Lázara Cruz Pérez Ávila

Cuban actress who became popular with her character "Gypsy Cruz" for her country's television in the first decade of the 1970s.

She was born in the batey of Central Morón, today Ciro Redondo central, Ciego de Ávila. She married young. She had children. Her marriage was short-lived. She came to Havana to be an actress.

Upon her arrival in the city they were looking for extras for the movie "Asalto al tren".

She appeared on the program "Guía de pioneros" on Radio Progreso. She was accustomed to joking over the phone imitating children's voices and one day they tested her for that role which she passed.

She trained in the workshops of master Vicente Revuelta. She retired in 2007 but has returned to acting whenever she receives a proposal that she likes.

Her most important characters were in television.

- Alicia in "Los Mambises", (the first ones that were made).
- Gypsy Cruz, which at first had only small scenes, but was so well-liked that the writer had to expand it and take it to the end of the television series.
- Telenovela "En fin el mar".
- Teleseries "Rompiendo el silencio".

"From each medium I took the necessary experiences to form my character and cultural background. From acting I learned everything I hoped for and more. When I enrolled at the university to study Art History and arrived at classes I already knew all the great classics since we had already done them on radio or on television. I worked tirelessly and never stopped in my thirst for knowledge.

Award

ACTUAR Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2019