Fidelio Torres

Actor Fidelio Torres became popular in Cuba for his character of the carriage driver Kiko in the iconic Cuban telenovela Sol de Batey.

The actor received the ACTUAR Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2019 for his outstanding artistic and professional career.

Torres won the hearts of Cubans with his character of Kiko in Sol de Batey. His role was that of a cheerful and charismatic slave, driver of a carriage, in service to doña Gertrudis, aunt of the protagonist of the popular telenovela –based on a radio novel by Dora Alonso–, originally broadcast in Cuba in 1985.

He would later reprise his role as a carriage driver in the also popular series "Hermanos", a 1989 television venture in which he played Juan, a slave and friend of the protagonists, who rebels against his master and is punished for it by being sent to work on the plantation in shackles.

As part of the punishment, he had to say "Here is Juan Calesero, the one who raised his hand against his master", a phrase that would resonate with the audience and enrich his connection with viewers.

In his career, Torres would also take on other roles in television, theater, and cinema, including in the Cuban film "El elefante y la bicicleta", by director Juan Carlos Tabío.

The ACTUAR Award for Lifetime Achievement that was given to him recognizes his dedicated work, which made him deserve popularity among Cubans.

One of his last appearances on the small screen was in the program "Al mediodía" where he shared very happily with Marino Luzardo and Alicia Pineda.