Erdwin Juventino Fernández Sánchez

Cuban actor in radio, television, film, and circus. He immortalized the character of the clown Trompoloco. He directed, wrote, and performed in numerous children's programs.

Erdwin Fernández was born in the Cuban province of Camagüey. During his high school studies, he ventured into performing several theatrical works under the direction of Luis Martínez Casado, who would later become another of the relevant figures in Cuban media.

He enrolled at the University of Havana to study architecture but abandoned the career to pursue his artistic interests. During this stage he joined the University Theater group, an experience that served him to consolidate his histrionic skills.

In the 1940s he joined the cultural missions promoted by the Ministry of Education to bring theatrical performances, concerts, and exhibitions throughout the Island. This initiative ended with Fulgencio Batista's coup d'état (March 1952).

Among his performances in radio, he is remembered for the character "Simplicio Bobadilla y Comejaibas," which he played in the program La Tremenda Corte, premiered on January 7, 1942 by RHC Cadena Azul. The actor embodied a boy with multiple tasks, somewhat clumsy and of short stature, as clever as "Tres Patines" himself. Sometimes he participated as prosecutor and on other occasions as defendant, in collusion with "Tres Patines."

The author of the original idea and screenwriter of the program was Castor Vispo, who later became a prolific writer for television. The quality of his scripts, combined with the high performance standards of the cast, earned La Tremenda Corte the distinction of being the best radio comedy produced in Latin America. This program was heir to all the influence of Cuban bufo theater. In its broadcasts, situations from a correctional court were parodied in which the characters interacted. The main roles were played by Leopoldo Fernández ("José Candelario Tres Patines") and his counterpart, Aníbal de Mar (The Tremendous Judge). The wordplay and double meanings delighted the audience and became a characteristic feature of the television show, whose success increased thanks to simultaneous stage performances. Other actors who participated in the program were Adolfo Otero ("the Galician Rudecindo Caldeiro y Escobiña"), Mimí Cal ("the mulatto Nananina") and Miguel Ángel Herrera ("the secretary").

In 1951, Erdwin Fernández began working in small roles in television programs (for example, the General Electric Television program where he played a gangster alongside Enrique Almirante). In the early 1950s, after he had already faced a good number of dramaturgical challenges, the unforgettable clown emerged who would place him in a high position within Cuban culture and give him tremendous popularity. It was a white-faced clown whose stories highlighted the essence of humanity, confusing sadness and tenderness as the central dichotomy of his personality.

The character came to light in a children's program on CMQ, called Chiquilín. Little by little it was consolidated until it came to be called Trompoloco; however, it achieved notoriety several years later. Its greatest merit consisted of the acceptance it had among children, the ability to adapt circus to the small screen, and the skill to write his own texts and improvise.

At the end of the 1960s he joined Teatro Estudio, an emblematic Cuban theater group, considered as the most fruitful theatrical experience of the twentieth century and remembered as an important training center for Cuban directors, actors, and playwrights. Among the most remembered works from Erdwin Fernández's time with this theater company are Tales from the Decameron and The Last Card of the Deck, both under the direction of Raquel Revuelta.

In 1962, he created and directed the children's program Friend and His Friends where, alongside Nilda Collado, his life companion, and Consuelito Vidal, he voiced characters and sang songs. This program enjoyed wide popularity with television audiences.

In the ICR Theater space, created by Marcos Behmaras with the intention of promoting works of universal literature adapted for television, he acted in Yerma, a work by Federico García Lorca that premiered in 1964. He was joined by Sergio Corrieri and Consuelo Vidal, under the direction of Amaury Pérez García. The film was shot entirely in Studio No. 19 of the Focsa building, which constituted the first 16 mm film shot in Cuba, made specifically for television.

Another television program in which he participated as an actor was the humorous "If It Weren't for Mother," in which other relevant figures of Cuban culture also worked such as Eloisa Álvarez Guedes, Martha del Río, and Reinaldo Miravalles. In this program he played the role of "Paco," a retired grandfather who had been a railroad worker. The success of the character made the actor honorary president of the Committee of Retirees and Pensioners of the Western Division of Cuban Railways. Additionally, he received a red band credential that accredited him as a high-ranking official of that sector.

His foray into cinema was brief but memorable. In 1967, he acted alongside Julito Martínez in the film by Julio García Espinosa, The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin, inspired by the novel by Samuel Feijóo. In this film he played the character of "Jarecho," a close companion of the protagonist. According to specialists, the film marked a turning point in his director's work and in Cuban cinema in general. Several awards distinguished the film, among them: Honorable Mention at the II International Iberoamerican Film Festival, held in Barcelona, Spain, in 1966; as well as the Gold Apsara directing award, received at the II Festival of Phnom Penh, Cambodia (1969), and the Merit Certificate from the I Festival of Guyana (1976).

Starting in 1977 he was part of the cast of one of the most popular programs on Cuban radio (still maintained in Radio Progreso's programming): Afternoon Joys. In this program he came to play three characters; among them Adolfito, a boy who skillfully achieved whatever he wanted and who was distinguished by his childish voice; Gervasio Escobar y Campanario (names of three streets in Havana that offered ample opportunity for jokes) and a talkative elderly man who constantly played with double meanings and witticisms.

In radio, he also developed an admirable career as a director.

Among his works dedicated to children is the full-length animated film Elpidio Valdés Against the Dollar and the Cannon, by Juan Padrón, where he dubbed the character of "Oliverio," a half-crazy inventor who overcomes the shortages of the mambí troops with only his ingenuity.

In the 1980s, he toured several countries in Latin America with the National Circus of Cuba. Upon his return, he gathered the experiences gained during his tour. Editorial Extramuros published them under the title Tales of Clowns. Other works by his authorship were published: The Blue Tent (Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1998) and The Two Bottles (Editorial Extramuros, Havana, 2002).

Erdwin Fernández died in Havana on October 23, 1997.