Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, well known both in Argentina and Spain.

Biography

Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato was born in Chacarita, Buenos Aires on 21 September 1929, to parents from Carpinone, Italy. Alterio's acting debut came in 1948 in stage play ''Cómo suicidarse en primavera'' ('How to commit suicide in spring'). After finishing drama school, he created the ''Nuevo Teatro'' ("New Theatre") company in 1950, where he worked until 1968 and helped change the Argentine theatrical scene of the 1960s. He also worked in the Argentine cinema. His debut on the silver screen took place in Alfredo Mathé's ' (''Every sun is bitter'') in 1965. He then participated in many of the most important Argentine movies of the 1970s, including '' La Patagonia rebelde'' (''The Rebel Patagonia''), which was awarded a

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival. His voice was used in ''Ya es tiempo de violencia'' (1969), an anonymous film about the ''

Cordobazo The ''Cordobazo'' was a civil uprising in the city of Córdoba, Argentina at the end of May 1969. It occurred a few days after the '' Rosariazo'' protests erupted in the Santa Fe Province against the military dictatorship of General Juan Carlos ...

'' riots which took place the same year. The film was produced by Enrique Juárez, close to the '' Grupo Cine Liberación''. While in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 1975, he received

death threat A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a d ...

s from the

Argentine Anticommunist Alliance The Argentine Anticommunist Alliance (, usually known as Triple A or AAA) was an Argentine Peronist and fascist political paramilitary group operated by a sector of the Federal Police and the Argentine Armed Forces, linked with the anticom ...

. He decided not to return to Argentina and remained in exile. He also obtained Spanish citizenship. Consequently, Alterio began to work in Spanish films, including ''A un dios desconocido'' (1977) and received the Best Actor award at the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival, and ''El Nido'' (1980), and for his effort received the Best Actor award from the Association of Latin Entertainment Critics in 1983. After the restoration of democracy in Argentina in 1982, Alterio worked in films produced in both countries and some co-productions. In 2004, he received an Honorary

Goya Award The Goya Awards () are Spain's main national annual film awards. They are presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Ar ...

for his lifetime body of works. Religiously, Alterio is an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

Roles in Academy Award-nominated films

Héctor Alterio has been in five Oscar-nominated as Best Foreign Language Film pictures: *''

The Truce ''The Truce'' (), titled ''The Reawakening'' in the US, is a book by the Italian author Primo Levi. It is the sequel to ''If This Is a Man'' and describes the author's experiences from the liberation of Auschwitz ( Monowitz), which was a concent ...

'' – (1974) *'' The Nest'' – (1980) *'' Camila'' – (1984) *''

The Official Story ''The Official Story'' () is a 1985 Argentine historical political drama film directed by Luis Puenzo and written by Puenzo and Aída Bortnik. It stars Norma Aleandro, Héctor Alterio, Chunchuna Villafañe and Hugo Arana. In the United Kingd ...

'' – (1985) *''

Son of the Bride A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

'' – (2001) The fourth of them won the award in the 58th Academy Awards, and was also nominated as

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

. All of these films, except for The Nest, which was submitted by

, has been submitted to the awards by

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Selected filmography

* ''Todo sol es amargo'' (1966) * ''Cómo seducir a una mujer'' (1967) * '' Don Segundo Sombra'' (1969) - Gaucho in Black * ''El santo de la espada'' (1970) - Gen. Simón Bolívar * ''La fidelidad'' (1970) * ''El habilitado'' (1971) * ''Argentino hasta la muerte'' (1971) * ''Y que patatín, y que patatán'' (1971) * ''La mafia'' (1972) - Paolatti * ''Paño verde'' (1973) * '' Los siete locos'' (1973) - Gregorio Barsut * ''

La Piel del amor ''The Skin of Love'' (''La piel del amor'') is a 1973 Argentine romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mario David, who also wrote the script, working with Isaac Aisemberg. Shot in Mar del Plata, it stars Susana Giménez, Claudio García Satur ...

'' (1973) - Luis * '' Las Venganzas de Beto Sánchez'' (1973) - Coronel Sagasti * ''Los golpes bajos'' (1974) * '' Quebracho'' (1974) * '' La Patagonia rebelde'' (1974) - Cmdr. Zavala * '' La tregua'' (1974) - Martín Santomé * '' El Amor infiel'' (1974) - Morales * '' Cría Cuervos'' (1976) - Anselmo * ''

Pascual Duarte ''Pascual Duarte'' is a 1976 Spanish drama film directed by Ricardo Franco (director), Ricardo Franco. It was entered into the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, where José Luis Gómez (actor), José Luis Gómez won the award for Best Actor Award (Cann ...

'' (1976) - Esteban Duarte Diniz * ''La menor'' (1976) * ''Fango'' (1977) - Carlos * '' Asignatura pendiente'' (1977) - Rafa * ''Secretos de alcoba'' (1977) - Carlos * '' A un dios desconocido'' (1977) - José * ''La guerra de papá'' (1977) - Papá (Pablo) * ''Marian'' (1977) - Alfredo * ''El mirón'' (1977) - Roman - husband * '' Las truchas'' (1978) - Gonzalo * ''

Las palabras de Max ''What Max Said'' () is a 1978 Spanish film directed by Emilio Martínez Lázaro, and starring Ignacio Fernández de Castro, Myriam De Maeztu and Gracia Querejeta. It tells the story of a man who feels disconnected from people around him. It was ...

'' (1978) - Julián * '' Arriba Hazaña'' (1978) - Hermano Director * ''Borrasca'' (1978) - Alberto Pineda * ''

La escopeta nacional ''La escopeta nacional'' (in English, ''The National Shotgun'') is a 1978 Spanish comedy film directed by Luis García Berlanga. The first installment in a critically and commercially successful trilogy, the picture is an indictment of the legac ...

'' (1978) * '' ¿Qué hace una chica como tú en un sitio como éste?'' (1978) * ''Serenata a la luz de la Luna'' (1978) * ''Tres en raya'' (1979) - Padre de Carlos * ''Tiempos de constitución'' (1979) * ''F.E.N.'' (1980) - Alfredo * '' Memorias de Leticia Valle'' (1980) - Alberto * '' El crimen de Cuenca'' (1980) - Isasa * '' El Nido'' (1980) - Don Alejandro * ''En mil pedazos'' (1980) - Armando Novaes * ''Tiro al aire'' (1980) * ''Otra vez adiós'' (1980) * ''Los viernes de la eternidad'' (1981) - Don Gervasio Urquiaga * '' Kargus'' (1981) * ''Tac-Tac'' (1981) - Leonardo Gala * ''Volver'' (1982) * '' Asesinato en el Comité Central'' (1982) - Sepúlveda * ''Corazón de papel'' (1982) - D. Arcadio Nieto * ''La vida, el amor y la muerte'' (1982) - Regino * ''

Antonieta ''Antonieta'' is a 1982 film by Spanish director Carlos Saura, starring Isabelle Adjani and Hanna Schygulla. The film, a Mexican-Spanish French co production, was based on a novel by Andrés Henestrosa. The plot centers on the life of Antonieta ...

'' (1982) - Leon * '' Il quartetto Basileus'' (1983) - Alvaro * ''La mujer del juez'' (1984) - Marcial / Paz's lover * ''El señor Galíndez'' (1984) - Beto * '' Camila'' (1984) - Adolfo O'Gorman * '' De grens'' (1984) - Andras Menzo * ''Los chicos de la guerra'' (1984) - Padre de Pablo * ''La rosales'' (1984) * ''Zama'' (1984) * ''Contar hasta diez'' (1985) * '' La historia oficial'' (1985) - Roberto * ''Adiós, Roberto'' (1985) * '' Flesh + Blood'' (1985) - Niccolo * ''A la pálida luz de la Luna'' (1985) - Miguel Gil de Larios * ''Manuel y Clemente'' (1986) - Serafin * ''Puzzle'' (1986) - Luis * '' Contar hasta diez'' (1986) * ''El hombre de la deuda externa'' (1987) - Pedro * '' Sofía'' (1987) - Padre de Pedro * ''Mi General'' (1987) - General Víctor Mendizábal * ''La veritat oculta'' (1987) - Alfons Garriga * ''Barbablu Barbablu'' (1987) - Federico * ''El verano del potro'' (1989) - Federico * ''Continental'' (1990) - Ruda * ''Yo, la peor de todas'' (1990) - The Viceroy * ''Gentile Alouette'' (1990) * '' Don Juan in Hell'' (1991) - Padre de Don Juan * ''

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

'' (1993) - Feroz Lobo * ''as boludas'' (1993) * '' El detective y la muerte'' (1994) - G.M. * '' King of the River'' (1995) - Juan * '' Caballos salvajes'' (1995) - José * ''Tatiana, la muñeca rusa'' (1995) - Diego * ''

Cenizas del paraíso ''Cenizas'' () is a studio album by Chilean-American musician Nicolas Jaar, Nicolás Jaar. It was released on March 27, 2020, by Other People. Critical reception ''Cenizas'' was met with universal acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which a ...

'' (1997) - Judge Costa Makantasis * ''Pequeños milagros'' (1997) - Padre de Rosalía * '' Memorias del ángel caído'' (1997) - Julio * '' Asesinato a distancia'' (1998) - Bilverio Punes * ''Diario para un cuento'' (1998) - Pablo * '' Las huellas borradas'' (1999) - Don José * '' Un dulce olor a muerte'' (1999) - Justino * ''Héroes y demonios'' (1999) - Jorge Romans * '' La mujer más fea del mundo'' (1999) - Dr. Werner * ''Suenas en la mitad del mundo – Cuentos ecuatorianos'' (1999) * ''Los libros y la noche'' (1999, Documentary) * '' I Know Who You Are'' (2000) - Salgado * '' Plata quemada'' (2000) - Losardo * '' Esperando al Mesías'' (2000) - Simón * ''Cabeza de tigre'' (2001) - Santiago de Liniers * ''Sagitario'' (2001) - Gustavo * '' El hijo de la novia'' (2001) - Nino Belvedere * '' Vidas privadas'' (2001) - Padre de Carmen / Carmen's Father * ''Nobel'' (2001) - Alberto * ''Noche de reyes'' (2001) - Sr. Garriga * ''Fumata blanca'' (2002) - Cardinal Giovanello * '' El Último tren'' (2002) - El Profesor * '' Apasionados'' (2002) - Coco * ''

Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...

'' (2002) - Grandfather * ''Nudos'' (2003) - Cipriano Mera * ''Utopía'' (2003) - Samuel * ''Cleopatra'' (2003) - Roberto * ''Le intermittenze del cuore'' (2003) - Saul Mortara * '' Noviembre'' (2003) - Yuta * ''En ninguna parte'' (2004) - Antonio * ''Semen, una historia de amor'' (2005) - Emilio * ''A Tram in SP'' (2008) - Lucas * '' Awaking from a Dream'' (2008) - Pascual * '' Intruders'' (2011) - Old Priest * ''Como estrellas fugaces'' (2012) - Generale * ''

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

'' (2014) - Lionel * '' Fermín glorias del tango'' (2014) - Fermin

Awards

Won: * Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor for Best Supporting Actor for ''La maffia'', 1973. * Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: Prize San Sebastián, Best Actor, for ''A un dios desconocido,'' 1977. * Association of Latin Entertainment Critics: Best Actor, for El Nido'','' 1980.New York Latin ACE Awards
web page. Last accessed: 2007-01-28. * Valladolid International Film Festival: Best Actor, for ''El Último tren,'' 2002. * Cinema Writers Circle Awards: CEC Award Best Supporting Actor, for ''El Hijo de la novia,'' 2002, Spain. *

Goya Awards The Goya Awards () are Spain's main national annual film awards. They are presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Ar ...

: Lifetime Achievement Honorary Award, 2004. Nominated * Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated for four Silver Condors (1998, 2001, 2002, and 2003).

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alterio, Hector 1929 births Argentine male film actors Argentine male stage actors Argentine male television actors Living people 20th-century Argentine male actors 20th-century Spanish male actors 21st-century Argentine male actors 21st-century Spanish male actors Argentine expatriates in Spain Honorary Goya Award winners Argentine people of Italian descent Male actors from Buenos Aires Argentine atheists