Norberto Blanco

Norberto Blanco was a prominent Cuban actor in television, radio, theater, and cinema.

Since childhood he yearned to be an actor. During his school years at Toledo School, he participated in all the events organized to celebrate or commemorate some occasion.

At 18 years old he joined an amateur theater group. He began making various efforts and achieved his first television appearance alongside Sirio Soto, whom he thanks for believing in him, when he only had amateur theater experience.

He also had performances on Radio Liberación, with adventure characters in episodic programs; but his preferred world was always television and adventure programming. He worked with Erick Kaupp on 15 dramatizations.

He also acted under the direction of recognized TV directors such as Vázquez Gallo, Raúl Pérez, Gómez Reyes, Miguel Sanabria, Amado Cabezas, and Xiomara Blanco. He specialized in playing swordsmen; he performed "The Musketeers" in all its versions, up to 20 years after the first installment; and the viscount of Braguelon. He was fascinated by villain characters.

He starred in Grandes Novelas and with actress Cristina Obín performed in a series where he played the role of an American officer.

Among countless anecdotes from his roles, he recounts episodes of comedy lived alongside Miguel Ginarte. The latter jokingly called him "Norberto en blanco" because on some occasions he would forget some lines from the script.

Nevertheless, Norberto, with notable mental agility, improvised his lines whenever he forgot something.

For cinema he participated in various film productions, among which stands out the film "The Strange Case of Rachel K", directed by Oscar Valdés in 1973.

Death
The actor passed away in Havana on August 21, 2020 at the age of 82 years due to bronchopneumonia and heart disease.

Awards and Recognition
He received several recognitions including the status of Artist of Merit, the Medal for 40 years of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), several honors from the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), the Raúl Gómez García order, a special diploma for the large number of performances in the Adventures program, and the ACTUAR Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2016.

Although he retired in 2001, he maintained until the last days of his life his great passion for radio, television, and especially for the performing arts.