Eddy Calderón, Cuban actor and comedian, dies in Miami

December 28, 2020

The Cuban singer, actor, presenter, and comedian Eddy Calderón, who became popular for his impersonations of Fidel Castro, Raphael, El Puma, and other famous people, passed away last weekend at a Miami hospital where he had been admitted for months.

"In July of this year Calderón was admitted for high blood pressure and it was found that he had suffered a stroke and also had Covid-19," indicated Diario de Cuba.

Eduardo Ángel Calderón González, son of a former Cuban political prisoner, was born in La Habana and arrived in Miami in 1979, where he began working in construction.

His artistic career began on television in 1982 as a guest on the program of Cuban composer Vilma Plana in Nueva York. His popularity grew by imitating characters from politics and great singers.

He was an actor, comedian, and host of radio and television programs such as "A noventa millas," "La barca de Calderón," "La timba de la mañana," and "Saweseando."

On "La mesa rotonda" he played the role of Fidel Castro, the leader of the Cuban revolution. That impersonation led him to be the Spanish voice in the French film "En la piel de Fidel Castro," by Karl Zéro and Daisy d'Errata, recorded in 2009, with screenplay and advice from exiled Cuban writer and poet Zoe Valdés.

Radio and television screenwriter Ramón Fernández-Larrea expressed that Calderón "embodied like no one else the irreverent humor of the Cuban, which begins by making fun of oneself." "He was a super talented impersonator, who knew how to embody beloved and admired characters in comedy," he said. Fernández-Larrea recalled that Eddy Calderón defined himself as a "glory of Cuba and disgrace of the exile."