Juan Manuel Padrón Blanco (January 29, 1947 – March 24, 2020) was a
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
n
animation director
An animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated or television film, or an animated segment for a live-action film or television show. Alternatively, the animation direct ...
and
comics artist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...
, best known as the creator of the comic strip '' Elpidio Valdés''.
He was born in
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...
. From 1963 he published sketches and
cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...
s for Cuban magazines and newspapers. He was the creator, in 1970, of Elpidio Valdés, a cartoon character (and series) with more than sixty shorts and two feature-length movies. Padrón received international attention for '' Vampires in Havana'', an adult-oriented comedy feature that gathered a
cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
abroad.
Padrón directed six animated feature films in total, along with many shorts, especially those with Elpidio Valdés as the main character; and the one-minute comedy sketches for adults "Filminutos".
In 2008, Padrón was selected as the recipient of Cuba's National Film Award.