Rubén Blades

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

71

Gender

Male

Birthday

1948-07-16 (76 years old)

Place of Birth

Panama City, Panama

Also Known As

  • Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna

Rubén Blades

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

Fear the Walking Dead
7.7%

Fear the Walking Dead

Aug 23, 2015

Safe House
6.5%

Safe House

Feb 8, 2012

Predator 2
6.3%

Predator 2

Nov 21, 1990

The X-Files
8.4%

The X-Files

Sep 10, 1993

The Counselor
5.3%

The Counselor

Oct 25, 2013

The Devil's Own
6.2%

The Devil's Own

Mar 13, 1997

Color of Night
5.7%

Color of Night

Aug 19, 1994

Hands of Stone
6.6%

Hands of Stone

Aug 26, 2016

Mo' Better Blues
6.5%

Mo' Better Blues

Aug 3, 1990

The Two Jakes
6.0%

The Two Jakes

Aug 10, 1990

All the Pretty Horses
5.7%

All the Pretty Horses

Dec 11, 2000

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Acting

2025
Salsa Lives as Ruben Blades
2024
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple as Self
2024
Stay Homas. The Band That Shouldn’t Exist as Self - Singer
2021
Nueva York: A Musical History of Latin New York as Self (archive footage)
2021
Red Pill as Rocky
2019
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage as Self
2018
John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons as Self
2018
Ruben Blades Is Not My Name as Self
2016
Hands of Stone as Carlos Eleta
2015
Fear the Walking Dead as Daniel Salazar
2014
Yo soy la salsa
2014
Invasion as Self
2013
The Counselor as Jefe
2012
Outlaws - For Greater Glory as Président Calles
2012
Safe House as Carlos Villar
2011
¡Sonó, Sonó… Tite Curet!
2011
Músicos de Latinoamérica as Self
2011
The Next Season as Benito
2011
Rubén Blades: Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 1
2011
Rubén Blades: Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 2
2009
Spoken Word as Cruz-Sr.
2008
La clave
2007
Lo mejor de nuestra música popular: 15 años de éxitos as Self
2005
The Hunters and the Hunted: The Making of 'Predator 2' as Self (archive footage)
2004
En mi país as Rubén Blades
2004
Secuestro Express as Carla's Father
2003
Spin as Ernesto
2003
Imagining Argentina as Silvio Ayala
2003
Once Upon a Time in Mexico as Jorge, Retired FBI Agent
2003
Assassination Tango as Miguel
2003
The Maldonado Miracle as Cruz
2002
Encuentro
2002
Las Lunas del Auditorio as Self
2000
All the Pretty Horses as Rocha
2000
Gideon's Crossing as Dr. Max Cabranes
2000
Latin Grammy Awards as Self
1999
Cradle Will Rock as Diego Rivera
1998
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades - Live In Venezuela as Rubén Blades
1998
A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway
1997
Chinese Box as Jim
1997
Arthouse as Self
1997
From Son to Salsa
1997
The Devil's Own as Officer Edwin Diaz
1996
Al compás de un sentimiento: la música de Pedro Flores
1996
Scorpion Spring as Border Patrolman Sam Zaragosa
1995
Somos un solo pueblo as Self
1994
Color of Night as Hector
1994
A Million to Juan as Bartender
1993
The X-Files as Conrad Lozano
1993
Miracle on Interstate 880 as Pastor Beruman
1991
The Super as Marlon
1991
Rabbit Ears - Joseph and His Brothers as Narrator (voice)
1991
Crazy From the Heart as Ernesto Ontiveros
1991
One Man’s War as Perrone
1991
The Josephine Baker Story as Count Giuseppe Pepito Abatino
1990
Predator 2 as Danny Archuleta
1990
The Two Jakes as Mickey Nice
1990
Mo' Better Blues as Petey
1990
The Heart of the Deal
1989
The Lemon Sisters as C.W.
1989
Disorganized Crime as Carlos Barrios
1989
Dead Man Out as Ben
1988
Homeboy as Doctor
1988
The Milagro Beanfield War as Sheriff Bernabe Montoya
1987
Fatal Beauty as Carl Jimenez
1987
Critical Condition as Louis
1985
The Return of Rubén Blades as himself
1985
Crossover Dreams as Rudy Veloz
1985
The Making of Sun City as Self
1983
The Last Fight as Andy "Kid" Clave
1979
Beats of the Heart: Salsa as Self

Sound

2019
Operation Just Cause as Music
2002
Empire as Original Music Composer
1990
Q & A as Original Music Composer
1988
Oliver & Company as Songs
1988
The Story of Fausta as Music
1988
Coverup: Behind the Iran Contra Affair as Music
1984
Por los Caminos Verdes as Music
1984
Peter Knife as Songs
1983
When the Mountains Tremble as Original Music Composer
1983
Ligia Elena as Music
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Rubén Blades