Arquímedes Rivero, the Czar of Soap Operas, Died in Miami

December 6, 2021

On December 2nd, Cuban actor and producer of soap operas and radio novels Arquímedes Rivero died in Miami. He was known as the czar of soap operas in Venezuela. He was 91 years old.

Arquímedes Rivero was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba and marked a stellar era as a producer of radio novels and soap operas in Venezuela. It is worth remembering those years of this great producer through Radio Rumbos, Radio Continente, Radio Caracas Televisión and Venevisión.

"In 1954 I was invited to Venezuela by some relatives who lived in that beautiful country. I liked Caracas so much that I decided to stay and live in that paradise. Since there were so many actors in Cuba and the pay was little, I decided to settle in Caracas, where they hired me at Radio Rumbos. Here we made the very famous radio novel 'Martín Valiente', the godson of death, among other unforgettable ones that made history in Venezuelan radio".

When he was at his best moment as an actor and radio producer, Arquímedes Rivero was hired in 1969 by Radio Caracas Televisión, where he produced dozens of soap operas and was among those responsible for the success of "La usurpadora", "Domenica Montero", "La indomable" and an endless list of dramatic programs.

Starting in 1988 Rivero went to Venevisión, where he had a successful stint as a great soap opera producer. "There were many years in stellar fashion. It was a golden age in that country that I love so much and remember, the Venezuela of my triumphs," he said with great nostalgia.

In an interview, the radio and soap opera producer spoke about his career:

People talk and comment about Pinar del Río. You, who were born there, what can you tell us?

"There is something anecdotal about that land and I believe not many people know about it. Years ago, in the cigar factories, some men and even some women, read aloud novels extracted from the great classics, just as stories, tales and legends of Venezuela were passed from mouth to mouth".

Arquímedes, the great Latin American actor and producer, continues speaking and answering our questions: "I myself, at fifteen years old, read a few chapters and the novels that were made, first on the radio and later on television, almost all came from those serialized novels in private homes and in Cuban cigar factories".

How did you become interested in acting?

"Like almost everyone, in school. They held a casting for an end-of-course cultural event and they gave me one of the roles, which by the way had very few lines, but when they heard me speak they added others and shortly after I already belonged to the cast of Youth Radio and the theater of my town. From there on I dedicated myself to acting".

Where did you start?

"Right there. It all started also in Pinar del Río, in the radio-theater group that we formed in that city. At sixteen years old they gave me the role of young leading man in a radio novel and at that same age I began to work as an announcer. Three years later, I went to Havana, the capital of my country, my great aspiration. I was lucky enough to participate in another casting and now yes, thank God, they assigned me an important character in a very popular adventure program called 'Los Tres Villalobos'. If my memory serves me correctly, I think they gave me the role of Machito, the youngest of the three Villalobos brothers".

When, how and why did you leave Cuba?

"If my memory doesn't fail me, in the year 1951 they hired me to work at an important radio station in Panama. Its name was Radio Continental, where more than ten novels were broadcast daily. That was the inspiration for me to manage an important radio station in Venezuela in the future, Radio Rumbos. In Panama I also worked in several theatrical productions, so during the day I was on the radio and at night in the theater company, with which I worked in other Central American countries, like Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras".

With several years of residence in Doral (Miami Dade), Arquímedes Rivero remembers his years of life in Caracas very much, where he made history as an actor and producer.