Manuel Jesús Fernández Serrano (11 January 1964 – 30 July 2026), better known as Manolo Solo, was a Spanish actor.
Solo started off as a musician in the Sevillian rock scene, and later turned to acting. He achieved a late recognition as a leading actor after persevering in many middle and minor roles in tens of features, shorts and series, including his portrayals of Judge Ruz in B, la película (2015) and a small-time dealer in The Fury of a Patient Man (2016), for which he won the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actor. After his performance in Close Your Eyes (2023) he landed other leading roles in his final years in The Portuguese House (2025) and Nothing Personal (2025). His television work includes performances in 30 Coins, Celeste, and The Anatomy of a Moment.
He was the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Goya Award and four Actors and Actresses Union Awards.
Early life and education Manuel Jesús Fernández Serrano was born in Algeciras on 11 January 1964. His parents were teachers. His father died when he was a toddler. He was raised in neighbouring Los Barrios until age 6, later moving to Seville with his family. The missing of his father influenced on the choices of the stage name Manolo Solo () when he started a musical career when he was 16–17 and on his university degree, even if he never worked as a teacher.
Part of the Sevillian musical scene in his youth, he was bassist-singer of Hacienda Somos Todos and Libertad Provisional. He later joined Arden Lágrimas and became the vocalist of rock band Los Relicarios, sharing stage with Santi Amodeo. In 1991, Los Relicarios released the album Detentebala.
Solo earned a licentiate degree in Education Sciences from the University of Seville and trained his acting chops at the Seville's .
Acting career After debuting as a stage actor in 1989 and making a number of television appearances, he landed his feature film debut in the drama Everything in Place, released in 2002.
In addition to screen performances, he also worked as a dubbing actor in Dragon Ball, providing the voices for characters such as Tao Pai Pai, Mr. Popo, Android 17, and Beerus.
He appeared as the subordinate of the cruel Captain Vidal in Pan's Labyrinth (2006).
In 2011, he appeared in 17 Hours, a film about the 1981 coup attempt in Spain, portraying the then director of Radiotelevisión Española.
Under the direction of fellow Andalusian Alberto Rodríguez, he appeared in supporting roles as a director of a youth detention center in 7 Virgins (2005), as a journalist for during the Transition in the thriller film Marshland (2014) and as inquisitor general Celso de Guevara in the 16th century-set series The Plague.
In the legal drama B (2015), Solo portrayed Pablo Ruz, the judge of Spain's Audiencia Nacional who presided over the Gürtel case and the Bárcenas case, opposite to Pedro Casablanc (Luis Bárcenas).
His only Goya Award came for his supporting performance as El Triana, a small-time dealer, in The Fury of a Patient Man (2016). He employed a dysphonic voice he improvised during one of the first readings of his lines that the director Raúl Arévalo liked so much that he was asked to keep it.
Solo featured in the play Smoking Room, a stage adaptation of the 2002 film by Roger Gual and Julio D. Wallovits. It debuted at the Teatro Pavón Kamikaze on 12 October 2017 and won Solo the Actors and Actresses Union Award for Best Theatre Actor in a Secondary Role. Solo's career onstage continued with his participation in Mrs. Dalloway, based on the novel by Virginia Woolf, portraying Peter. It debuted at the Teatro Español on 28 March 2019.
For his role in the comedy film The Good Boss (2021) as Miralles, the right hand of businessman Julio Blanco (played by Javier Bardem) and working as a sort of conscience for the latter, he landed another nomination for the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Víctor Erice's Close Your Eyes (2023) earned him recognition as a leading actor. His role was that of film director Miguel Garay (described as an "obvious Erice stand-in"), so shaken by the missing of a friend that he quit filmmaking. Critic Glenn Kenny observed that, in the film, his "deep-set eyes convey universes of worry and sadness". The performance landed him his first nomination for the Goya Award for Best Actor.
In 2025, he collaborated again with Alberto Rodríguez in the miniseries The Anatomy of a Moment (another exploration of the February 1981 coup attempt), portraying General Gutiérrez Mellado. According to Solo, the greatest challenge he faced in order to play the role was understanding Gutiérrez Mellado's complex evolution "from being someone who helped carry out the coup d'état in '36 to becoming someone who tries to stop another coup 40 or 50 years later".
He starred in the drama film Nothing Personal (2025) opposite Sonia Almarcha as an embittered online hater who meets in person the celebrity television host he abuses online. He describe his character as "a person who deeply despises himself and is in a process of regression".
Solo died in Madrid on 30 July 2026, at the age of 62, after a prolonged illness caused by cancer. He was shooting Las vecinas. His wake was held at the funeral home of San Isidro in Madrid and was attended by colleagues such as Raúl Arévalo, Melina Matthews, Malena Alterio, Álex de la Iglesia, and Carolina Bang.
Selected filmography Film Year Title Role Notes Cuando todo esté en orden (Everything in Place) Juan 2003 Astronautas (Astronauts) Lorenzo La flaqueza del bolchevique (The Weakness of the Bolshevik) Francisco 2006 El laberinto del fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) Garcés Lola, la película (Lola, the Movie) Joaquín Romero Pudor (Modesty) Hombre X 2009 Celda 211 (Cell 211) José María Roca El cónsul de Sodoma (The Consul of Sodom) Meler 2010 El gran Vázquez (The Great Vazquez) Ibáñez Amador2011La cebra"The one-eyed" 23-F: La película (17 Hours) Verbo Professor 2012 Impávido (Poker Face) Tena 2013 La herida (Wounded) Jaime 2014 La isla mínima (Marshland) Periodista 2015 B, la película Juez Ruz ('Judge Ruz') 2016 Tarde para la ira (The Fury of a Patient Man) El Triana Los del túnel (The Tunnel Gang) José Manuel 2017Es por tu bien (It's for Your Own Good) Juan 2019 El silencio de la ciudad blanca (Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City) Mario Santos 2021 Competencia oficial (Official Competition) Matías Josefina (Josephine) Rafael Sevillanas de Brooklyn (When Brooklyn Met Seville) Antonio El buen patrón (The Good Boss) Miralles 2022 Girasoles silvestres (Wild Flowers) Roberto La fortaleza (The Fortress) Amigo de Jorge ('Jorge's friend') 2023 La desconocida (Girl Unknown) Leo Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes) Miguel Garay El hombre del saco (The Boogeyman: The Origin of the Myth) Quino Aguirre El cielo de los animales (The Heaven of Animals) Benicio Una quinta portuguesa (The Portuguese House) Fernando / Manuel A la cara (Nothing Personal) Pedro reprise of short film role Aquí Simón La desconocida (The Marked Woman) Leo Falcó
Television Year Title Role Notes 2014 Prim, el asesinato de la calle del Turco Nandín TV movie 2018-19 La peste (The Plague) Celso de Guevara 2020-23 30 monedas (30 Coins) Cardenal Fabio Santoro Primarily Italian-speaking performance Celeste Toni Anatomía de un instante (The Anatomy of a Moment) Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado
Accolades
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Work ! Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| |- | align = "center" | 2015 || || Best Film Actor in a Minor Role || Marshland || || align = "center" | |- | align = "center" rowspan = "3" | 2016 || 71st CEC Medals || Best Supporting Actor || rowspan = "3" | B, the Movie || || |- | || Best Supporting Actor || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Film Actor in a Minor Role || || align = "center" | |- | align = "center" rowspan = "4" | 2017 || || Best Supporting Actor in a Film || rowspan = "4" | The Fury of a Patient Man || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Supporting Actor || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Supporting Actor || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Film Actor in a Minor Role || || align = "center" | |- | align = "center" | 2018 || || Best Theatre Actor in a Secondary Role || Smoking Room || || align = "center" | |- | align = "center" | 2019 || || Best Supporting Actor in a Series || The Plague || || align = "center" | |- | align = "center" | 2021 || || Best Supporting Actor in a Series || 30 Coins || || align = "center" | |- | align = "center" rowspan = "7" | 2022 || || Best Supporting Actor in a Film || rowspan = "2" | The Good Boss || || align = "center" | |- | rowspan = "2" | || rowspan = "2" | Best Supporting Actor || || align = "center" rowspan = "2" | |- | When Brooklyn Met Seville || |- | 77th CEC Medals || Best Supporting Actor || rowspan = "4" | The Good Boss || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Supporting Actor || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Supporting Actor || || align = "center" | |- | rowspan = "3" | || 78th CEC Medals || Best Supporting Actor || rowspan = "2" | Wild Flowers || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Film Actor in a Minor Role || || align = "center" | |- | || Best Actor in a Film || rowspan = "7" |Close Your Eyes || || |- | rowspan = "7" | || 11th Feroz Awards || Best Actor in a Film || || |- | 3rd Carmen Awards || Best Actor || || |- | 79th CEC Medals || Best Actor || || |- | 38th Goya Awards || Best Actor || || |- | 21st International Cinephile Society Awards || Best Actor || || |- | 32nd Actors and Actresses Union Awards || Best Film Actor in a Leading Role || || |- | 11th Platino Awards || Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or TV series || rowspan = "1" |30 Coins || || |- | rowspan = "2" | | || Best Supporting Actor in a Series || Celeste || || |- | || Best Actor || The Portuguese House || || |- | rowspan = "5" | | || Best Supporting Actor in a Series || The Anatomy of a Moment || || |- | || Best Actor || rowspan = "4" | The Portuguese House || || |- | || Best Actor || || |- | || Best Actor || ||
| Best Actor || || align="center" |
References
External links