Isabel Moreno Pérez (28 January 1942 – 9 June 2024) was a Cuban actress. She worked in Cuba, Venezuela, and the United States, where she later resided. She is known for playing characters such as Teresa Trebijo, La Santiaguera, Chachi, La Mexicana, Soledad Mendoza, Cachita, and Bernarda Alba.

Isabel Moreno
Moreno in 2012
Born
Isabel Moreno Pérez

(1942-01-28)28 January 1942
Died9 June 2024(2024-06-09) (aged 82)
OccupationActress
SpouseGaspar González

Biography

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Isabel Moreno was born in Havana on 28 January 1942, the only daughter of Eugenio Moreno and Isabel Pérez. She was married to actor Gaspar González in the 1970s. They had two daughters and a son.

Moreno died on 9 June 2024, at the age of 82.[1]

Early career

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Moreno's beginnings were in the theater, where she spent most of her artistic career, although she ventured into film and television.

In the 1960s, she became involved in the cultural movement of Havana and the formation of several theater groups. She made her debut as an amateur in the play La taza de café, directed by Juan Rodolfo Amán. She participated in the First Worker and Peasant Theater Festival in 1962 with La fablilla del secreto bien guardado.

In 1961, she joined a group of young actors with training in mime and body language under the orders of the French professor Pierre Chausat. She belonged to theater groups such as the Conjunto Dramático Nacional, Las Máscaras, La Rueda, and Guernica, appearing in plays such as A Streetcar Named Desire, Réquiem por Yarini by Carlos Felipe Hernández, The Threepenny Opera, Aire frío by Virgilio Piñera, and Entremeses japoneses by Yukio Mishima.[2]

Moreno joined Grupo Teatro Estudio in 1969, and remained with it for more than 20 years. She taught at the National Art School of Cuba and the Instituto Superior de Arte for several years. In the early 1990s, she emigrated to Venezuela. Her first roles there were in telenovelas on networks such as Marte TV [es], RCTV, and Venevisión. In early 2001 she arrived in the United States, where she worked in television and theater, with sporadic appearances in film.

Grupo Teatro Estudio

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Under the direction of Raquel Revuelta [es] and with the mentorship of Vicente Revuelta [es], Berta Martínez, and Armando Suárez del Villar, among others, she participated in more than 20 plays, and alternated theater with roles in Cuban cinema and television.[3] This was the most fruitful stage of her career in Cuba. In turn, she made several national and international tours with the company to Spain and other European countries. Some of her most prominent roles were:

Theater in the United States

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  • 2003: El arte de quejarse or Kvetch, Venevisión Internacional ... The Mother-in-Law[5]
  • 2007: O.K., Repertorio Español, New York[6]
  • 2010: The Color of Desire, Actors' Playhouse ... Leandra[7]
  • 2011: The Misunderstanding, Teatro Avante ... The Mother
  • 2011: The House of Bernarda Alba, University of Miami Theater Department ... Bernarda Alba[8]
  • 2012: ARPIAS, Hispanic Theater Guild ... Mildred
  • 2012–2013: El No, Teatro Avante ... Laura
  • 2013: Metamorphoses, adapted by Mary Zimmerman, University of Miami Theater Department ... Various characters[9]
  • 2014: Años difíciles, Teatro Avante ... Olga

Film

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Year Title Director Character
1964 I Am Cuba Mikhail Kalatozov University student
1967 El bautizo Roberto Fandiño Lita
1968 Lucía Humberto Solás Lucía's friend
1968 La ausencia Alberto Roldán
1973 El extraño caso de Rachel K Óscar Valdés Doris
1986 A Successful Man Humberto Solás Berta
1989 The Beauty of the Alhambra Enrique Pineda Barnet La Mexicana
1989 Bajo presión [es] Víctor Casaus Clara
1990 Mujer transparente Héctor Veitía, Mayra Segura, etc. Isabel
1990 Solteronas en el atardecer Guillermo Torres
1994 Deadly Weapon James Lloyd CIA Commander
1999 Brenda busca empleo Eduardo Barberena Marion
2010 Dos veces Ana Sergio Giral Dominique

Television

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Year Title Director Character
1987 Hoy es siempre todavía Tony Lechuga Chachi
1987 La séptima familia Juan Vilar Graciela
1990 La Botija Danilo Lejardi Teo's aunt
1992 Divina obsesión [es] Tito Rojas Madre Alejandra
1993 Cuando el agua regresa a la tierra Mirta González Perea Altagracia
1993 El paseo de la Gracia de Dios Luis A. Lamata Soledad Mendoza
1994 Cruz de nadie Víctor Fernández Dolores
1996 Pecado de amor Marcos Reyes Andrade Amalia Márquez
1996 El perdón de los pecados Claudio Callao Hilda Cristina Ramos
1997 Amor mío Claudio Callao Carmen de Briceño
1999 Toda mujer Carlos Izquierdo Jade
1999 Cuando hay pasión César Bolívar Emperatriz Malave
2000 Amantes de luna llena Cesar Bolívar Angustias
2001 Not Love, Just Frenzy Carlos Izquierdo Corazón
2002 Gata Salvaje Yaki Ortega Mercedes Salazar
2004 Anita no te rajes Danny Gavidia Cachita Moret
2006 Tierra de Pasiones Danny Gavídia Nana
2008 Amor Comprado Yaki Ortega Rosa
2009 Alma indomable Yaki Ortega, etc. Rafaela Pérez
2015 Ruta 35 Otto Rodríguez Doña Conchita
2016 ¿Quién es quién? Luis Manzo Doña Sara
2017 La Fan David Posada Mother of Carlos López "Mami"
2017 Milagros de Navidad Otto Rodríguez Doña Catalina "Cata"
2019 Betty en NY Gustavo Loza Doña Inés "Inesita" Sandoval
2021 La suerte de Loli Miguel Varoni Doña Catalina
2022 La mujer de mi vida Doña Beba Beatriz Salcedo

Awards

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  • 1987: UNEAC Award for best lead actress for ¿Y quién va a tomar café?
  • 2007: HOLA Award for best lead acrtress for O.K.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Falleció la primera actriz Isabel Moreno a sus 82 años (in Spanish)
  2. ^ "Aire Frío". Cuban Theater Digital Archive. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  3. ^ Martínez Tabares, Vivian (4 October 2012). "Memoria de Armando". Periódico Cubarte (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  4. ^ "El Conde Alarcos". Cuban Theater Digital Archive. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  5. ^ "El arte de quejarse". TeatroenMiami.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  6. ^ Arias-Polo, Arturo. "Isabel Moreno en la cartelera del Repertorio Español de Nueva Yor" [Isabel Moreno on the Billboard of the Spanish Repertory of New York]. El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  7. ^ Thorp, Brandon K. (14 October 2010). "The Color of Desire: Actors' Playhouse trades subtlety for flash". Miami New Times (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  8. ^ Hirschman, Bill (10 October 2011). "UM Students, Arsht and Nilo Cruz Join for House of Bernarda Alba". Florida Theater on Stage. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  9. ^ Arias-Polo, Arturo (10 October 2013). "El versátil talento de Isabel Moreno en el Arsht Center" [The Versatile Talent of Isabel Moreno at the Arshe Center]. El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  10. ^ Suárez, Talía (10 June 2024). "Fallece la icónica actriz cubana Isabel Moreno". cubactores.com. CubaActores. Retrieved 10 June 2024. Su talento y dedicación fueron reconocidos con varios premios a lo largo de su carrera, incluyendo el Premio de Mejor Actriz de la UNEAC en 1987 por su actuación en ¿Y quién va a tomar café?, y el reconocimiento en los Premios HOLA de 2007 por su papel en O.K., ambos en roles protagónicos.
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