RIP Alfonso Ortiz

Alfonso Ortiz, protagonist of La Siempre Viva and prominent Colombian television actor, died

ARCHYDE

November 13, 2020

Hospitalized for a heart complication, Ortiz spent the last days of his life at the Colombia Clinic where he died in the last hours of November 12. His death, confirmed by the Colombian Association of Actors through Twitter, was mourned by media figures to whom he gave his talent for forty years.

Started on the stage accompanying theater companies in the 1970s, at a time when acting commitment was linked to political activity: he participated in productions of the La Candelaria Theater, the Free Theater of Bogotá, and worked as a drama teacher for the Superior Academy of Bogotá. 

His most remembered role as one of the unnamed characters who narrate the tragedy of Julieta, one of the disappeared in the events that occurred at the Palace of Justice in November 1985, was born from this trajectory. Miguel Torres’s play, presented at the El Local Theater, a few blocks from the scene, was available to the public for more than 15 years.

Later, Ortiz, like other theater actors, made a transition to film and television. He is remembered for his role in the adaptation of the novel by Santiago Gamboa, “Losing is a matter of method”, directed by his friend Sergio Cabrera. Although he alternated with secondary roles on television, he had prominent roles in productions of the two dominant channels on Colombian television, such as RCN and Caracol: From Toe to Head and The Mariachi’s Daughter, they cemented their name in the popular culture of the time.

Reports reported that his heart condition worsened on December 6. Relatives reported that Ortiz had had coronary problems before. In the following days there was no clarity regarding his condition, since rumors suggested that the actor had a coronavirus picture that was affecting his recovery, a fact that was ultimately denied by friends of the actor. His death, which occurred late on November 12, was confirmed by the Colombian Association of Actors by a medical report delivered at dawn on November 13.

ORTIZ, Alfonso

Born: 1947, Bogotá, Colombia

Died: November 12, 2020, Bogotá, Colombia

Alfonso Ortiz’s western – actor:

El Charro de las Calaveras – 1965 (Juanito)