Rubén Blades
Known for: Acting
Born: July 16, 1948
Place of birth: Panama City, Panama
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.
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Filmography
84 movies · 8 TV shows, newest first
NR
Campeón Gabacho
2026
10.0
Pedro Navaja
2026
8.2
Salsa Lives
2025
6.8
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple
2024
8.0
Stay Homas. The Band That Shouldn’t Exist
2024
8.0
Nueva York: A Musical History of Latin New York
2021
6.0
Red Pill
2021
NR
El accidente feliz
2020
6.9
Operation Just Cause
2019
NR
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
2019
7.0
John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons
2018
6.4
Ruben Blades Is Not My Name
2018
6.6
Hands of Stone
2016
7.6
Fear the Walking Dead
2015NR
Yo soy la salsa
2014
7.3
Invasion
2014
5.3
The Counselor
2013
6.8
Outlaws - For Greater Glory
2012
6.5
Safe House
20128.0
¡Sonó, Sonó… Tite Curet!
2011NR
Músicos de Latinoamérica
2011
NR
The Next Season
20115.2
Rubén Blades: Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 1
20115.2
Rubén Blades: Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 2
2011
5.4
Spoken Word
2009NR
La clave
2008
1.0
Lo mejor de nuestra música popular: 15 años de éxitos
2007
6.7
The Hunters and the Hunted: The Making of 'Predator 2'
2005
8.0
En mi país
2004
6.3
Secuestro Express
2004
6.2
Spin
2003
5.7
Imagining Argentina
2003
6.3
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
2003
5.5
Assassination Tango
2003
5.3
The Maldonado Miracle
200310.0
Encuentro
2002
6.2
Empire
2002
7.3
Las Lunas del Auditorio
2002
10.0
Las caras lindas de Tite Curet
2002
5.7
All the Pretty Horses
2000
7.3
Gideon's Crossing
2000
7.0
Latin Grammy Awards
2000
6.5
Cradle Will Rock
1999
NR
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades - Live In Venezuela
19988.0
A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway
1998
5.8
Chinese Box
1997NR
Arthouse
199710.0
From Son to Salsa
1997
6.2
The Devil's Own
19977.0
Al compás de un sentimiento: la música de Pedro Flores
1996
6.7
Scorpion Spring
1996
9.0
Somos un solo pueblo
1995
5.8
Color of Night
1994
5.4
A Million to Juan
1994
8.4
The X-Files
1993
5.7
Life with Mikey
1993
5.2
Miracle on Interstate 880
1993
5.9
The Super
1991NR
Rabbit Ears - Joseph and His Brothers
1991
4.0
Crazy From the Heart
1991
7.2
One Man’s War
1991
6.0
The Josephine Baker Story
1991NR
Just cause, ¿para quién?
1991
6.3
Predator 2
1990
6.0
The Two Jakes
1990
6.5
Mo' Better Blues
1990
5.9
Q & A
19907.0
The Heart of the Deal
1990
5.1
The Lemon Sisters
1989
5.4
Disorganized Crime
1989
6.6
Dead Man Out
1989
6.7
Oliver & Company
1988
6.5
The Story of Fausta
1988
6.5
Coverup: Behind the Iran Contra Affair
1988
5.0
Homeboy
1988
6.6
The Milagro Beanfield War
1988
5.6
Fatal Beauty
1987
5.5
Critical Condition
1987
8.0
The Return of Rubén Blades
19855.4
Crossover Dreams
1985
9.5
The Making of Sun City
1985
10.0
By the Green Trail
1984
7.6
Peter Knife
1984
9.0
When the Mountains Tremble
1983
4.7
The Last Fight
19838.0
Ligia Elena
1983
6.1
Late Night with David Letterman
1982
NR
Rubén Blades: un Rey de la salsa
1982
NR
Beats of the Heart: Salsa
1979NR
Armadillo United
—NR
Pa'l Pueblo: Fania for the People
—NR
Bajañí
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