Fernando Guillén Gallego (29 November 1932 – 17 January 2013) was a Spanish

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

with a long and distinguished career spanning more than five decades.D’Lugo, ''Guide to the Cinema of Spain'', p. 231

Career

Guillén was born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

in 1932. He began studies at the University of Madrid, taking part in the Spanish University theater. He eventually abandoned his studies to follow a career as an actor. His professional career began in 1952 working with the theatrical companies of

Fernando Fernán Gómez Fernando Fernández Gómez (28 August 1921 – 21 November 2007) better known as Fernando Fernán Gómez was a Spanish actor, screenwriter, film director, theater director and member of the Royal Spanish Academy for seven years. He was born ...

and

Conchita Montes Conchita Montes (13 March 1914 – 18 October 1994) was a Spanish film actress. Career Born in Madrid, Montes became a popular actress in Spanish films of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1950 she starred in '' El último caballo'' an Edgar Neville fil ...

, and later in the

National Theatre of Catalonia Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (TNC; ; ''National Theatre of Catalonia'') is a public theatre located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was created by the Culture Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Catalan Government to normalize and enhanc ...

. He later formed his own theatrical company with his wife, actress

Gemma Cuervo Gemma Cuervo Igartua (born 22 June 1936) is a Spanish TV, cinema and theatre actress. Biography Her best known works are her roles in the TV programs ''Estudio 1'', ''Médico de familia'' and ''Aquí no hay quien viva''. She also worked in ...

. The couple had three children, actors:

Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

and

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, as well as another daughter, Natalia. They separated years later. Fernando Guillén continued to work in the theater until 2008 when, at age 75, he announced his retirement from the stage. In addition to theater, he worked extensively in television and film, beginning in 1953 with the film ''Un dia perdido'' directed by

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. Over the next three decades he appeared in more than two dozen films, mostly in secondary roles in which his face became familiar to Spanish audiences. However, it was on television where he consolidated his career as an actor, debuting in 1958 with the adaptation of the play ''Nightmare'' by

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, under the direction of

Juan Guerrero Zamora ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

. He worked regularly in the 1980s and 1990s in films like ''

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' ( es, Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios) is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. The film brought Almodóvar to ...

'' (1988) and ''

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'' (1999). Besides Almodovar, Guillén worked with

Vicente Aranda Vicente Aranda Ezquerra (; 9 November 1926 – 26 May 2015) was a Spanish film director, screenwriter and Film producer, producer. Due to his refined and personal style, he was one of the most renowned Spanish filmmakers. He started as a f ...

Pedro Lazaga Pedro Lazaga Sabater (3 October 1918 – 30 November 1979) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 90 films between 1948 and 1979. Selected filmography * '' The Black Siren'' (1947) * '' María Morena'' (1951 ...

, Fernando Fernan Gomez,

Imanol Uribe Imanol Uribe (born 28 February 1950) is a Spanish screenwriter and film director. He won the Goya Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay for the 1994 thriller '' Running Out of Time''. Biography Born in San Salvador on 28 February 1950 ...

and Gonzalo Suarez, among others. On 7 February 2008 Forges,

Amparo Baró Amparo Baró San Martín MML (21 September 1937 – 29 January 2015) was a Spanish actress. She starting working in theatres with Adolfo Marsillach. She first garnered critical and popular acclaim for her role as "Sole" in ''7 Vidas''. Her ca ...

and Guillén received the Gold

Medal of Merit in Labour The Medal of Merit in Labour ( es, Medalla al Mérito en el Trabajo) is a civil medal awarded in Spain by the Council of Ministers in its gold category and by the Ministry of Labour in its silver and bronze categories to individuals or institutio ...

by the Minister of Labour

Jesús Caldera Jesús Caldera Sánchez-Capitán (born 31 October 1957 in Béjar, Salamanca) is a Spanish socialist politician. He holds degrees in political science and sociology from the Complutense University of Madrid and a law degree from UNED.He was Mini ...

. He died aged 80 following a long illness on 17 January 2013.

Honours

* Gold

(Kingdom of Spain, 7 December 2007).Boletín Oficial del Estado
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Notes

References

* D’Lugo, Marvin. '' Guide to the Cinema of Spain''. Greenwood Press, 1997.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guillen, Fernando 1932 births 2013 deaths Male actors from Barcelona Spanish male film actors