Cuban actor Mario Balmaseda dies

Photo: AHS

Text: Hugo Leon

Actor Mario Balmaseda, one of the most important faces on the Cuban screen, died this Saturday at the age of 81 in Havana, with several decades of an indelible mark on theater, film and television as a legacy.

The news was confirmed by the Cuban Minister of Culture himself, through Twitter.

Balmaseda was the main character in Baraguá, in which he embodied the Cuban independence fighter Antonio Maceo and made the phrase “no, we understand each other” iconic, taken from the historical event known as the Baraguá Protest.

He was also the protagonist of El hombre de Maisinicú and a central character in Se Permuta, La Última Cena, El Brigadista, Se Venda, and others, which are among the most famous feature films in Cuba.

More recently, in 2015, he was present in the film Forbidden Flights, and also in The work of the century.

Similarly, not a few of the most watched Cuban series of all time have his mark: among them are Adventures of Juan Quin Quin, A bolero for Eduardo and In silence it has had to be.

All of the above, and much more, which was part of his artistic career, earned him the National Television Award in 2019 and the National Film Award this year, in addition to the National Theater Award in 2006. In this way he became the first Cuban actor to win the prestigious recognition in all three categories.

Mario took his first steps in acting at the Teatro Martí, with the Cuban circus Santos y Artigas, following which he worked at the famous Cabaret Montmartre until 1959.

In the 60’s he met important actors of the time and by the end of those years he entered the world of acting in the theater. His studies in dramaturgy were carried out at the National Theater of Cuba and in the German Democratic Republic.

His first leading role was in the play El Alboroto and from then on his career continued to rise, both as an actor and as a theater director.

His acting skills as well as his work training young artists, and his charisma, earned him the respect and affection of millions of Cubans who, even over the years, continue to search for his films and series.