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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
July 16, 1948
Place of Birth
Panama City, Panama
Also Known As
- Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna
Rubén Blades
1.7 Popularity
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres. As songwriter, Blades brought the lyrical sophistication of Central American nueva canción and Cuban nueva trova as well as experimental tempos and political inspired Nuyorican salsa to his music, creating thinking persons' (salsa) dance music. Blades has composed dozens of musical hits, the most famous of which is "Pedro Navaja," a song about a neighborhood thug who appears to die during a robbery (his song "Sorpresas" continues the story), inspired by "Mack the Knife." He also composed and sings what many Panamanians consider their second national anthem. The song is titled "Patria" (Fatherland). He is an icon in Panama and is much admired throughout Latin America, and managed to attract 18% of the vote in his failed attempt to win the Panamanian presidency in 1994. In September 2004, he was appointed minister of tourism by Panamanian president Martín Torrijos for a five-year term. He holds a law degree from the University of Panama and a master's in international law from Harvard University. He is married to singer Luba Mason. Description above from the Wikipedia article Rubén Blades, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
7.8
Ruben Blades
Salsa Lives
2025
6.7
Self
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple
2024
8.0
Self - Singer
Stay Homas. The Band That Shouldn’t Exist
2024
8.0
Self (archive footage)
Nueva York: A Musical History of Latin New York
2021
6.0
Rocky
Red Pill
2021
0.0
Self
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
2019
7.4
Self
John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons
2018
6.4
Self
Ruben Blades Is Not My Name
2018
6.6
Carlos Eleta
Hands of Stone
2016
7.6
Daniel Salazar
Fear the Walking Dead
2015
Credits
Salsa Lives
as Ruben Blades
2025
7.8
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple
as Self
2024
6.7
Stay Homas. The Band That Shouldn’t Exist
as Self - Singer
2024
8.0
Nueva York: A Musical History of Latin New York
as Self (archive footage)
2021
8.0
Red Pill
as Rocky
2021
6.0
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
as Self
2019
0.0
John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons
as Self
2018
7.4
Ruben Blades Is Not My Name
as Self
2018
6.4
Hands of Stone
as Carlos Eleta
2016
6.6
Fear the Walking Dead
as Daniel Salazar
2015
7.6
🎬
Yo soy la salsa
2014
0.0
Invasion
as Self
2014
7.3
The Counselor
as Jefe
2013
5.3
Outlaws - For Greater Glory
as Président Calles
2012
6.7
Safe House
as Carlos Villar
2012
6.5
🎬
¡Sonó, Sonó… Tite Curet!
2011
8.0
🎬
Músicos de Latinoamérica
as Self
2011
0.0
The Next Season
as Benito
2011
0.0
🎬
Rubén Blades: Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 1
2011
5.2
🎬
Rubén Blades: Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 2
2011
5.2
Spoken Word
as Cruz-Sr.
2009
5.4
🎬
La clave
2008
0.0
Lo mejor de nuestra música popular: 15 años de éxitos
as Self
2007
1.0
The Hunters and the Hunted: The Making of 'Predator 2'
as Self (archive footage)
2005
6.0
En mi país
as Self
2004
9.0
Secuestro Express
as Carla's Father
2004
6.3
Spin
as Ernesto
2003
6.0
Imagining Argentina
as Silvio Ayala
2003
5.5
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
as Jorge, Retired FBI Agent
2003
6.3
Assassination Tango
as Miguel
2003
5.3
The Maldonado Miracle
as Cruz
2003
4.7
🎬
Encuentro
2002
0.0
Las Lunas del Auditorio
as Self
2002
7.3
All the Pretty Horses
as Rocha
2000
5.7
Gideon's Crossing
as Dr. Max Cabranes
2000
6.0
Latin Grammy Awards
as Self
2000
7.0
Cradle Will Rock
as Diego Rivera
1999
6.4
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades - Live In Venezuela
as Rubén Blades
1998
0.0
🎬
A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway
1998
0.0
Chinese Box
as Jim
1997
5.8
🎬
Arthouse
as Self
1997
0.0
🎬
From Son to Salsa
1997
0.0
The Devil's Own
as Edwin Diaz
1997
6.2
🎬
Al compás de un sentimiento: la música de Pedro Flores
1996
0.0
Scorpion Spring
as Border Patrolman Sam Zaragosa
1996
6.6
Somos un solo pueblo
as Self
1995
0.0
Color of Night
as Hector
1994
5.7
A Million to Juan
as Bartender
1994
5.4
The X-Files
as Conrad Lozano
1993
8.4
Miracle on Interstate 880
as Pastor Beruman
1993
4.9
The Super
as Marlon
1991
5.9
🎬
Rabbit Ears - Joseph and His Brothers
as Narrator (voice)
1991
0.0
Crazy From the Heart
as Ernesto Ontiveros
1991
3.6
One Man’s War
as Perrone
1991
6.8
The Josephine Baker Story
as Count Giuseppe Pepito Abatino
1991
5.7
Predator 2
as Danny Archuleta
1990
6.3
The Two Jakes
as Mickey Nice
1990
6.0
Mo' Better Blues
as Petey
1990
6.5
🎬
The Heart of the Deal
1990
0.0
The Lemon Sisters
as C.W.
1989
4.6
Disorganized Crime
as Carlos Barrios
1989
5.4
Dead Man Out
as Ben
1989
6.3
Homeboy
as Doctor
1988
4.8
The Milagro Beanfield War
as Sheriff Bernabe Montoya
1988
6.5
Fatal Beauty
as Carl Jimenez
1987
5.5
Critical Condition
as Louis
1987
5.5
The Return of Rubén Blades
as himself
1985
0.0
🎬
Crossover Dreams
as Rudy Veloz
1985
4.8
The Making of Sun City
as Self
1985
9.0
The Last Fight
as Andy "Kid" Clave
1983
4.0
Beats of the Heart: Salsa
as Self
1979
0.0