Actress Herminia Sánchez Dies at 99 Years Old

December 2, 2022

Cuban actress, playwright and educator Herminia María Sánchez Quintana, National Theater Prize winner in 2019, passed away today at the age of 99, after an extensive artistic career on stage, in film and television. Her first steps in theater were related to the plays The Discreet Lady in Love, by Lope de Vega; and Electra, by Sophocles, which marked her journey through this medium, in which she shared the stage with relevant figures such as Rosita Fornés, Asenneh Rodríguez, Adolfo Llauradó, Eduardo Vergara, Raquel Revuelta, Abelardo Estorino, among others.

The artist left a profound mark on groups such as the National Dramatic Ensemble and Teatro Estudio, according to a note from the National Council of Performing Arts. In assessing her death as a great loss for the stages of the Caribbean nation, the institution also recalled her work as a full professor at the University of the Arts and the distinctions she received such as the Alejo Carpentier medal; the Distinction for National Culture; the Caricato Prize 2017, from Uneac, and the Acting Prize for Lifetime Work 2019, which was presented to her by the Artistic Agency of Performing Arts Actuar, which just a week ago had recognized her with the Marta Jiménez Oropesa Distinction.

Remembered for her performances in films such as Lucía, Hello Hemingway and Habana-Eva, Cuban filmmaker Fernando Pérez said of her, "Sánchez constitutes a jewel of Cuban culture for her contributions to popular theater and for the way she has managed to bring it to life showing authenticity, organicity and passion."

Although the years marked her retirement from the stage, the creator confessed to maintaining the habits of her active era, since "I have not stopped reading, watching television, listening to the radio and keeping up with artistic events in the country. It was my world for almost eight decades," as she explained on one occasion in a television interview.

As a writer she documented her experiences in the book Herminia Sánchez. Theater of Strength and Candor, while she delivered others such as Standing Up and Cuban Theatrical Monologues.