Throughout a great deal of cinema history, Latin American and Spanish actors have either been underused or cast in one-dimensional or stereotypical parts in major blockbusters. However, recently that trend seems to be undergoing a major change; last weekend, Latin American artist Romeo Santos was announced as the latest addition to the "Fast and Furious" franchise, emphasizing the increasing presence of Latino actors in Hollywood franchises. Here is a look at other major Latino actors that have made their mark in Hollywood.

One of the big stars in headlines as of late is Dominican American Zoe Saldana. The actress has headlined a number of franchises and began her career in a small role in the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. The actress played the part of the feisty pirate Anamaria and while the role was very small, it served as a platform to get her name out. In 2009, she would headline two important franchises. In the summer she played the role of Uhura in "Star Trek." The role was a supporting one, but crucial to the film's central love triangle. She would later reprise it in the 2013 sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness." However, it was in James Cameron's "Avatar" that Saldana would have her big break. While the actress actually never shows her true live-action form in her role as Neytiri, her motion-capture performance stuck with many critics. Saldana received rave reviews and was nominated for multiple awards including the UK Empire awards.

This year the actress returns to blockbuster films in a new franchise. She will play the lead female role of Gamora in Marvel's upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy." Her character comes from the original Marvel comic books that were first created back in the 70s. Interestingly enough most of her performance will once again be through visual effects. Unlike the previous characters she has played in other franchises, this superhero is slated to appear in future Marvel movies, including the third Avengers movie. Saldana is also slated to continue working on "Avatar"; she has already been contracted to do the next three installments and is also likely to return for the third "Star Trek" movie.

Joining Saldana this year in a franchise will be Benicio del Toro. The Puerto Rican actor is also slated to be seen "Guardians of the Galaxy." Last year the actor previewed his character, The Collector, in the end credit sequence to "Thor: The Dark World." Del Toro's transition into the Marvel world is somewhat of a change of pace in his career. While he was seen in "Sin City," the actor has concentrated on the dramas and indie fare. His big break in the U.S. was in the role of Javier Rodriguez in "Traffic" for which he won an Oscar. He was later nominated for his work on Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "21 Grams." While there have been no details about how his new character from "Guardians" will develop, it will be interesting to see where his career will go after this role. While it will not necessarily raise his profile (he already has a huge one), it will definitely make him more of a household name to the more mainstream audience.

Moving away from the Marvel universe, the "Star Wars" franchise also made a huge step in introducing a Latino actor into the main cast. The original trilogy was noted for not having any Latinos. However, Lucasfilms fixed that by casting Puerto Rican Jimmy Smits in the role of Organa throughout the prequel films. While it was not the biggest of parts, Smits got a nice high-profile role that made him an iconic character in the series.

For the upcoming trilogy, Disney announced that Guatemalan-Cuban actor Oscar Isaac would be one of the leads in the upcoming "Star Wars: Episode VII" film. Isaac's casting was one of the biggest surprises as the actor's profile was still very small. Isaac's latest film is not necessarily his first foray into the studio film because he was previously seen in the big budget production of "Robin Hood" and "Sucker Punch." However, he didn't receive much acclaim until his breakout role in the Coen Brothers' 2013 film "Inside Llewyn Davis." Isaac has already begun shooting the upcoming Star Wars film and while there is no indication of what his role is, it is likely to be big part which will easily raise his profile.

Santos will be getting a shot in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, but he is not the first Latino showcased in the series. In fact, the action franchise is well-known for promoting Latino actors such as Roberto Sanchez, Noel Gugliemi, Don Omar, John Ortiz and most notably Michelle Rodriguez, who has appeared in most of the films. The franchise has brought Rodriguez's career to another level as it has made her one of the most sought after action stars in Hollywood.

But the inclusion of Santos is arguably the franchise's biggest move yet toward reaching out toward Latino audiences. He's one of the world's most famous bachata singers and his music has been featured in "Blue is the Warmest Color" and the indie hit "Sugar." The new role in the film will mark his acting debut and while he is very popular in the Latin community, this new film could garner him even more audiences around the U.S. and the world. While Universal has not announced the role he will be playing it is unlikely the singer will get a small role.

The Latin/Spanish community has also taken over other franchises such as "Pirates of the Caribbean." Penelope Cruz was not only cast as the female lead for the fourth installment but also nearly stole the show from Johnny Depp. The same went for Javier Bardem who took the James Bond series by storm with his performance as Silva in "Skyfall." The performance was universally hailed by critics and it even led him to Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA nominations. He also ranked as one of the best villains in the Bond franchise.

Meanwhile, Antonio Banderas stole the show with his unique character Puss in Boots in the "Shrek" franchise. Audiences and critics loved the Puss character so much that Dreamworks was forced to make a stand-alone spinoff movie of the character, which featured Mexican actress Salma Hayek. The film would be a commercial success and would become an Oscar nominee.

Two Mexican directors have also defied all expectations in Hollywood with their involvement in film franchises. While they are not in front of the camera, they're names have become synonymous with great film and great movie franchise installments.

Alfonso Cuaron first made his name with "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and later went on to win an Oscar for his film "Gravity." However, it was the third "Harry Potter" movie that served as the director's breakout project. "The Prisoner of Azkaban" was the installment that changed the way a Harry Potter films would be seen and today it is considered one of the best in the whole franchise. While the director is unlikely to return to franchise films, he is likely to continue making classic movies through the rest of his career.

Guillermo del Toro has also become a household name with audiences. While his most notable work is "Pan's Labyrinth," a small Mexican film that had great international success and even garnered him an Oscar nomination, the director went on to work on big budget films including "Pacific Rim" and "Blade 2." However, his most notable studio work was the "Hellboy" franchise. His work on the "Hellboy" series developed a cult following and also challenged the way superhero movies could be made. While the series ultimately failed to compete with other Marvel and DC films, del Toro built a huge following and made his name as a horror and action director.

Mexican filmmaker Roberto Orci is also growing in Hollywood. He wrote the recent "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" and is slated to make his directorial debut with the third "Star Trek" franchise.

While Hollywood still struggles representing the Latinos, it is clear that the demographic is no longer being ignored and is starting to dominate major franchises.

What Latino actors would you like to see in a major franchise movie? Which franchise film?