Fernando Gaitán Salom (9 November 1960 – 29 January 2019) was a Colombian TV series and

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

screenwriter as well as a producer.

Career

Fernando Gaitán was known for weaving different histories into diverse social contexts. He gained fame in Latin America after writing the telenovela '' Café, con aroma de mujer'' and world notoriety for his telenovela ''

Yo soy Betty, la fea ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'' (English: I am Betty, the Ugly one), often referred to simply as ''Betty, la fea'', is a Colombian telenovela created by Fernando Gaitán. It aired from 25 October 1999 to 8 May 2001 on RCN. Ana María Orozco stars as ...

'' which has been adapted in different countries. ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'' won the

TP de Oro The ''TP de Oro'' were a series of Spanish annual television awards awarded between 1972 and 2011 by ''Teleprograma'' magazine. History Initially baptized as Los mejores de TP (The best of TP), they were called for the first time in 1972, six y ...

for its nominated category, ''Mejor Telenovela'' (''Best Soap Opera'') in 2002. The success of ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'' led to a sequel in 2002 with

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...

's release of ''Eco moda''. ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'' also spawned a number of international remakes and adaptations, such as ''

Verliebt in Berlin ''Verliebt in Berlin'' (German pun for ''In Love in/with Berlin''; abbreviation: ViB) is a Rose d'Or, Golden Rose-winning German telenovela, starring Alexandra Neldel, along with Mathis Künzler, Tim Sander, and Laura Osswald. It premiered on 28 ...

'' in Germany, ''

La Fea más bella LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

'' in Mexico, '' Lotte'' in The Netherlands, ''Ne Rodis Krasivoy'' in Russia, '' Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'' in India, ''Sensiz Olmuyor'' in Turkey, '' Maria, i Aschimi'' in Greece, ''Yo soy Bea'' in Spain, ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'' in the United States, and ''

Bela, a Feia ''Bela, a Feia'' (Ugly Bela) is a Brazilian telenovela originally aired on Rede Record from August 4, 2009, to June 2, 2010. A co-production with Televisa, it was based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'', as well as the American ...

'' in Brazil. Gaitán received multiple awards and nominations in Colombia and internationally; India Catalina Award (1993, 1994, 2000, 2001), Simón Bolívar Award (1994), El Tiempo Award (1999, 2000), Radio Caracas Televisión Award (2000), Asociación Cronistas del Espectáculo in the United States (1995), GES Awards and INTE Awards in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

(2002). An article in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reported that the success of ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'' spin-offs has led to the search for other telenovelas being planned for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. His ''Cafe con Aroma de Mujer'' (''Coffee With the Scent of a Woman''), a hit for Colombia's

RCN TV RCN may refer to: * '' Radio Cadena Nacional (disambiguation)'', a broadcast network in Colombia ** RCN Radio ** RCN TV * RCN Corporation (formerly Residential Communications Network), a cable television, telephone, and Internet service provider ...

in 1994, was remade in Mexico twice. The first version was

TV Azteca Televisión Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V., commonly known as TV Azteca, is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate owned by Grupo Salinas. It is the second-largest mass media company in Mexico after Televisa. It primarily competes with Televisa as well as so ...

's '' Cuando seas mia'' in 2001. As of 2007

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

was airing its own ''Cafe con Aroma de Mujer'', with the title ''Destilando Amor''.

TV filmography

Writer

* ''

Destilando Amor ''Destilando amor'' (English: ''Distilling Love'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Nicandro Díaz González for Televisa in 2007. It is the remake of the 1994 Colombian telenovela '' Café con aroma de mujer''. On Monday, January 22, 2007, Ca ...

'' (2007) TV Series * '' Lotte'' (2006) TV Series * ''

'' (1999 - 2001) (''I am Betty, the ugly'') * '' Hasta que la plata nos separe'' (2006) (''Until Money do Us Apart'') TV Series * ''Eco Moda'' (2001) TV Series * ''Cuando seas mía'' (2001) (''When You are Mine'') TV series * ''Maria, i Aschimi'' (2007) (''Maria, the ugly one'') TV series * ''Guajira'' (1996) TV Series (''Guajira'') Telenovela * '' Café, con aroma de mujer'' (1994) Telenovela * ''Azúcar'' - Part II (''Sugar'') Telenovela * ''Laura por favor'' (''Laura, Please'') TV Series * ''La quinta hoja del trébol'' (''The Fifth Leaf of Clover'') * ''La fuerza del poder'' (''The Force of Power'') * '' Hasta que el dinero nos separe'' (''Until money do us part'') * '' A corazón abierto'' (''Open-Heart'')

Executive producer

* ''

'' (2006) (" The Lyin', the Watch and the Wardrobe") TV Episode

Personal life

Besides writing, Gaitán had as a hobby being a DJ.''El libretista Fernando Gaitán se convierte en DJ todos los miércoles'' (''The Writer Fernando Gaitán becomes DJ Every Wednesday'')
/ref>

Death

Gaitan died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

in a Bogota hospital in 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaitán, Fernando 1960 births 2019 deaths Colombian television producers Television show creators Colombian screenwriters Colombian male screenwriters