Luis Daniel Silva

Outstanding Cuban actor, creator of the character Pánfilo, whom he portrays in the humorous program Vivir del Cuento.

University graduate with a degree in Computer Science. He was always closely connected to Amateur Artist Festivals and cultural gatherings as part of the Teatro Universitario de La Habana.

On Television, during 1999 he made several appearances on programs such as Buenos Días, 23 y M, Fin de Semana, presenting a parody of his own creation titled "Longina". Other programs included ¿Y tú de que te ríes?, A moverse.

In theater, he has performed in different productions, such as Misión Imposible which, due to its success, became a permanent weekly slot.

Owner of innate grace and talent, Silva confesses to have been a gift to his mother. He came into the world on the very day she turned 23 years old. No one thought he would become an artist but rather a demanding teacher. He was a very protected child. He never knew his biological father, as he passed away when his mother was pregnant. He affirms having had a wonderful father since he was two years old, someone who continues to accompany him to this day. And while humor marks his days, family occupies the center of his life.

He has completed several courses and workshops such as Humorous Creation Workshop taught by actor Yoel Sánchez, Broadcast Journalism Course taught by Antonio Pera, and Acting Workshop taught by actor Miguel Montesco.

He also represents the face of "Lucas" (the voice of Cuban audiovisuals) and the regular host of "Coordenadas," a space that daily presents the programming of Canal Habana. He has made several presentations for different media.

In Radio, in 1997 he wrote 26 scripts for the humorous section of the weekly magazine "A esta hora" on Radio Metropolitana and in 2001 also as scriptwriter and actor in another radio project titled "Radio Camino" from the same station where he worked for five years, winning awards at Radio Festivals (2003 and 2004).

On Television during 1999 he made several appearances on programs such as Buenos Días, 23 y M, Fin de Semana, presenting a parody of his own creation titled "Longina". Other programs included ¿Y tú de que te ríes?, A moverse. In theater, he has performed in different productions, such as Misión Imposible which, due to its success, became a permanent weekly slot.

Festivals and Awards
He has participated in various Festivals and events obtaining awards and recognition such as:

1995- At the National Salon of Humor organized by the Union of Journalists of Cuba (UPEC) he participated with three stories La Reunión, El Teléfono and el Camello, the latter winning the Carballido Rey Prize for customary humor.
1996- National Contest for the 35 years of Newspaper P'alante with three stories El Teléfono, En nombre del gato and Voleibol, receiving honorable mentions for the last two.
1997- V National Festival of Humor Aquelarre in humorous literature with three stories (Sherlock Holmes en La Habana, El Capitán) receiving honorable mention with Mercado Único.
1998- Humoroganga Contest with three stories, Sherlock Holmes en La Habana, Mercado Único and winning Prize with El Capitán.
VI National Festival of Humor Aquelarre in humorous literature with three stories El Juicio, Aventuras en el Barrio Chino and el Capitán, receiving honorable mention with the latter. In this same year at the Provincial Radio Festival he won Prize with the humorous section of the magazine A esta Hora, from Radio Metropolitana.
1999- Radio Festival obtained Second Prize as an actor in the humorous program Radio camino.
2001- National Festival of Humor Aquelarre Jury Prize in the Monologue category for "El Pan en los tiempos de cólera" and for this same work other collateral awards such as Prize from the Hermanos Saíz Association, Prize from Radio Metropolitana and Prize from Confrute Company for the actor with the most naturalness and freshness on stage. At the Caricato Prize awarded by the Association of Scenic Artists of UNEAC that same year he was given a Special Recognition.

To bread, Pánfilo and the Black Sheep.
In this same year at the VIII National Festival of Humor Aquelarre, in scenic humor with the monologue Ecología which won a Cancún Prize and in literary humor with three stories: El misterio del cuarto amarillo, El juicio and Sherlock Holmes en La Habana, receiving honorable mention. Also this year at the Provincial Radio Festival, with the program Radio Camino, he obtained the Grand Prize. Second Theoretical Meeting ¿piensas ya en el humor?, held in December 2001 at the International Press Center, presenting the paper: Un Zoom a Zumbado.

2002- IX International Congress on Artistic Discourse "Humor in All Eras and Cultures," University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, with the lecture Humor a lo cubano: la obra de Héctor Zumbado.
Also this year at the IX National Festival of Humor Aquelarre in scenic humor with the song La nueva gastronomía and in literature with the story El misterio de la calle Campanario which received honorable mention. This same year at the National Radio Festival with the program Radio Camino, he won Prize.

2003- At the IX National Festival of Humor Aquelarre in scenic humor with the monologue Sexo seguro, he received special mention from the jury for his systematic participation in these Festivals. He also participated in literature in humorous décima with la Controversia del milenio and in story with Viernes tres.
This same year he also participated in the Provincial Radio Festival, with the program Radio Camino from Radio Metropolitana, obtaining the Grand Prize and at the National Radio Festival with this same program he obtained the First Prize. He performs in Theaters and Nightclubs in Ciudad de la Habana.

Confessions of Luis Silva
Beginnings in humor: Even as a child, at the children's center, I always volunteered for activities…. In secondary school, at a morning program activity, we imitated the school teachers, and I got so into the character of the teacher I was supposed to play, that it was a success…. During my university career I began to perform at cultural gatherings organized by different departments and suddenly I turned out to be the comedian of the University of La Habana. By then I was already imitating Héctor Rodríguez, Serrano, the newscaster, even Eusebio Leal himself….

Multiple jobs vs. time: I prioritize what matters at any given moment. I cannot think about what comes tomorrow, if I still haven't dealt with what happened today. I disconnect from pending things for tomorrow, I take on today's. I have always acted that way, the same in daily life, at the university. There are days when I have a recording of 'Coordenadas' at Canal Habana and from there I run off to perform Pánfilo at the ICRT.

More on humor: Humor should not be chewed, it should not even be explained. The first thing a humorist must have is not to underestimate the audience and always consider them intelligent. Humor is saying things in other words, making them understood, saying them with subtlety. The great majority has had to make concessions, but there are humorists like Osvaldo Doimeadiós, Churrisco, Rigoberto Ferrera, Iván Camejo, Otto Ortiz… and others who continue contributing great value to this work.

Defects of Cuban humor today: There aren't many but there are some, that's my point of view. I respect everyone who dares to undertake this task. I think there is a lack of mastery of comedy theory in some exponents of the genre. There is also confusion between the concept of humorist and that of a likeable or funny person. And there are people like that, very funny by nature, but they stand before an audience and show little elaboration of their texts, lack of preparation, poor command of language and even dreadful diction. The idea is to make people laugh, but seriously. Another serious problem affecting Cuban humor are two or three anonymous 'characters,' namely producers or job seekers, fake artistic directors (my respect for those who do this work properly) who only think about money, and in any municipality in Cuba they find you a cinema or a stage, and they bring any type of humorist (regardless of how low or high their quality is and regardless of whether they do crude humor in front of children). The objective is to fill the place and make money.

Pánfilo: Back then I felt that I didn't have the image of a humorist, that I didn't have the face of a comedian. I don't know what a humorist's image is like, and don't ask me, ha ha, but I felt that my face, my physical appearance was that of an ordinary student, and it was no use for being funny. That's why I wanted to invent a character very different from me. Much older, with his own walking style, full of humps, gray-haired, with facial hair, broken sneakers, pants hiked up to his belly button. That's what I did. And it worked well. In fact, I recognize it, I am much more likeable and witty when I am embodying Pánfilo than as Luis Silva. I think the difference is abysmal. Of course, from then on the character began to grow, to acquire more and more characteristics of the elderly. I devoted myself more to studying them in the streets, at newspaper stands, in banks (how banks fill up with old folks!), at the store, etc. Pánfilo's resumé is not the same today as it was ten years ago. His story has also grown.

Vivir del cuento: Of course Vivir del cuento has been the ground that has provided great development for this character, today it is considered one of the best humorous programs on Cuban television. From 2008 to now, it's already been five years. During that period Pánfilo has been enriched (not financially). The program's own situations, its scripts, the predicaments the characters get into, have strengthened Pánfilo. There have emerged lived stories, which although not told to the viewer, Pánfilo carries within him, and they give the character a psychology that makes him as real as indestructible when reacting or improvising in any scene.

Family: In my house there were five of us: my maternal grandmother, my parents and my brother. My dad: instructor at the Driving School; my mom and my grandmother homemakers, although they worked doing sewing. And the other family members were dedicated to other tasks, but nothing related to art or science. It has always been a united family, if we're going to do something in the house, we do it counting on everyone. I have taken that into my marriage and in that environment I have raised my son. I live in the same house where my grandparents were born and lived, then my mom, me, my brother, and now also my wife and my son."

Good son: I think I have been a good son, and I continue to stay close to my mom, as I always was to my grandmother. They were the ones who taught me to think about family and to always seek time to share with them.

Good father: The boy is everything. I wanted to have him young so I could play ball with him, talk to him a lot. He looks a lot like me. Right now he's in first grade and he comes home from school and sits down with a little slate to write numbers. The same thing I used to do. That's no coincidence, right?"