Patricio Wood Pujol

Actor in Cuban television and cinema who carries in his veins all the power of acting engendered from his mother's womb

Patricio is a pleasant person, funny and above all a very good communicator. This "cojimero" recalls that in his childhood he spent a lot of time at the beach swimming, from which he would leave because his mother was going to pull him out with a belt in her hand and his hands were wrinkled from so many hours in the sea. His mother called him "The Water Lily". He was not yet thinking about acting.

Near his house lived a man who repaired radios and threw away the ones that didn't work. Patricio took it upon himself to collect them and, according to his childhood imagination, invented television cameras. With his neighborhood friends he prepared adventures, and thanks to his childish ingenuity he filmed with all those devices he found. He was the only cameraman and made all the sounds, like that of grass, doors opening, horses and others. And when he went to the cinema, he would close his eyes to listen to the sounds.

He grew up with a very strong family influence of excellent artists: his father (Salvador Wood), his mother (Yolanda Pujols) and his aunt (Carmen Pujols). In addition to admiring his parents, he had a kind of adoration for his aunt Carmen. He felt proud to be the nephew of "Aunt Tata the Storyteller".

Son of actor parents, his first performances occurred in television programs (Los comandos del silencio, 1968) and in children's theater, coming to play a leading role in the Cuban film El Brigadista, by Octavio Cortázar (Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, 1978). Since the premiere of this film, he has acted continuously in all media.

He entered the Superior Institute of Art of Cuba in 1978, where he studied the Acting Specialty, obtaining his degree in 1984. There he was the most outstanding graduate. He was part of the Teatro Estudio group and starred in countless classics by authors such as: Martí, Virgilio Piñera, Luaces and Moliere, among many others.

In theater he has participated in three world premieres, managing to interpret texts by Cervantes, Shakespeare, Martí, Piñera, Luaces, Molière. He confesses that there is one character he has never played and fascinates him: Shakespeare's Iago; although he has played Cassio.

He has acted in more than ten Cuban films or co-productions with other film industries, some notable ones being Los sobrevivientes, by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea; Guardafronteras, by Octavio Cortázar; Caravana, by Rogelio París; El elefante y la bicicleta, by Juan Carlos Tabío and Tirano Banderas, by Juan Carlos Rodríguez (Cuba–Spain. Goya Award, 1993)

In his television experience he has ventured into all genres, starring in more than fifteen series and telenovelas and various programs. He characterized, for the first time on Cuban television, several historical figures (Camilo Cienfuegos, Finlay, San Luis, Sucre)

In audiovisual media he has acted alongside great national and international figures such as Gian Maria Volonté, Ignacio López Tarso, Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Sergio Corrieri, Salvador Wood, Mario Balmaseda, María Rojo, Michel Wong.

He has had experience as a radio announcer, radio acting, narrator, commercials, clips and as a producer of shows and videos.

Within his trajectory in audiovisual media in other countries, he worked in Bogotá for three years. He was in Mexico participating in TV Azteca programs, alongside famous actors such as Ignacio López Tarso, among others. He also made films in Mexico; he possesses an imperishable memory of his visit to the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

He has been a delegate to the Havana, Berlin, Moscow Film Festivals and at Various International Days of Cuban Cinema. He was part of casts for TV in Nicaragua, cinema in Angola and theater in Mexico and France, acting at the Metropólitan in Mexico City, during the Cervantino Festival in that city. He was part of Cuban delegations to international Theater workshops.

He has been a jury member at various audiovisual events and Performing Arts festivals.

A talented artist by nature after all, he has also made documentaries. He asserts that his best experience, despite all the good life has given him, is participating in the documentary dedicated to his parents: Una leyenda costeña.

In the feature film "Últimos días en La Habana", in his leading role alongside actor Jorge Martínez he has received various accolades.

In 2019 he returned to Cuban TV with one of the main roles in the telenovela "Entrega".

Distinctions and Recognition
Medal for National Culture
Plaque XI Youth and Students Festival (UNEAC, 1978)
Founding Diploma of FENOC (ICAIC, 1980)
Medal for national culture (MINCULT, 1986)
Acting Award Radio Festival (ICRT, 1987)
Caracol Award for short film production (UNEAC and AHS, 1988)
Film acting mention (UNEAC, 1981)
Medal for distinguished service (MININT, 1988)
Replica of Máximo Gómez's machete (MINFAR, 1988)
Majadaonda Distinction (UNEAC, 1990)
Caricato Acting Award (UNEAC, 2003)
Plaque "Centennial Pedro Kouri" (MINSAP, 2003)
Popularity Award (ICRT. Program Entre tu y yo, 2004)
Medal XX Anniversary of AHS (AHS, 2006)

Appearances

Television
Los comandos del silencio (series, 1969)
En silencio ha tenido que ser (series, 1981)
Por el mismo camino (series, 1982)
Algo más que soñar (series, 1984)
Martín Rivas (series, 1986)
Soledad para cuatro (program, 1986)
Dos almuerzos (program, 1986)
Finlay (series, 1987)
La botija (series, 1988)
El Capitán Rolando (series, 1990)
Camilo y Che (series, 1991)
Reversión (program, 1993)
Cañete (program, 1994)
El dragón Mambí (series, 1994)
La venganza es mía (program, 2007)
Había una vez (series, 1995)
Día y noche (series, 1996)
A contrapunto (program, 1996)
Corazón partido bajo otra circunstancia (program, 1996)
El amor de mi vida (series, 1998)
Salir de noche (series, 2001)
A pesar de todo (series, 2002)
Cuento de camino (program, 2003)
Las máscaras de Don Juan (2003)
El ojo de la noche (program, 2003)
Paisaje de invierno (program, 2003)
El club de los perdedores (program, 2004)
La sombrilla amarilla (program, 2004)
El medallón (series, 2004)
Cuando una mujer (program, 2004)
Cerquitica del Vedado (series, 2004)
El caballo de coral (program, 2004)
Lo que me queda por vivir (series, 2005)
Ilegalidad (program, 2005)
De cubano a cubano (program, 2005)
Tras la huella (series, 2005 and 2007)
Forence (series, 2006)
El pendiente (program, 2006)
Miranda regresa (series, 2006)
Historias de fuego (series, 2006)
La cara oculta de la luna (series, 2006)
Cuando vuelan las orugas (program, 2007)

Theater
La Cueva de Salamanca (1978)
El lazarillo de Tormes (1983)
Romeo y Julieta (1984)
Otelo (1984)
La escuela de los parientes (1985)
Donde crezca el amor (1985)
La historia de un caballo (1986)
El becerro de oro (1987)
Bolívar (1987)
Ubu Rey (1993)
Electra Garrido (1987)
Mascarada Casal (1988)
La tempestad (1992)
El burgués gentil hombre (France, 1997)

Filmography
El Brigadista (1976)
Los sobrevivientes (1978)
Guardafronteras (1980)
Caravana (Film) (1989)
El encanto del regreso (1990)
El elefante y la bicicleta (1992)
La emboscada (2015)
Tirano Banderas (1993)
Lejos de Africa (Spain, 1994)
Mambí (Spain, 1995)
Che (1996)
Tres veces dos (2004)
Siempre Habana. (Spain, 2004)
"Últimos días en La Habana" (2016)
Páginas del diario de Mauricio
Cuando la verdad despierta
Los dioses rotos (2006)
Bambi C4 (2007)
El cuerno de la abundancia (2007)
Ciudad en Rojo (2007)