15 History-Making Latinos at the Emmys

5. In a police uniform

Los Angeles-born Edward James Olmos, who is of Mexican descent, won an Emmy in 1985 for his stellar performance in the supporting role of police Lt. Martin Castillo on the hit television series Miami Vice, produced by Michael Mann for NBC.

Jimmy Smits, right, won an Emmy for his role in “L.A. Law.”

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6. Passion for justice

Jimmy Smits, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, has had a long career in film and television. In 1990 he was awarded an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor for his role as attorney Victor Sifuentes in the series L.A. Law, which aired from 1986 to 1994 on NBC.

John Lequizamo performs his one-man show “Ghetto Klown” in 2014. His Emmy win was for the film based on “Freak.”

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7. A “Freak”-ish talent

Colombian-born John Leguizamo won an Emmy for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program in 1999 for Freak, a film based on his live stand-up comedy show on Broadway, where he plays multiple characters of a dysfunctional Latino family.

America Ferrera starred as the title role in “Ugly Betty.”

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8. Ugly but well loved

Honduran-born America Ferrera won an Emmy in 2007 for her role as Betty Suarez in the hit comedy Ugly Betty, which was based on the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, written by Fernando Gaitán. Mexican actress Salma Hayek was one of the producers of ABC’s adaptation of the series.

Lin-Manuel Miranda won an Emmy for the adaptation of “Hamilton” and for the opening number of the 2014 Tony Awards.

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9. History-making music

Puerto Rican playwright, actor and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda has won two Emmys. The first, in 2014, was for outstanding original music and lyrics, for Bigger!, the opening number of the 67th Annual Tony Awards in 2014. His second Emmy came in 2021 in the category of outstanding variety special (prerecorded), for the television adaptation of his musical Hamilton.

10. A giant honor

Chilean Mario Kreutzberger — better known as Don Francisco, host of the popular variety show Sábado Gigante — became the first Spanish-language television personality to be inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2012.

Alexis Bledel, right, with Elisabeth Moss, won an Emmy for “The Handmaid’s Tale” in 2017.

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11. An Emmy with Argentine roots

Alexis Bledel won an Emmy for outstanding guest actress in a drama series for her performance in The Handmaid’s Tale in 2017. Bledel, born in Texas but of Argentine descent, went on to receive three more nominations for the same series, in 2018, 2020 and 2021.

Álvaro Morte won an International Emmy for “La Casa de Papel” (“Money Heist”).

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12. A milestone in Spanish television

The hit Spanish series La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) — produced by Atresmedia and Vancouver Media, aired on Spanish TV and later picked up by Netflix — won an International Emmy for outstanding drama series in 2018. Álvaro Morte, the lead actor who played The Professor, was one of the reasons for the series’ international success.

Jharrel Jerome won his first Emmy for his role in “When They See Us,” based on the case of the Central Park Five.

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13. A special dedication

Jharrel Jerome, an actor of Dominican descent who identifies as Afro-Latino, won his first Emmy in 2019 for his role in When They See Us, based on the case of the Central Park Five, in which four African Americans and one Latino were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in New York City in 1989. Jerome dedicated the award to the five men, who were in attendance at the ceremony.

Rafael Amaya starred in Telemundo’s “El Señor de los Cielos,” which won an International Emmy in 2014.

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14. The lord of prime time

Telemundo’s blockbuster series El Señor de los Cielos was the first recipient of the International Emmy Award for best non-English language U.S. prime time program in 2014. The series, based on the life of Mexican drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes, stars Rafael Amaya in the role of Aurelio Casillas.

Sofia Vergara has yet to win an Emmy, even though she’s been nominated for her role in “Modern Family.”

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15. Heavily nominated and best-paid

Sofia Vergara was nominated for four consecutive years for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on Modern Family. In 2024, she earned her first nomination as lead actress in a dramatic roll for Griselda, the Netflix series about Colombian narco queen Griselda Blanco. Despite her multiple nominations and a growing star power that led her to be named by Forbes magazine as one of the best-paid television actors in the United States, she has yet to win a coveted Emmy.