Mario Rodríguez Aguirre

Cuban actor whose character Atanasio Pindueles became very popular. He received the ACTUAR Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2019.

The Name
While at the Sala Prometeo, its director, Francisco Morín, told him:
"...Mario Rodríguez could be anyone, but Mario Aguirre, was more particular and I've carried it that way for 54 years of artistic life"

Mario Aguirre recounts.
Work and Training
"I remember that back then I was doing a version of the musical comedy My Fair Lady that turned out badly, by the way, but later had great success in 1980 when we presented it at the Teatro Musical de La Habana, under the direction of Nelson Dorr. I played the father then and I can confess to you that it has been the character that has cost me the most in my life because he was a very prosaic man, a drunk…, but English and Nelson wanted him not to seem Cuban. Imagine, it was very difficult, besides I had against me a very popular character I was playing on television: Atanasio Pindueles, an excess of vulgarity, and I didn't want them to be confused.

Mario Aguirre recalls.
He received classes from Elvira Cervera, a teacher of acting for children, who later taught him Spanish and literature at the Escuela Nacional de Arte, where he was fortunate to have as a professor the director Roberto Garriga, founder of television, who influenced him greatly in his training as an actor.

He entered the Teatro Estudio group, under the direction of Vicente Revuelta, National Theater Prize winner, who also contributed greatly to him from a professional point of view.

He remained in the group for 12 years. He worked with great directors such as Berta Martínez, Héctor Quintero, José Milián, Raquel Revuelta, Armando Suárez del Villar... later moving to the Teatro Musical de La Habana, where he evolved as a comedian and singer.

Musical Theater
"I always sang since I was a child, there were even shows where I only sang and since the basis of that company was musical, I progressed professionally as an actor doing comedy; which later allowed me to enter the world of cabaret..."

He worked in different cabarets in Havana hotels such as Capri, Habana Libre, Hotel Riviera and in the Jagua in Cienfuegos

Television
"Television...has given me many possibilities, especially popularity, although the most well-known artists are not always the best. For example, I had a very successful career in theater and nobody knew me; I told three jokes on television and I became famous. Of course, I can't believe because of that those jokes were glorious, magical or better than the ones I did before"
.
Comedian
He has as references two great comedians: Chaplin and Cantinflas.

He wanted to be a great actor, to interpret works by Shakespeare, by Tennessee Williams…, but in Teatro Estudio, Raquel Revuelta expressed to Héctor Quintero her interest in doing a work to reopen the theater, they agreed it would not be commercial, however with our suggestions it became comedy. He became a comedian accidentally.

"And that's where the character of Atanasio Pindueles was born which was a hit, because he was a singer who had won a prize, but didn't know how to speak, the song was awful, so everything was very funny and it became the most successful number of the show".
Mario Aguirre

International Presentations
1993 in Mexico
1997 with the Dramatic Society of Venezuela in Maracaibo.
In Miami, United States he did some work in television and cabaret.
He has also performed in Colombia and Venezuela.

Prize
ACTUAR Prize for lifetime achievement. (2019)