Mario Balmaseda

Mario Federico Balmaseda Maurisco (Havana, January 19, 1941 – Havana, October 8, 2022), was a prominent Cuban actor, interpreter of various characters for film , theater and television . He published poetry , stories and articles in national and international magazines and taught dramatic art in several educational centers, including the National School of Art . Between 1992 and 1995 he resided in Venezuela , where he acted in the soap operas Cruz de Nadie , Piel and Pedacito de Cielo , produced by Marte TB .

He was a jury for the Casa de las Américas Award and the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). His cinematographic career is also numerous, which began with the film “Los Días de Agua” by Manuel Octavio Gómez . Likewise, with the Cuban film Baraguá, from 1985, and directed by director José Massip, he achieved great renown for his masterful interpretation of the Bronze Titan; Antonio Maceo.

In 2021 he received the National Film Award, for his exceptional versatility and artistic career. Previously, he had won the 2006 National Theater and 2019 Television Awards.

Summary

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• 1 Biographical summary
  • 1 Artistic career
  • 2 Death
• 2 Filmography
• 3 Awards and recognitions
• 4 See also
• 5 References
• 6 Sources

Biographical summary

He was born in Havana on January 19 , 1941 . His first contacts with the world of acting were through his mother’s cousin, Digna Zapata , who was a star at the Teatro Martí . Being very young, he remained in the Santos y Artigas Circus with his mother, who was a declaimer. He is the son of a family of the middle black bourgeoisie. He got to know the world of cabaret and games, since his stepfather was a lawyer in charge of several businesses and casinos. He went through a military academy and studied construction at the School of Arts and Crafts. He worked at the Montmartre cabaret until 1959 .

Artistic career

He began his artistic life as an amateur in the theater, at the end of 1960, in the first Worker-Peasant Theater Brigade.

He was part of the Ocuje Theater Group along with Tito Junco , Omar Valdés , Miguel Benavides , Daysi Granados and Alfredo Ávila . They made several works, including: María Antonia , by Eugenio Hernández ; The Rampage , by Carlo Goldoni having the opportunity to be the protagonist. He worked for some years as an amateur actor and later studied playwriting at the National Theater of Cuba and in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

As director of the Bertolt Brecht Theater he established himself and directed numerous works, the most significant being Andoba . There are countless plays in which he worked. He directed, also for theater, more than a dozen works and was the author of 13 of them.

Over time he began to work on television and later in films. On television he starred in series such as: Adventures of Juan Quin Quín , In Silence It Has Had to Be , The Great Rebellion , A Bolero for Eduardo , among others, and in the cinema he participated in films such as Se Permuta, The Last Dinner, Come to the World and Scented Oak, among others.

He was a jury member of the Casa de las Américas Award and the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba.

Death

He died on October 8 , 2022 in Havana , Cuba , at the age of 81 ^[1] .

On October 12 , 2022 , the actor’s funeral was held in the lobby of the Avellaneda room of the National Theater of Cuba . Representatives of cultural institutions, artists, family members and the public were present to bid farewell with honors to one of the artists with extensive professional experience in the nation.

Funeral honors for actor Mario Balmaseda from the National Theater of Cuba

Filmography

• 1971 – The days of water. Director Manuel Octavio Gómez .
• 1973 – The man from Maisinicú . Director Manuel Pérez .
• 1973 – You have the floor . Director Manuel Octavio Gómez .
• 1973 – The Strange Case of Rachel K. Director Oscar Valdes .
• 1974 – In a certain way . Director Sara Gómez .
• 1976 – The Last Supper (film) . Director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea .
• 1977 – The brigadier . Director Octavio Cortazar
• 1977 – Río Negro . Director Manuel Pérez .
• 1978 – The chain . Director Juan Carlos Tabío .
• 1978 – A woman, a man, a city . Director Manuel Octavio Gómez .
• 1979 – There is no Saturday without sun . Director. Manuel Herrera .
• 1981 – Legend . Director. Rogelio Paris and Jorge Fraga .
• 1983 – Exchanged . Director. Juan Carlos Tabío .
• 1984 – The second hour of Esteban Zayas . Director. Manuel Perez .
• 1985 – In three and two . Director Rolando Díaz .
• 1985 – Baraguá . Director. José Massip .
• 1989 – Coming into the world . Director Miguel Torres .
• 1989 – The useless death of my partner Manolo . Director Julio García Espinosa .
• 1990 – Nazca (Spanish TV series). Director Benito Rabal .
• 1996 – The Tail of the Lizard . Director Bruno Gantillon .
• 2002 – Between cyclones . Director Enrique Colina .
• 2003 – Scented oak . Director Rigoberto López .
• 2009 – Tomorrow , Director Alejandro Moya .

Awards and honours

Actor Mario Balmaseda with the ACTUAR Award for the Work of Life , presented by Jorge Luis Frías Armenteros, former director of the Performing Arts Artistic Agency ACTUAR in 2016 .

• Juan Marinello Order awarded by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba .
• Gold Distinction to outstanding personalities of international culture awarded by the Bratislava Theater.
• Moscow Art Theater 70th Anniversary Distinction .
• Distinction for National Culture , awarded by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba .
• Popularity Award awarded by Opina Magazine. Havana , 1986 .
• Alejo Carpentier Medal awarded by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba .
• Golden Mask of the German National Theatre, 1980 .
• Andoba – Award for best staging at the Havana Theater Festival , 1980 ; Special award for best theater direction for television in the Contest of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba . Havana , 2001 .
• The Kremlin Carillon – Award for the best male performance at the Havana Theater Festival , 1980 .
• In silence it has had to be – Award for the best male performance on television in the Contest of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba . Havana , 1980 .
• Rows of shadow – Award for the best dramatic author awarded by the National Theater of Cuba . Havana , 1962 .
• The useless death of my partner Manolo – Award for the best male film performance in the Contest of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba . Havana , 1990 ; Bochica de Oro Award for best male performance at the Bogotá International Film Festival , Colombia , 1990 .
• The second hour of Esteban Zayas – Best male film performance in the Contest of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba . Havana , 1985 .
• My partner Manolo – Award for best male performance at the Camagüey Theater Festival , 1988 .
• National Theater Award 2006 .
• ACTUAR Award for the Work of Life , awarded by the Performing Arts Artistic Agency ACTUAR 2016
• National Television Award 2019
• National Film Award 2021
• Lucía Honor Award from the Gibara Film Festival, Holguín 2022