Luis Alfonso Alarcón Mansilla (23 October 1929 – 4 August 2023), popularly known as Lucho Alarcón, was a Chilean actor, theatre director, and activist with a distinguished film, television, and stage career.
In 1957, Alarcón began working as a stage actor participating in university theaters – , , Concepción, – and in independent companies. He later began his career as a cinematic actor, appearing in emblematic films such as Three Sad Tigers, Jackal of Nahueltoro, The Expropriation, Julio comienza en julio, Nadie dijo nada, Little White Dove, Caluga o menta, and The Shipwrecked.
In the 1980s he had roles in several telenovelas, but gained attention in the press only in 1983 when he played the evil Roberto Betancourt in . In 1993, he was instrumental in the creation of ChileActores, of which he would become the founding President. Alarcón was labeled the "Sabatini Star Actor", referring to his many appearances in the spectacular productions of Vicente Sabatini on television, which were very successful due to their social content. In 1999, he co-starred in the telenovela , starring actress Claudia di Girolamo, which became a praised and awarded soap opera. From 1995 to 2008 he was part of the stable cast of Sabatini. Through the producer's success, Alarcón continued to work with important figures in cinema, theater, and television.
Alarcón also appeared in television series such as , Estúpido Cupido, Romané, , , , Pampa Ilusión, , and El Señor de la Querencia.
Alarcón was the creator of the Patagonia Film Festival, a gala developed in the Cueva del Milodón. Currently he is officially recognized as the actor with the longest career in Chilean cinema, occasionally collaborating with Raúl Ruiz, Helvio Soto, Miguel Littín, Emilio Gómez Muriel, and Silvio Caiozzi.
Life and career The grandson of actor and director Justo Alarcón, Luis loved the art of film from a very young age. In Puerto Natales, where he was born, he became friends with the daughter of the cinema administrator, and there he learned the trade. In addition, his father – who worked in a refrigerator – was an amateur documentary filmmaker.
There is no other performer in Chilean cinema who appeared, like Alarcón, in such a large number of films. His origins as an actor, however, were in the theater, an activity that officially began (he had previously acted in school functions) in 1951, and he subsequently acted in around 90 theatrical pieces. He related that his vocation was defined after attending an exhibition of Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller. He studied Corporal Expression and Pantomime with Alejandro Jodorowsky, and with Enrique Gajardo and Pedro de la Barra at the Dramatic Arts Center of the Pedagogical Institute of the University of Chile, among others.
His first foray onto the big screen was made in the 1957 film Tres miradas a la calle by . Pedro Chaskel, who worked as assistant director on the film, would some years later become the director of Experimental Cinema at the University of Chile.
Alarcón participated in 's first film, La Universidad en la Antarctica (1962), which he narrated. Later, along with much of his theater company, he starred in Raúl Ruiz's first feature film El tango del viudo (1967). Rather than ending, the shoot led directly into the making of Three Sad Tigers (1968), considered one of the most important films of Chilean cinema.
That same year he was summoned to join the experimental film team of the University of Chile, which produced his first feature film project called Jackal of Nahueltoro, based on real events in the San Carlos region, where an illiterate murders a whole family and later, after being educated in prison, is condemned to death. Alarcón would initially play a journalist, but he then became involved in the production of the film with Luis Cornejo himself. Jackal of Nahueltoro broke public attendance records, only surpassed by the television hit adapted to the big screen, Germán Becker's Ayúdeme usted compadre.
Later, Luis Alarcón appeared in a large portion of Raúl Ruiz's films such as Nadie dijo nada (1970), The Penal Colony (1970), The Expropriation (1971), and Little White Dove (1973).
On television he has played emblematic characters on TVN's Dramatic Area series, such as Pedro Chamorro on La fiera, who at all costs wants to marry his eldest daughter, due to a promise made to his dying wife. He was also well known for his role as Roberto Betancourt on the television series La represa, a very evil and abusive landlord.
Alarcón was also known for his Indian character in advertising for the Firestone tire brand. For one such commercial, shot by director Silvio Caiozzi, Alarcón won a Golden Lion Award at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2017, he received the Golden Spike Award from the Institute of Higher Communication Studies for his outstanding artistic career in Chilean cinema.
Luis Alarcón died on 4 August 2023, at the age of 93.
Filmography Films Year Title Role Director 1957 Offender 1961 La Novia Ernesto Arancibia 1962 La Flor de Irupé Roberto 1967 Erase un niño, un guerrillero, un caballo Helvio Soto El tango del viudo Raúl Ruiz 1968 Three Sad Tigers Luis Úbeda Raúl Ruiz 1969 Jackal of Nahueltoro Judge Miguel Littín1970 ¡Qué hacer! Osvaldo Alarcón Raúl Ruiz The Penal Colony Head of State Raúl Ruiz La Buscona Emilio Gómez Muriel Abel Salazar Flor de durazno Emilio Gómez Muriel1971 Voltigo Miguel Zacarías Charles Elsesser Nadie dijo nada Braulio "The Poet" Raúl Ruiz Dos mujeres y un hombre Alfredo B. Crevenna1972 Hoy he soñado con Dios Octavio Julián Soler Roberto Gavaldón 1973 Little White Dove Stepfather of María Raúl Ruiz1974 Carrillo Silvio Caiozzi The Expropriation Capataz Lucho Raúl Ruiz 1975 Vías paralelas Cristián Sánchez 1977 Arrecife mortal John Randall1979 El amor de mi vida Gene Curtis Joselito Rodríguez Julio comienza en julio Alberto García del Castaño Silvio Caiozzi 1980 Félix Cristián Sánchez 1987 Mario Gonzalo Justiniano1990 Caluga o menta Marcial Gonzalo Justiniano Hay algo allá afuera Pepe Maldonado 1992 Don Pedro Sebastián Alarcón1993 Johnny 100 Pesos Juez Gastón Mora Gustavo Graef-Marino Octavio Cortázar 1994 The Shipwrecked Sebastián Mola Miguel Littín 1997 La huella Juan Diego Garreton 1998 Aventureros del fin del mundo Adventurer Miguel Littín1999Cinco marineros y un ataúd verdeHansMiguel LittínEl dueloDon FaustinoMiguel Littín2000 Tierra del Fuego Alexis Miguel Littín Chilean Gothic Ricardo Harrington 2002 Pamela Espinoza 2003 The Chosen One Head of State Nacho Argiró & Gabriel López 2004 La Isla Alex Leyton 2006 Kiltro Farah Ernesto Díaz 2008 Valeria Sarmiento 2009 Mandrill Don Mario Ernesto Díaz 2011 Gente mala del norte Abelardo de la Puente Patricio Riquelme 2013 La gravedad del púgil Jorge Mella2014 Mamá ya crecí Clemente Correa Gonzalo Badilla Maldito Amor Señor Ossandón Gonzalo Badilla La invención de la Patria Galut Alarcón
Television TV series Year Series Role Channel1966Historia de los lunesChilevisión19671975El CapatazCanal 131981Humberto MartínezCanal 131982Mariano BalcarceCanal 13MarcialCanal 131983La noche del cobardeAlamiro VillarroblesCanal 131984La RepresaRoberto BetancourtTVNRamón OyarceTVN1985René BarrientosTVNEmiliano CardosoTVN1986DomínguezTVNRafael López "El Coyote"TVN1988Albino VegaCanal 131989Adolfo TroperoCanal 131990Marcial RíosTVNMonseñor Sergio ValechCanal 131991Gastón de la ForceTVN1992JaimeCanal 131993WaldoCanal 131994Camilo ZamudioCanal 13Alcides MainardiTVN1995Estúpido CupidoOctavio DubléTVN1996SucupiraAmbrosio CamposTVN1997José MaríaTVNBrigada EscorpiónAnselmo MarínTVN1998Reynaldo PazTVNNicanor Barros JarpaTVN1998–1999Ambrosio CamposTVN1999Pedro Chamorro "El Guata de Sandía"TVN2000RomanéBaldomero Lillo / Spiro AntichTVN2001Pampa IlusiónEmilio FuenzalidaTVN2002Juan Lorenzo "El Capitán"TVN2003Efraín GallegosTVN2004Los PincheiraPadre Antonio OrtúzarTVN2005Giorgio Capo "El Nono"TVN2006Adolfo DuarteTVN2007Pedro LamarcaTVN2008Viuda AlegreEdgardo MansillaTVNEl Señor de la QuerenciaRenato EcheñiqueTVN2009Vicente García-HuidobroTVN2010Martin RivasPedro San LuisTVNLa familia de al ladoIgor MoraTVN2011Francisco GrauTVN2013Somos los CarmonaRosendo CarmonaTVN2014Caleta del solNicasio Mardones "Don Lobo"TVN2015ManuelUCV TelevisionArzobispoChilevisión2016El camioneroEmeterio PérezTVN2017Humberto RodríguezTVN
Awards and recognitions Golden Lion of the Cannes Film Festival (1986) Recognition of the film industry at the 7th Viña del Mar International Film Festival (1994) (APES) Award (1995) – Best Lead Actor for Estúpido Cupido APES Award (1999) – Best Lead Actor for La Fiera Altazor Award (2000) – Best Actor for La Fiera APES Award (2000) – Best Acting Career Relevant Contribution to National Cinema from the Ministry of Education of Chile (2001) Pablo Neruda Order of Artistic and Cultural Merit (2007) Honorific Medal of the Senate of the Republic of Chile (2008) Tribute for 50-year career by the Corporation of Actors of Chile (ChileActores) Pedro de la Barra Medal for his six decades of acting work, awarded by the University of Chile Honorary Acting Career Award of the Quilpué Film Festival (2010) Named Illustrious Son of Puerto Natales by the authorities of the city Pudú Prize for cinematic career at the Valdivia Film Festival Golden Spike Award from the Institute of Higher Communication Studies (2017) Lifetime Achievement Award at the Caleuche Awards (2018)
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