Quick Facts
Biography
Emilio Estefan Gómez (born March 4, 1953) is a Cuban-American (of Syrian, Lebanese, and Spanish ancestry) musician and producer who has won 19 Grammy Awards. Estefan first came to prominence as a member of the Miami Sound Machine. He is the husband of singer Gloria Estefan and the uncle of Spanish-language television personality Lili Estefan.
Professional career
Emilio Estefan has shaped, developed and directed the careers of many superstars in the music industry. He has produced various events for both general market and Hispanic market television. These events include: The Latin Grammys, The Hispanic Heritage Awards, Nuestra Navidad, and high-profile productions on HBO and Showtime. He has also produced many musical events at the White House.
In 2008, Emilio produced and directed his first full-length documentary, 90 Millas based on the pioneers and history of Cuban Music.
In February 2014, the documentary film, An Unbreakable Bond, based on the life story of Marc & Nick Buoniconti's undying commitment towards finding a cure for paralysis, directed and produced by Estefan, premiered at National & International film festivals.
Early in 2014, Estefan was appointed Miami-Dade Special Ambassador by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime, a decision approved unanimously by the County Commission. In his unpaid four-year non-partisan role, Emilio will represent the Miami-Dade community at an international level to encourage and promote the diversity of business and trade.
Estefan and Botrán Rum created a strategic marketing alliance including a personal endorsement by Estefan. Through his role, Estefan will help promote the brand throughout the U.S., leading a multi-channel marketing campaign with the mantra "The Night Begins with Botran".
Estefan partnered with the Nederlander Group in 2013 to produce the Broadway musical extravaganza, "On Your Feet!", based on the life and music of Gloria and Emilio. "On Your Feet!" will premier on Broadway in the Fall of 2015.
Estefan became an AARP Life Reimagined ambassador in 2013. In his new role, Emilio shares his expertise on a variety of subjects, including his passion for living, mentoring, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and much more.
During 2010, Estefan gathered dozens of Latino entertainers to record Michael Jackson's "We Are The World" in Spanish. The Spanish language version, already written by Estefan and approved by Quincy Jones, became "Somos El Mundo". It premiered during El Show de Cristina on March 1, 2010 and the funds went to the Haiti relief.
Estefan sits as the second vice-chair to the Commission for the National Museum of the American Latino, a bi-partisan commission charged with exploring the possibility of creating a National Latino Museum in Washington D.C.
In 2010, Emilio Estefan gained the title of best-selling author for the release of his book The Rhythm of Success – How an Immigrant Produced his own American Dream. The following year, Estefan presented the book The Exile Experience: A Journey to Freedom in collaboration with writer Carlos Pintado and journalist Carlos Alberto Montaner, including personal testimonials from different generations of exiles. The Exile Experience: Journey to Freedom is published in three separate editions – each tailor-made for those who arrived through Operation Pedro Pan, the Freedom Flights and the Mariel boatlift. Each edition features the names of every Cuban who arrived via one of those three exoduses, with more than 400,000 names between the three editions.
Other business ventures
Gloria and Emilio Estefan own a number of business establishments, including several Cuban-themed restaurants (Bongos Cuban Café) (Larios on the Beach). The restaurants are located in Miami Beach, downtown Miami (part of the American Airlines Arena), at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, Walt Disney World's Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida, and in Miami International Airport. They also own two hotels: Costa d'Este in Vero Beach which opened in 2008, and The Cardozo in Miami Beach.
The Estefans' estimated net worth as of 2011 was approximately $700 million, according to an article in People en Español magazine.
In June 2009, Estefan and his wife became the first Hispanics to buy a minor ownership stake in an NFL team, the Miami Dolphins.
Awards
In 2002, he was appointed to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities by President George W. Bush. Among the many awards and honors Estefan has received, are honorary doctoral degrees from Barry University, the University of Miami, Florida International University and the Berklee College of Music. He also received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Songwriters' Hall of Fame and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, in 2009. In 2005, Estefan received the BMI "Songwriter of the Year" award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the Latin Grammy Awards of 2000, he received the award for Producer of the Year for his work on the albums Ciego de Amor by Charlie Zaa, El Amor de Mi Tierra by Carlos Vives and the song "Da la Vuelta" by Marc Anthony.
In November 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Estefan, along with his wife Gloria, the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.