Antonio Gasalla (born March 9, 1941) is an Argentine actor, comedian, and theatre director.

Life and work

Antonio Gasalla was born in

Ramos Mejía Ramos Mejía is a Town in La Matanza Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The town has an area of and a population of 98,547. The city is one of the largest commercial districts in the Western Zone of Greater Buenos Aires. History The l ...

, a western suburb of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, in 1941. He enrolled at the National Dramatic Arts Conservatory, and began his work in Buenos Aires' vibrant theatre scene in 1964 as an understudy, by which he befriended a colleague,

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an émigré Carlos Perciavalle. He and Perciavalle starred in their production of María Inés Quesada's ''Help Valentino!'' (1966), which they performed as a café-concert; this genre was popular in Argentina at the time, and the Gasalla-Perciavalle duo became among its best known exponents.Taringa!
Antonio Gasalla 01

They accepted roles in

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

productions of ''Un viaje de locos'' (''Madmen's Journey'') and '' Clínica con música'' (''Musical Clinic'') in 1974. Though known for their comedy roles, they were also cast in 1974 by

Sergio Renán Sergio Renán (30 January 1933 – 13 June 2015) was an Argentine actor, film director, and screenwriter. Biography Born Samuel Kohan in Buenos Aires in 1933, his parents were Jewish immigrants who had lived in one of the numerous Jewish ...

for '' La tregua'' (''The Truce''), the first Argentine film nominated for an

Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. The duo parted ways subsequently, and Gasalla was cast in a comic role in ''Tiro al aire'' (''Shot in the Dark''), a 1980

family film A children's film, or family film, is a film genre that contains children or relates to them in the context of home and family. Children's films are made specifically for children and not necessarily for a general audience, while family films are ...

starring

Héctor Alterio Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain. Biography Alterio's theatre debut came in 1948 as the lead in ''Cómo suicidarse en prima ...

.Teatro del Humor
Offbeat film director

Alejandro Doria Alejandro Doria (November 1, 1936 – June 17, 2009) was a noted Argentine cinema and television director. Life and work Born in Buenos Aires in 1936, he first worked for Argentine television in 1965 as a writer for a local variety show, ''S ...

offered Gasalla the lead role in a 1985 comedy, ''

Esperando la carroza ''Waiting for the Hearse'' (''Esperando la carroza'' in Spanish) is a 1985 Cinema of Argentina, Argentine comedy film directed by Alejandro Doria. It is considered a cult film. It opened on 6 May 1985. The story belongs to the ''criollo'' grotesqu ...

'' (''Waiting for the Hearse''). Portraying Mamá Cora, a mischievous nonagenarian in need of attention from her self-absorbed family, Gasalla underwent four hours of prosthetic and makeup work daily, while shooting lasted. Receiving mixed reviews, the grotesque comedy was a commercial success and introduced Gasalla to a new act:

female impersonation A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

. He appeared seldom on television work until 1990, when he was offered a comedy show, ''El Mundo de Gasalla'' (''Gasalla's World''), following which he hosted or starred in numerous other variety programs on Argentine television, mostly for Channel 9. The most popular of these was ''El palacio de la risa'' (''The Palace of Laughter''), where television audiences became acquainted with his feminine roles. His comic portrayals earned his first

Martín Fierro Award Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

, the most prestigious in Argentine entertainment, in 1994. Having had a falling out twenty years earlier, Gasalla and his erstwhile café-concert partner, Carlos Perciavalle, were reunited in a 1997-98 theatrical series in

Punta del Este Punta del Este () is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este later became internationally known as a resort for the Latin and North American j ...

. Gasalla then returned to film in 2000, portraying Fredy, a homosexual man, in ''

Almejas y mejillones ''Clams and Mussels'' ( es, Almejas y mejillones, links=no) is a 2000 Argentine-Spanish comedy film directed and written by based on a story by Lito Espinosa. It stars Leticia Brédice and Jorge Sanz alongside Loles León, Antonio Gasalla, and ...

'' (''Clams and Mussels''), and to the theatre, where he portrayed his numerous female characters from 2000 to 2004. Ending his hiatus from television in 2004, he hosted ''Gasalla en pantalla'' (''Gasalla on the Screen'') and portrayed "grandma," an irreverent elderly woman, for

Susana Giménez María Susana Giménez Aubert (born 29 January 1944), known as Susana Giménez (), is an Argentine TV host, actress, model and businesswoman. In 2012, she was considered the biggest celebrity in Argentine television by the media firm that pub ...

's popular variety show. This role earned him another Martín Fierro Prize. Collaborating in homages to the late comedian

Niní Marshall Marina Esther Traveso (June 1, 1903 – March 18, 1996), known by her stage name Niní Marshall, was an Argentine humorist, comic actress and screenwriter; nicknamed ''The Chaplin with a skirt'' and ''The Lady of Humour''. Life and work S ...

in 2005 and for the Maipo Theatre's centennial in 2008, he also portrayed Argentine President

Cristina Kirchner Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess *Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American s ...

Nito Artaza Nito might refer to: People Footballers * Nito (footballer, born 1933), real name Joaquín García Paredes, Spanish footballer * Nito (footballer, born 1934), real name Juan Álvarez Romero, Spanish footballer * Nito (footballer, born 1939), real n ...

's ''Cristina en el país de las maravillas'' (''Cristina in Wonderland''). Gasalla more recently directed

Hernán Casciari Hernán is a Spanish masculine given name, originating from Germanic Hernan in the Visigoth culture in Spain. It is the Latinized version of the compound name ''Fard-nanth'', which seems to mean "gentle traveler" or "spiritual traveler". The House ...

's ''Más respeto que soy tu madre'' (''More Respect - I'm Your Mother''), playing the title role, as well. Gasalla remains among the most successful Argentine theatre and television personalities. Following a May 4, 2009, guest appearance in

Marcelo Tinelli Marcelo Hugo Tinelli (born 1 April 1960) is an Argentine television host, media producer and businessman, best known as the host of the TV show '' Showmatch'' broadcast on Argentina's El Trece. One of the most famous supporters of Club San Lor ...

's '' Showmatch'' (as Olga, the opinionated make-up lady), the popular variety show's ratings reportedly jumped to some of the highest in local television history. His success on the stage earned him a standing as the "king of

Corrientes Avenue Avenida Corrientes () is one of the principal thoroughfares of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The street is intimately tied to the tango and the porteño sense of identity. Like the parallel avenues Santa Fe, Córdoba, and San Juan, it t ...

Female impersonation

China Zorrilla Antonio Gasalla Esperando la carroza

Gasalla's female impersonations remain the hallmark of his career not only for his intricate portrayals, but also for their sheer number. Some of the best-known over the years have included: * Grandma/Mamá Cora: a senile, though willful, nonagenarian. * Soledad Solari: a woman with multiple phobias. * Inesita: a high-society maven frequently under her plastic surgeon's knife (often with disastrous consequences). * Yolanda: an elderly, hypochondriac woman psychologically attached to her wheelchair. * Bárbara: a parody of television hosts

Rona Barrett Rona Barrett (born Rona Burstein, October 8, 1936) is an American gossip columnist and businesswoman. She runs the Rona Barrett Foundation, a non-profit organization in Santa Ynez, California, dedicated to the aid and support of senior citizens ...

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...

. * Noelia: an overdressed, eccentric schoolteacher. * Flora: an inflexible, petty public servant (roughly equivalent to

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the vari ...

's Ernestine the operator). * The Nurse: a health worker who loses more patients than she saves. * Mirta Bertotti: the middle-aged matriarch of a

dysfunctional family A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse and sometimes even all of the above on the part of individual parents occur continuously and regularly, leading other members to accommodate suc ...

. * Esther Estrés: ''Estrés'' translates as "stress" in Spanish. * Dr. Gutman: an indiscreet psychoanalyst.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gasalla, Antonio 1941 births Living people People from Ramos Mejía Argentine people of Italian descent Argentine male actors Argentine male comedians Argentine theatre directors Argentine television personalities Golden Martín Fierro Award winners Argentine LGBT actors LGBT theatre directors 21st-century Argentine LGBT people Bailando por un Sueño (Argentine TV series) judges