Actor, singer, musician. Born on July 16, 1948, in Panama City, Panama, educated at the University of Panama (Law and Political Science); Harvard (L.L.M.). Formerly an attorney for Panama's National Bank, he entered show business in 1975 as a legal advisor to a recording company.
Before long, he began recording himself, soon emerging as a popular salsa vocalist and bandleader. In the early 80's he began appearing in films, first attracting wide notice in Crossover Dreams (1985), the story of an ambitious salsa singer. He subsequently played straight dramatic leads and supporting roles in non-musical films. He was the subject of the documentary, The Return of Ruben Blades (1987) and has appeared occasionally in TV dramas.
