# Manuel Ojeda

Manuel Salvador Ojeda Armenta (4 November 1940 – 11 August 2022) was a Mexican actor. Ojeda was one of the most active actors of television and cinema in Mexico. He played the villain, Zolo, in the Hollywood film Romancing the Stone.

## Career

Manuel Salvador Ojeda Armenta was born in La Paz, Baja California Sur. He studied acting at the Instituto de Bellas Artes ("Institute of Fine Arts") and started his career in theatre. He obtained roles in his first film in his mid-thirties and later participated in the first of his dozens of telenovelas with Televisa two years later.
In 1979, he appeared in his first English-language production, the 1979 Martin Sheen film Eagle's Wing. He also took the role of Jimmy in P.D. Tu gato ha muerto, the Spanish-language production of P.S. Your Cat Is Dead in 1983. The same year, Ojeda starred in Jaime Humberto Hermosillo's Las apariencias engañan as Sergio, a closeted gay man. Ojeda played the murderous secret police commander Zolo in the Hollywood film Romancing the Stone (1984). Co-star Kathleen Turner served as his interpreter during filming as director Robert Zemeckis spoke no Spanish.
On television, Ojeda portrayed Emiliano Zapata in the telenovela Senda de gloria in 1987 and Porfirio Díaz in El vuelo del águila in 1994. In 1994, he began to focus on his television career, eventually appearing in over 45 television series. From 2005 to 2006, he was part of the cast of the telenovela Alborada.

## Health issues and death

In the later years of his life, Ojeda reported that he suffered from depression when he was not working. While he was filming Corazón guerrero in 2022, he began to experience symptoms of liver disease, including anorexia. His health deteriorated quickly over the course of two months and he died on 11 August 2022.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | Calzonzin inspector | | |
| 1975 | La casa del Sur | Livingston | |
| 1976 | Canoa | Hombre del pueblo | |
| 1976 | El Apando | | |
| 1976 | Celestina | Pleberio | |
| 1976 | Celda de castigo | Polonio | |
| 1976 | La pasión según Berenice | José | |
| 1976 | Las Poquianchis | Tadeo | |
| 1977 | El elegido | Andrés Martínez | |
| 1977 | El mar | | |
| 1977 | Matinée | Francisco | |
| 1977 | Los Iracundos | | Short film |
| 1978 | Pedro Páramo | Pedro Páramo | |
| 1978 | Naufragio | Médico | |
| 1979 | Amor libre | Ernesto | |
| 1979 | Eagle's Wing | Miguel | |
| 1979 | La tía Alejandra | Rodolfo | |
| 1981 | Que viva Tepito! | Antonio Vélez | |
| 1981 | Green Ice | Lt. Costas | |
| 1981 | La leyenda de Rodrígo | | |
| 1981 | Oficio de tinieblas | Fernando Ulloa | |
| 1981 | El infierno de todos tan temido | Jacinto Chontal | |
| 1981 | Fuego en el mar | Mariano Ortega | |
| 1981 | Ora sí tenemos que ganar | | |
| 1982 | Yo no lo se de cierto, lo supongo | Daniel | |
| 1982 | El caballito volador | | |
| 1983 | Un hombre llamado el diablo | | |
| 1983 | Las apariencias engañan | | |
| 1983 | Los renglones torcidos de Dios | | |
| 1983 | Bajo la metralla | Pablo | |
| 1984 | Noche de carnaval | Diablo | |
| 1984 | El corazón de la noche | Leyva | |
| 1984 | Romancing the Stone | Colonel Zolo | |
| 1984 | El tonto que hacía milagros | Asaltante | |
| 1985 | Luna caliente | Almiron | |
| 1985 | Naná | Conde Muffat | |
| 1986 | El maleficio 2: Los enviados del infierno | Abel Romo | |
| 1986 | La rebelión de los colgados | | |
| 1986 | Al filo de la ley: Misión rescate | Víctor Araiza | |
| 1987 | La mujer policía | | |
| 1987 | Muelle rojo | Isauro Alfaro Otero | |
| 1987 | Los confines | Ignacio | |
| 1988 | La otra cara de Pedro Navaja | Don Mario | |
| 1988 | Reto a la vida | El Tijuana | |
| 1988 | La furia de un dios | | |
| 1988 | Furia en la sangre | | |
| 1989 | Un lugar en el sol | Andrès | |
| 1989 | Las dos caras de la muerte | | |
| 1990 | El hijo de Lamberto Quintero | | |
| 1991 | La fuerza bruta | | |
| 1991 | El extensionista | Severo | |
| 1991 | Triste recuerdo | Don Manuel Jiménez | |
| 1991 | Traición | | |
| 1991 | El jinete de la divina providencia | | |
| 1991 | Mí querido viejo | | |
| 1991 | Amor y venganza | | |
| 1991 | Imperio blanco | | |
| 1992 | El último narco | | |
| 1992 | La revancha | Gallardo | |
| 1992 | El secuestro de un periodista | Presidente | |
| 1992 | Mi querido Tom Mix | Evaristo | |
| 1992 | Cabaret de frontera | | |
| 1992 | Nocturno a Rosario | | |
| 1993 | Vigilante nocturno | | |
| 1993 | Retando a la muerte | Comandante Moreno | |
| 1993 | Bestias humanas | Comandante Peña | |
| 1993 | Kino | Jefe Coro | |
| 1993 | En medio de la nada | | |
| 1993 | Tiempo de muerte | | |
| 1994 | Seducción judicial | | |
| 1994 | Gladiadores del infierno | | |
| 1994 | Juana la Cubana | | |
| 1994 | El hombre de Blanco | José | |
| 1994 | Muralla de tinieblas | | |
| 1994 | La señorita | | |
| 1994 | Amorosos fantasmas | | |
| 1994 | Amor que mata | | |
| 1994 | Pánico en el paraíso | | |
| 1994 | Suerte en la vida (La Lotería III) | | |
| 1994 | Las pasiones del poder | Jorge Toledo | |
| 1994 | La dinastía de Los Pérez | Erik Orozco | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | Santa | Federico Gamboa | |
| 1979 | Parecido al amor | | |
| 1979 | Cancionera | Héctor Raúl | |
| 1980 | La casa del árbol | | |
| 1981 | El derecho de nacer | Armando | |
| 1982 | Por amor | Ernesto | |
| 1983 | El amor ajeno | Roberto | |
| 1984 | La traición | Pino Genovesi | |
| 1985 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | General Vorteez | "Breakdown" (Season 1, Episode 8) |
| 1985 | De pura sangre | Carlos | |
| 1986 | On Wings of Eagles | Commandant | "Part II" (Season 1, Episode 2) |
| 1986 | Herencia maldita | Rogelio Velarde | |
| 1987 | Tal como somos | | |
| 1987 | Senda de gloria | Emiliano Zapata | |
| 1988 | Un nuevo amanecer | Samuel | |
| 1990 | Un rostro en mi pasado | Leonardo Sánchez | |
| 1990 | Hora marcada | Tomás | Episode: "De ángeles y demonios" |
| 1990 | Yo compro esa mujer | Santiago | |
| 1991 | Al filo de la muerte | Julio Araujo | |
| 1993 | Videoteatros: Véngan corriendo que les tengo un muerto | Inspector Cueto | |
| 1994–1995 | El vuelo del águila | Porfirio Díaz | |
| 1994–2003 | Mujer, casos de la vida real | Various roles | "Ante el ocaso" (Season 10, Episode 12) "Una esperanza para Teodoro" (Season 13, Episode 41) "Pregunta sin respuesta" (Season 20, Episode 25) |
| 1995 | La paloma | Ramiro López Yergo | |
| 1996 | La culpa | Mariano Lagarde | |
| 1997 | No tengo madre | Indalecio Madrazo / Inocencio Lemus Smasht | |
| 1997–1998 | Desencuentro | Alfredo | |
| 1999 | Nunca te olvidaré | | |
| 1999 | Amor gitano | Pedro | |
| 1999–2000 | Laberintos de pasión | Genaro Valencia | |
| 1999–2000 | Cuento de Navidad | Orejas | |
| 2000–2001 | El precio de tu amor | Octavio Rangel | |
| 2001–2002 | El manantial | Padre Salvador Valdés | |
| 2002 | La otra | Juan Pedro Portugal | |
| 2003 | Bajo la misma piel | Rodrigo Leyva | |
| 2004 | Amarte es mi pecado | Jacobo Guzmán | |
| 2004 | Misión S.O.S. aventura y amor | Severiano Martínez | |
| 2005 | Barrera de amor | | |
| 2005–2006 | Alborada | Francisco Escobar | |
| 2007 | La fea más bella | Luis | |
| 2007 | Objetos perdidos | Rigoberto | "Objeto 3" (Season 1, Episode 3) |
| 2007 | El Pantera | Almeida | "Hoteles del centro" (Season 1, Episode 3) |
| 2007 | Tormenta en el paraíso | Capitán Solís | |
| 2008–2009 | Un gancho al corazón | Don Hilario Ochoa | |
| 2009 | Alma de hierro | | "Angustiosa presencia" (Season 1, Episode 385) |
| 2009 | Verano de amor | Don Clemente Mata | |
| 2009 | Mujeres asesinas | Juan Antonio Orduña | "Las Garrido, codiciosas" (Season 2, Episode 2) |
| 2009–2010 | Corazón salvaje | Fulgencio Berron | |
| 2011 | El Equipo | Prieto Urrutia | |
| 2012 | Por ella soy Eva | Eduardo Moreno | |
| 2012–2014 | Como dice el dicho | Rodrigo / Vicente Cacho | "Uno nunca sabe para quién trabaja" (Season 2, Episode 59) "El amor no termina" (Season 4, Episode 3) |
| 2013 | Qué bonito amor | El Padrino | Supporting Role |
| 2013 | La Tempestad | Ernesto Contreras | |
| 2014 | La Gata | El Silencioso | Supporting Role |
| 2015 | Que te perdone Dios | Melitón | Supporting Role |
| 2016 | Yago | Damián Madrigal | Supporting Role |
| 2020 | Enemigo íntimo | Don Jesus | Main role (season 2) |
| 2020–2021 | Quererlo todo | Patricio Montes | Guest star |
| 2022 | Corazón guerrero | Abel | (final role) |

## Awards and nominations
### TVyNovelas Awards

| Year | Category | Telenovela | Result |
| 1986 | Best Male Antagonist | De pura sangre | Nominated |
| 1995 | Best First Actor | El vuelo del águila | Nominated |
| 2000 | Best Male Antagonist | Laberintos de pasión | Won |
| 2001 | Best Co-star Actor | El precio de tu amor | Nominated |
| 2002 | Best First Actor | El manantial | Nominated |
| 2006 | Best First Actor | Alborada | Won |
| 2009 | Best First Actor | Tormenta en el paraíso | Nominated |
| 2013 | Best First Actor | Por Ella Soy Eva | Nominated |
| 2014 | Best Male Antagonist | La tempestad | Won |
| 2015 | Best First Actor | La Gata | Nominated |

### Premios El Heraldo de México

| Year | Category | Telenovela | Result |
| 1995 | Best Actor | El vuelo del águila | Won |