Fernando Esteso, celebrated actor of the 'unveiling' films, dies at 80
He was one of the most recognized figures in audiovisual media, especially during the 1970s.
BarcelonaSpanish comedian and humorist Fernando Esteso has died in Valencia at the age of 80. According to his representative, speaking to the Europa Press news agency, the artist had been hospitalized for a couple of days at the La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital in Valencia due to respiratory problems. Esteso, who was born in Zaragoza in 1945, became famous for his comedic talent and acting skills, and was one of the most recognized figures in Spanish cinema. unveiling During the 1970s in Spain.
Esteso began working as a clown, alongside his father, when he was still a child. At nineteen, he moved to Madrid and made his acting debut. Some time later, he began his comedic career on television programs. He achieved fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s, coinciding with the end of the Franco regime, alongside fellow actor Andrés Pajares, in films with erotic and comedic content. Notable The bingo players (1979), Energy (1979), The troublemakers (1981) and Everyone on the ground (1981).
The bingo players It was especially relevant because it managed to gather more than one and a half million viewers and became the highest-grossing film of 1979. That film, directed by Mariano Ozores, marked a way of making audiovisuals, mixing humor, absurd characters and actresses who appeared semi-nude in a genre that was later called cinema unveilingand which later films by Pajares and Esteso were part of. That cinema was understood as a response to Francoist censorship, which until then had prohibited showing naked women on screen.
A frenetic career
The comedy duo of Pajares and Esteso ended in 1983. Pajares wanted to explore other avenues, so they each went their separate ways. Esteso's career continued in comedy as a singer and also in theater, where he reunited with Pajares in 1987 for the play The Odd CoupleIn the 1980s, Esteso also starred in major commercial successes in film such as Christopher Columbus, by trade... discoverer (1982), There are only two fathers. (1982), Shake well before use (1983) and Lola wakes us up to the garden (1983).
After a few years of frenetic production in Spanish cinema, Esteso turned to television. In 1993 he signed with Telecinco, where he presented his programs The Wheel of Fortune and also Summeringwith Bertín Osborne and Remedios Cervantes. At that time, Esteso had problems due to a signed contract that prevented him from participating in other productions. After taking Telecinco to court, the network compensated him in 2001 for damages with more than one million euros.
In the last two decades of his life, Esteso made occasional appearances in some films. In 2011 he was part of Torrente 4: Lethal Crisis, by Santiago Segura, and in 2014 he also joined Torrente 5: Operation Eurovegasin which he reunited with Andrés Pajares decades after having worked together. In recent years, Esteso participated in Uncertain glory (2017), Just before Christ (2020) and Loli Tormenta (2023). The actor had forged a strong relationship with filmmaker Agustí Villaronga, to whom he dedicated a few words during the Goya Awards ceremony in 2023.
