1 / 14

Jennifer Lopez - In honor of Discovery of Puerto Rico Day, when Christopher Columbus washed ashore on the island, we're giving a shout-out to our favorite celebs from the island republic. Jennifer Lopez is perhaps the most famous puertoriquena to walk the earth, and proudly waves the flag of the island any chance she gets. Born in the Bronx, J.Lo was named Grand Marshall of the city's famous Puerto Rico Day Parade. (Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

2 / 14

Rosie Perez - Spike Lee discovered then-dancer and choreographer Perez in a club and immediately cast her in his seminal film Do the Right Thing. Before gaining fame as an actress, Brooklyn-born Perez, whose parents are native Puerto Rican, was a Soul Train dancer and choreographed moves for her fellow islander Jennifer Lopez when she was a Fly Girl.  (Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Montblanc)

Photo By Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Montblanc

3 / 14

Marc Anthony - Born and raised in Harlem, Anthony is like the Jay-Z of Puerto Rico. One of the top-selling salsa artists of all time, a successful producer, songwriter and a part-owner of the Miami Dolphins, he came front and center in the American media when he married Jennifer Lopez. The longtime pals-turned-lovers were Latin music royalty with an empire that neared one billion before their marriage went bust last year.  (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

4 / 14

Daddy Yankee - Born Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez in San Juan, this reggaeton star became the face of a new style of music that swept radio stations and top 40 lists in the mid-2000s. His hit single "Gasolina" became a club staple and earned Daddy Yankee an MTV Video Music Award.  (Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)

5 / 14

Ricky Martin - He was the spark who lit the nation's obsession with Latin music in the late 1990s, and one of the only artists to endure.The "Livin' La Vida Loca" singer got his start in long-running boy band Menudo and went on to sell more than 60 million albums worldwide. His announcement in 2010 that he is a "fortunate homosexual man" did nothing to quell his popularity, and his subsequent 2011 album was his highest-selling since his 1999 debut. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Emporio Armani)

6 / 14

Jessica Wild and Yara Sofia - These contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race (seasons two and three, respectively) were both born in San Juan and raised in P.R. before finding fame on reality television. Wild eventually moved to Boston, where he works as a professional make-up artist and performs at local clubs. Sofia now lives in Los Angeles.(Photos from left: David Livingston/Getty Images, Christopher Polk/Getty Images for LOGO)

7 / 14

Wilson Cruz - As Claire Danes' best friend Ricky on 1990s hit drama My So-Called Life, Cruz was one of the first openly-gay teenage characters on television. Calling on his own struggle coming out to his conservative Puerto Rican parents, Cruz became an advocate for gay youth of color.  (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

8 / 14

Benicio del Toro - With looks that are part James Dean, part Brad Pitt and part crushed-out cigarette, bad boy Benicio stands out for showing his acting chops in complex roles. Born in Santurce, near San Juan to parents who were beloved community leaders (his dad was known as the "lawyer to the poor"), del Toro is only the third Puerto Rican to ever win an Oscar, taking home a statuette for Stephen Soderbergh's Traffic. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

9 / 14

N.O.R.E. - Sometimes known as Noreaga, this Puerto Rican rapper got his start when he met fellow rapper Capone in prison. The ex-convicts partnered up when they were released from the clink in 1996, but Noreaga was forced to go solo when Capone was arrested again in 1997. The move worked out well for Queens-based N.O.R.E., who worked with The Neptunes and Swizz Beatz on his solo record, which went platinum.  (Photo: Thos Robinson/Getty Images)

10 / 14

Lisa Velez - As headliner of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Velez was a pioneer among Latin women in pop.  Plus, Cult Jam was one of the first freestyle groups to emerge from the 1980s New York rap movement.  (Photo: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic)

11 / 14

Rita Moreno - Before there was Jennifer Lopez, Moreno was the original quadruple-threat entertainer from Puerto Rico. The singer, dancer and actress (best known for her role in the film adaptation of West Side Story) is the first Latino, and one of the few people ever, to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, a Tony and an Oscar. (Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images

12 / 14

Joaquin Phoenix - While this complex and often-controversial actor isn't Puerto Rican by blood, he is by birth. The Walk the Line star was born in San Juan to missionary parents, but moved to New York City as a toddler.  (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

13 / 14

Sonia Sotomayor - This "proud Latina" made history in 2009 when she was the first Hispanic person, and only the third woman, to be nominated to the Supreme Court. She didn't get her robes without a fight, though, and her nomination was held up by Republicans who felt her inclination as a woman and a second-generation Puerto Rican would affect her judicial objectivity.  (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

14 / 14

Big Pun - Born Christopher Lee Rios in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, Big Pun was one of the first Latino artists to truly break through to the hip hop mainstream. Ranked #19 on The Source's 50 Greatest Lyricists of All Time, Pun frequently included references to his Puerto Rican upbringing. Morbidly obese for most of his life, Pun died in 2000 of a heart attack, at age 28.  (Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect.)