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 (), lit ...

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 c ...

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 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 ...

, 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 Catalan Government to normalize and enhance the theatre and dance in ...

. He later formed his own theatrical company with his wife, actress Gemma Cuervo. The couple had three children, actors: Fernando and Cayetana, 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 José María Forqué. 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

William Irish Cornell George Hopley Woolrich ( ; December 4, 1903 – September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. He sometimes used the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr., rated Woolrich th ...

, under the direction of Juan Guerrero Zamora. He worked regularly in the 1980s and 1990s in films like '' Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' (1988) and '' All About My Mother'' (1999). Besides Almodovar, Guillén worked with José María Forqué,

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, 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 to ...

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

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