party Popular Force. She has been a Member of Congress and the First Lady of Peru, too. She has been in an out of jail on charges of money laundering.
Mercedes Aráoz is a Peruvian politician, professor, and economist. She is best known for her service as the Second Vice President of Peru from 2016 to 2020. She also served as the Prime Minister of Peru from 2017 to 2018. An important politician, Mercedes Aráoz also served as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism from 2006 to 2009.
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is a Peruvian politician, economist, and public administrator. He is best known for his service as the President of Peru from 2016 to 2018. From 2005 to 2006, Kuczynski served as the Prime Minister of Peru. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski also served as the Minister of Economy and Finance on two occasions between 2001 and 2005.
Peruvian-Venezuelan actor Jorge Aravena is best known for his roles in telenovelas and soaps, such as Girasoles Para Lucia and La Revancha. He began his acting career at age 10, when he moved from Peru to Venezuela with his parents. His first major break was in the telenovela La loba herida in 1992.
Hilda Gadea was a Peruvian Communist leader, economist, and author. Best remembered as the first wife of popular Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara, Hilda Gadea is credited with introducing Guevara to several Cuban rebels. She is also remembered for her memoir, My Life With Che.
Laura Bozzo is a Peruvian talk show host renowned for hosting her popular Spanish-language talk show, Laura. The occurrence of regular fights and the discussion of the sensitive subject matter have made her shows controversial in nature. In 2008, Laura Bozzo landed in trouble when the Peruvian press discovered that some of her shows were staged for entertainment purposes.
Alan García went down in history as the only member of the Peruvian Aprista Party to serve as the president of Peru. Nicknamed Peru’s JFK, he was also the youngest president of his country and served two terms. He committed suicide before he could be arrested for the Odebrecht scandal.
Francisco Morales Bermúdez was a Peruvian general and politician. He served as the President of Peru from 29 August 1975 to 28 July 1980. A prominent political leader, Morales Bermúdez also served as the Prime Minister of Peru in 1975. From 1969 to 1974, Francisco Morales Bermúdez served as the Minister of Economy and Finance.
Peruvian actor and singer Diego Bertie was known for his roles in telenovelas. He was also part of the Peruvian band Imágenes. He died in an accidental fall from his 14th-floor apartment at age 54. He is remembered for his role as Adolfo in the movie Los Andes no creen en Dios.
Peruvian actor Silvana Arias is known for her roles in projects such as Cold Case and The Glades. She is also educated in fashion design. Born to a classic theater actor and singer father, she was destined to be part of the show business. She is also known as Michelle Arias.
Salvador del Solar is a Peruvian politician, actor, and director. He is best known for his service as the Prime Minister of Peru from 11 March 2019 to 30 September 2019. He also served as the Minister of Culture from 5 December 2016 to 9 January 2018. Salvador del Solar is also known for appearing in popular movies like Coraje.
Veronica Montes is a Peruvian model and actress based in Miami, Florida, USA. She is known for playing important roles in popular telenovelas such as La Piloto, El Señor de los Cielos, and Papá a toda madre. Veronica Montes made her feature film debut in 2019, when she appeared in an Indian Bengali-language film titled Password.
Ricardo Palma was a Peruvian author, scholar, librarian, and politician. He became interested in politics as a young man and held several political positions. He began writing seriously following the birth of his first son, for whom he used to write fantastic tales. He went on to pursue a literary career and published various articles and books.
Jaime Bayly is a Peruvian television personality, journalist, and writer. An Emmy Award winner, Bayly achieved international prominence when two of his books were adapted into films. Jaime Bayly is perhaps best known for writing novels that discuss sexual freedom, politics, and friendship.