# Héctor Alterio

Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain.

## Biography

Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato was born in Chacarita, Buenos Aires on 21 September 1929, to parents from Carpinone, Italy. Alterio's acting debut came in 1948 in stage play Cómo suicidarse en primavera ('How to commit suicide in spring'). After finishing drama school, he created the Nuevo Teatro ("New Theatre") company in 1950, where he worked until 1968 and helped change the Argentine theatrical scene of the 1960s.
He also worked in the Argentine cinema. His debut on the silver screen took place in Alfredo Mathé's Todo sol es amargo [es] (Every sun is bitter) in 1965. He then participated in many of the most important Argentine movies of the 1970s, including La Patagonia rebelde (The Rebel Patagonia), which was awarded a Silver Bear at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival. His voice was used in Ya es tiempo de violencia (1969), an anonymous film about the Cordobazo riots which took place the same year. The film was produced by Enrique Juárez, close to the Grupo Cine Liberación.
While in Spain in 1975, he received death threats from the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance. He decided not to return to Argentina and remained in exile. He also obtained Spanish citizenship.
Consequently, Alterio began to work in Spanish films, including A un dios desconocido (1977) and received the Best Actor award at the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival, and El Nido (1980), and for his effort received the Best Actor award from the Association of Latin Entertainment Critics in 1983.
After the restoration of democracy in Argentina in 1982, Alterio worked in films produced in both countries and some co-productions.
In 2004, he received an Honorary Goya Award for his lifetime body of works.
Religiously, Alterio is an atheist.

## Roles in Academy Award-nominated films

Héctor Alterio has been in five Oscar-nominated as Best Foreign Language Film pictures:
* The Truce – (1974)
* The Nest – (1980)
* Camila – (1984)
* The Official Story – (1985)
* Son of the Bride – (2001)
The fourth of them won the award in the 58th Academy Awards, and was also nominated as Best Original Screenplay. All of these films, except for The Nest, which was submitted by Spain, has been submitted to the awards by Argentina.

## Selected filmography

* Todo sol es amargo (1966)
* Cómo seducir a una mujer (1967)
* Don Segundo Sombra (1969) - Gaucho in Black
* El santo de la espada (1970) - Gen. Simón Bolívar
* La fidelidad (1970)
* El habilitado (1971)
* Argentino hasta la muerte (1971)
* Y que patatín, y que patatán (1971)
* La mafia (1972) - Paolatti
* Paño verde (1973)
* Los siete locos (1973) - Gregorio Barsut
* La Piel del amor (1973) - Luis
* Las Venganzas de Beto Sánchez (1973) - Coronel Sagasti
* Los golpes bajos (1974)
* Quebracho (1974)
* La Patagonia rebelde (1974) - Cmdr. Zavala
* La tregua (1974) - Martín Santomé
* El Amor infiel (1974) - Morales
* Cría Cuervos (1976) - Anselmo
* Pascual Duarte (1976) - Esteban Duarte Diniz
* La menor (1976)
* Fango (1977) - Carlos
* Asignatura pendiente (1977) - Rafa
* Secretos de alcoba (1977) - Carlos
* A un dios desconocido (1977) - José
* La guerra de papá (1977) - Papá (Pablo)
* Marian (1977) - Alfredo
* El mirón (1977) - Roman - husband
* Las truchas (1978) - Gonzalo
* Las palabras de Max (1978) - Julián
* Arriba Hazaña (1978) - Hermano Director
* Borrasca (1978) - Alberto Pineda
* La escopeta nacional (1978)
* ¿Qué hace una chica como tú en un sitio como éste? (1978)
* Serenata a la luz de la Luna (1978)
* Tres en raya (1979) - Padre de Carlos
* Tiempos de constitución (1979)
* F.E.N. (1980) - Alfredo
* Memorias de Leticia Valle (1980) - Alberto
* El crimen de Cuenca (1980) - Isasa
* El Nido (1980) - Don Alejandro
* En mil pedazos (1980) - Armando Novaes
* Tiro al aire (1980)
* Otra vez adiós (1980)
* Los viernes de la eternidad (1981) - Don Gervasio Urquiaga
* Kargus (1981)
* Tac-Tac (1981) - Leonardo Gala
* Volver (1982)
* Asesinato en el Comité Central (1982) - Sepúlveda
* Corazón de papel (1982) - D. Arcadio Nieto
* La vida, el amor y la muerte (1982) - Regino
* Antonieta (1982) - Leon
* Il quartetto Basileus (1983) - Alvaro
* La mujer del juez (1984) - Marcial / Paz's lover
* El señor Galíndez (1984) - Beto
* Camila (1984) - Adolfo O'Gorman
* De grens (1984) - Andras Menzo
* Los chicos de la guerra (1984) - Padre de Pablo
* La rosales (1984)
* Zama (1984)
* Contar hasta diez (1985)
* La historia oficial (1985) - Roberto
* Adiós, Roberto (1985)
* Flesh + Blood (1985) - Niccolo
* A la pálida luz de la Luna (1985) - Miguel Gil de Larios
* Manuel y Clemente (1986) - Serafin
* Puzzle (1986) - Luis
* Contar hasta diez (1986)
* El hombre de la deuda externa (1987) - Pedro
* Sofía (1987) - Padre de Pedro
* Mi General (1987) - General Víctor Mendizábal
* La veritat oculta (1987) - Alfons Garriga
* Barbablu Barbablu (1987) - Federico
* El verano del potro (1989) - Federico
* Continental (1990) - Ruda
* Yo, la peor de todas (1990) - The Viceroy
* Gentile Alouette (1990)
* Don Juan in Hell (1991) - Padre de Don Juan
* Tango (1993) - Feroz Lobo
* as boludas (1993)
* El detective y la muerte (1994) - G.M.
* King of the River (1995) - Juan
* Caballos salvajes (1995) - José
* Tatiana, la muñeca rusa (1995) - Diego
* Cenizas del paraíso (1997) - Judge Costa Makantasis
* Pequeños milagros (1997) - Padre de Rosalía
* Memorias del ángel caído (1997) - Julio
* Asesinato a distancia (1998) - Bilverio Punes
* Diario para un cuento (1998) - Pablo
* Las huellas borradas (1999) - Don José
* Un dulce olor a muerte (1999) - Justino
* Héroes y demonios (1999) - Jorge Romans
* La mujer más fea del mundo (1999) - Dr. Werner
* Suenas en la mitad del mundo – Cuentos ecuatorianos (1999)
* Los libros y la noche (1999, Documentary)
* I Know Who You Are (2000) - Salgado
* Plata quemada (2000) - Losardo
* Esperando al Mesías (2000) - Simón
* Cabeza de tigre (2001) - Santiago de Liniers
* Sagitario (2001) - Gustavo
* El hijo de la novia (2001) - Nino Belvedere
* Vidas privadas (2001) - Padre de Carmen / Carmen's Father
* Nobel (2001) - Alberto
* Noche de reyes (2001) - Sr. Garriga
* Fumata blanca (2002) - Cardinal Giovanello
* El Último tren (2002) - El Profesor
* Apasionados (2002) - Coco
* Kamchatka (2002) - Grandfather
* Nudos (2003) - Cipriano Mera
* Utopía (2003) - Samuel
* Cleopatra (2003) - Roberto
* Le intermittenze del cuore (2003) - Saul Mortara
* Noviembre (2003) - Yuta
* En ninguna parte (2004) - Antonio
* Semen, una historia de amor (2005) - Emilio
* A Tram in SP (2008) - Lucas
* Awaking from a Dream (2008) - Pascual
* Intruders (2011) - Old Priest
* Como estrellas fugaces (2012) - Generale
* Kamikaze (2014) - Lionel
* Fermín glorias del tango (2014) - Fermin

## Awards

Won:
* Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor for Best Supporting Actor for La maffia, 1973.
* Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: Prize San Sebastián, Best Actor, for A un dios desconocido, 1977.
* Association of Latin Entertainment Critics: Best Actor, for El Nido, 1980.
* Valladolid International Film Festival: Best Actor, for El Último tren, 2002.
* Cinema Writers Circle Awards: CEC Award Best Supporting Actor, for El Hijo de la novia, 2002, Spain.
* Goya Awards: Lifetime Achievement Honorary Award, 2004.
Nominated
* Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated for four Silver Condors (1998, 2001, 2002, and 2003).