The Chilean actor and theater director Mario Lorca has died, emblem of local stages and a prominent name on the national scene since the 1950s. He was 96 years old.
This was reported by Chileactores through its social networks. “We deeply regret the loss of our admired colleague, Mario Lorca Aguilar. Pioneer actor from the Theater School of the University of Chile and who for more than 50 years dedicated his talent to highlighting Chilean poetry,” the organization reported.
His most remembered role on television was that of Boris Altamirano in La Madastra, the memorable soap opera that Channel 13 premiered in 1981.
However, in its origins, its directions seemed different, far from the tables. At the age of 18 he began to study Civil Construction, but as the days went by he realized that it was not what he wanted and decided to abandon the career. Later, he entered Theater at the University of Chile, called by Agustín Siré, a prominent actor and playwright who also developed a renowned acting career, according to the obituary dedicated to him by the University of Chile.
This is how Lorca, at the beginning of the 1950s, achieved his first important role, playing the protagonist of The Widow of Apablaza, alongside Carmen Bunster. He also participated in many other works of the newly created Experimental Theater of the University of Chile (the group debuted in 1941); between them, Fuenteovejuna, Doña Rosita the Single and The Remolienda, being a figure in many of the works of Luis Alberto Heiremans and Germán Luco, among others. Mario Lorca participated in the group for 24 years, performing in nearly 60 productions.
In 1962 he made his film debut with the film El Cuerpo y la Sangre, the work of Catholic priest Rafael Sánchez. Shortly thereafter, he participated in films by Patricio Kaulen and Helvio Soto. In the Chilean-Argentine film Eloy, based on the work of the same name by Carlos Droguett and directed by the Bolivian director Humberto Ríos, he played what is considered to be his best role as an actor.
In 1979 he acted in the TVN series Martín Rivas, and later jumped into television series.
In 1990 he was called by Raúl Ruiz to participate in The wandering soap operaa film that the filmmaker Valeria Sarmiento completed only in 2017
His farewell will be this Thursday, June 20 from 10:00 at the Sidarte headquarters, located at Ernesto Pinto Lagarrigue 131, Recoleta, Santiago.
