Héctor Suárez

Héctor Suárez Hernández[1] ([ˈeɣt̪oɾ ˈswaɾes]; October 21, 1938[2] – June 2, 2020) was a Mexican actor, comedian, and director. He appeared in about a hundred films and television shows in a career that spanned 60 years. He was noted for satirizing those in power and for touching on controversial social issues, at a time when it was still taboo in his country to do so. He was the father of Héctor Suárez Gomís, who is also an actor.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Suárez and the second or maternal family name is Hernández.
Héctor Suárez
Born(1938-10-21)October 21, 1938
Mexico City, Mexico
DiedJune 2, 2020(2020-06-02) (aged 81)
Occupation
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • director
Years active1962–2020

Early life

Suárez was born in Mexico City on October 21, 1938.[3][4] He started his film career in 1964, when he featured in El Asalto.[5][6]

Career

Suárez was notable for creating satire and parody of the wealthy and those in power.[3][7] This was a challenging thing to do in the 1970s and 1980s, given the authoritarian government in power at the time.[3] He would employ "spontaneous, dark humor" to critique social and political issues,[8] such as poverty, corruption and the erosion of values.[3] This was especially evident in the show he created called Qué nos pasa,[8] which ridiculed government officials and shopkeepers.[3] He also starred in that program, playing various characters including Flanagan (a rock fan who sometimes wore a mohawk), Dona Zoila (an aging woman who is obsessed with her looks), El No Hay (a lazy and apathetic man), and African-American child Tomas.[9] He also played a "desperate, ragged proletarian" in El mil usos (1983).[3]

Suárez was best known for numerous roles in Mexican comedy, but also participated in other productions outside the comedy genre, such as Cesar Chavez.[10] He was the first comedian from Latin America to be "roasted" by fellow celebrities, when Comedy Central Latin America began airing the franchise in Mexico in 2013.[8]

Suárez won numerous accolades throughout his six decade-long career in acting. These included three Diosas de Plata, a notable award bestowed by the association of journalists and filmmakers in Mexico (PECIME).[8]

Death

Suárez died on June 2, 2020, at the age of 81. No cause of death was provided.[3][4] He had been suffering from bladder cancer in the years leading up to his death, having been diagnosed with the disease in 2015.[4] He consequently had to undergo several surgeries,[4] and was reportedly "in recovery and cancer-free" after an operation in the middle of 2019.[6] A message of condolence conveyed by the Secretariat of Culture praised Suárez as a "pioneer".[3]

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References
  1. "Murió el primer actor Héctor Suárez" (in Spanish). López Dóriga Digital. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  2. "Héctor Suárez, Mayahuel de Plata del FICG35". La Crónica Jalisco (in Spanish). March 5, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  3. "Biting Mexican comic, satirist Héctor Suárez dies at 81". Associated Press. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  4. "Legendary Mexican actor and comedian Héctor Suárez dies at 81". KABC-TV. ABC. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  5. "Muere el actor y comediante Héctor Suárez a los 81 años". El Financiero. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
  6. "Who was Héctor Suárez, and why his departure hurts Mexico". Explica. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  7. Gifford, Storm (June 2, 2020). "Héctor Suárez, prolific Mexican actor and satirist, dead at 81". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  8. Acevedo, Nicole (June 2, 2020). "Legendary Mexican actor and comedian Héctor Suárez dies at age 81, family says". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  9. "Del "No Hay" al "Flanagan": Héctor Suárez y sus personajes más entrañables". Infobae. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  10. "Muere el legendario actor y comediante mexicano Héctor Suárez". Chicago Tribune. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
  11. "Perfil: Héctor Suárez, el mil usos de la comedia y la sátira mexicana". Forbes Mexico. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
  12. "Hécto Suárez, de 'El derecho de nacer', sufre un accidente". Diez Minutos. May 30, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
  13. Herrera, Kimberly (June 2, 2020). "Fallece el comediante mexicano Héctor Suárez a los 81 años". La Nación. San José, Costa Rica. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.