Famous Peruvian Women

Pilar Pallete is a Peruvian actress whose professional career has been greatly overshadowed by her personal life, including her high-profile marriage to legendary American actor John Wayne. Through her marriage with John Wayne, Pallete was blessed with many grandchildren, including actress and musician Jennifer Wayne of Runaway June fame.

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.

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.        

Lina Medina is a Peruvian woman who gained international recognition when she gave birth to a baby boy at the age of five, becoming the youngest confirmed mother. According to medical reports, she had undergone precocious puberty, due to which she had fully mature sexual organs, at the age five, and experienced her first menstrual cycle at eight months of age.

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.           

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.

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.

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.

Elodie Frenck is a Peruvian-Swiss-French actress best known for her portrayal of Marlène Leroy in the popular French television program, Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie. In addition to playing important roles in TV series, Elodie Frenck also plays prominent roles in feature films, short films, TV movies, and on stage. 

Verónika Mendoza is a Peruvian-French politician, educator, and psychologist. She is currently serving as the president of a left-wing political party called New Peru, which she founded in 2017. Verónika Mendoza is also known for her association with the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano de Puno, where she worked as a professor before commencing her political career.

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.

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. 

Initially trained to be a high-school teacher, Peruvian entertainer María Julia Mantilla later became a Triathlon and Pentathlon national champion, before winning Miss World 2004 for Peru. Also known as Maju Mantilla, she has appeared in telenovelas such as Te volveré a encontrar and movies such as Mundo Gordo.

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.

Susana Baca is a Peruvian singer-songwriter, folklorist, school teacher, ethnomusicologist, and political leader. A three-time Latin Grammy Award recipient, Baca has played an important role in reviving Afro-Peruvian music. In 2011, Susana Baca became only the second Afro-Peruvian cabinet minister of independent Peru when she was elected as the Minister of Culture.

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.

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.

Peruvian singer and composer Chabuca Granda was 12 when she began singing. Best known for her track La flor de la canela, she redefined the Peruvian waltz by bringing in new melodies. Though she wasn’t well-known in English-speaking nations, she was an icon of Peruvian music and wrote much of her own music.

Gianella Neyra is a Peruvian model and actress. Over the course of her career, Neyra has played important roles in popular telenovelas, such as María Rosa, búscame una esposa and Bésame tonto. Apart from appearing in Peruvian productions, Gianella Neyra has also appeared in Venezuelan and Argentinian productions. 

Marisol Aguirre is a French Peruvian model, actress, and TV host. She is best known for playing an important role in the popular telenovela, Gorrión. Marisol Aguirre is also known for hosting a TV show called Locademia de TV.

Mónica Santa María was a Peruvian TV hostess and model. She achieved popularity when she began hosting the popular children's show, Nubeluz. However, the show got cancelled in 1996, partly due to Mónica Santa María's suicide by gunshot at the age of 21.

Melissa Loza is a Peruvian model and TV personality. She is best known for appearing in a popular dance reality TV show called El Gran Show. Melissa Loza and Sergio Álvarez won season 12 of El Gran Show and achieved national prominence. Melissa Loza is also popular on social media platforms, such as Instagram.

Celebrated German-born Peruvian mathematician, archaeologist, linguist, and astronomer Maria Reiche is remembered for her pioneering research on the Nazca lines. Nicknamed the Lady of the Lines, she was initially a governess and teacher in Peru. She later also became a founding-member of the non-profit organization South American Explorers.

Peruvian author Silvia Núñez del Arco is also the wife of celebrated bisexual Peruvian journalist and writer Jaime Bayly. She opened up about her first relationship in the autobiographical book If You Leave Me I’ll Kill Myself. She also talked about her relationship with Bayly in What Others Do Not See.

Magaly Solier is a Peruvian singer and actress. She achieved popularity as a singer in 2003, when she emerged victorious at the Festival de la Canción Ayacuchana. She made her acting debut the following year with the film, Madeinusa. Magaly Solier is also a public speaker who often stresses the prominence of supporting indigenous traditions, culture, and language.

Vicky Peláez is a Peruvian columnist and journalist. She achieved notoriety in 2010, when she was found guilty of working in the USA as Russia's unregistered foreign agent. Prior to working in the USA, Vicky Peláez was one of the first women to work as a television reporter in Peru. She currently works for The Moscow News newspaper.

Saby Kamalich was a Peruvian-Mexican actress best remembered for playing the title role in a Peruvian telenovela titled Simplemente María. Over the course of her illustrious career, Saby Kamalich also played important roles in popular Mexican film productions, such as Valente Quintero, where she portrayed Leonor Carrillo.

Best known for her Academy Award-nominated 2009 film The Milk of Sorrow, Peruvian director-writer Claudia Llosa has also penned a children’s book. Her debut film, Madeinusa, too was critically acclaimed and had won multiple awards. She is the niece of author Mario Vargas Llosa and director Luis Llosa.

Born to a Polish father and a Belgian mother in Paris, anthropologist and academic Eliane Karp later studied in Jerusalem, before moving to Stanford. The wife of former president of Peru Alejandro Toledo, she was dragged out of court, while cursing, after Toledo was denied bail in a bribery case.

Natalie Vértiz is a Peruvian model, TV host, and beauty pageant titleholder. In 2011, she represented Peru at Miss Universe pageant. Prior to her participation in the Miss Universe pageant, Natalie Vértiz competed in Miss USA Perú and Miss Perú 2011 pageants. 

Diana Quijano is a Peruvian model and actress. She is best known for playing prominent roles in telenovelas like Tierra de reyes, Los herederos del Monte, and Secreto de amor. Over the course of her career, Diana Quijano has also appeared in films and on stage.

Award-winning Peruvian author and journalist Marie Arana is known for her long association with The Washington Post. She is part of the Scholars Council of the Library of Congress. Known for her iconic books such as American Chica and Cellophane, she has also been outspoken about issues related to Latin America and biculturalism.

Nadine Heredia is a Peruvian politician who served as the President of the famous Peruvian Nationalist Party from 30 December 2013 to 26 August 2016. Best known as the wife of former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, Nadine Heredia served as the First Lady of Peru from 2011 to 2016. Nadine Heredia is seen as an influential figure in Peruvian politics.

María Antonieta Alva is a Peruvian public administrator best known for her service as the Minister of Economy and Finance from 2019 to 2020. She has also served at various governmental departments, mainly the Finance and the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Economy. María Antonieta Alva has also taught at the National University of San Marcos' School of Administration.

Micaela Bastidas was a Peruvian leader who campaigned against the Spanish rule in South America. She was martyred during the Peruvian struggle for independence. Along with her husband José Gabriel Condorcanqui, Micaela Bastidas fought against the Spanish forces and suffered martyrdom when the revolt failed.

Peruvian dancer, actor, and singer Anna Carina is known as the Queen of Peruvian pop. Also known for her skills on the guitar, she gained fame as a runner-up at the 1998 Viña del Mar International Song Festival. Her hit singles include Amándote and Callao. She has also appeared on several TV shows.

La Tigresa del Oriente is a Peruvian singer, actress, hairdresser, model, and makeup artist. She is best known for her distinctive style, which includes her extravagant makeup, hairstyle, and her leopard garb. La Tigresa del Oriente has also achieved international fame, thanks to her YouTube videos and internet memes.