1 09/04/2021 – 9:09 AM (GMT-4)
The excellent Cuban actor Frank González, the unforgettable voice of Elpidio Valdes, died at sunrise this Friday at the age of 74, victim of a cerebral infarction, as reported by the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT).
Much loved by the Cuban public and has been nicknamed “the man with a thousand voices” for decades Frank González has built a broad career in Cuban television, radio and film, where he has always stood out for his versatility and his invaluable talent. to embody the most different roles.
González is especially remembered for his well vote for dozens of characters in various animation productions created by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC)including Filminutos, Vampiros and La Habana, Matojo; and of course Elpidio Valdés, who came to recreate his figure with a character that several generations of Cubans love, something that did not bother him at all and that he considered “an honour”.
“I’m very proud that when someone sees me on the street, they say, look, that’s where Elpidio Valdés is going!”, the actor once told the portal Cubacine.
Frank González was also the voice who called Mazinger Z and Voltus 5, drawings of Asian origin that are also very remembered on the island.
“It is not only the ability to change the voice, but also to bring a character from a cartoon to life (…). It is to start testing on a microphone until you find the voice, the timbre that works, the tonal characteristics that the character must bear based on their physical and psychological qualities; I would say it is almost innate, ”he said in an interview.
Born in Havana on October 7, 1946, Frank González started out as an amateur in theater groups while passing military service. In 1967 he started working at the ICRT as a costume designer and decorator, for which he trained for a year.
At the same time, he studied acting with radio and television professionals such as Roberto Garriga, Marta Jiménez Oropesa, Odilia Romero and Oscar Luis López, among others. In 1969 he started his acting career in dramatic radio, television and film programming.
It was in 1978 that he began to dub the voice of Elpidio Valdés’s character in what became the beginning of a prolific series of collaborations led by the late Juan Padrón.
Some of his film appearances were in El otro Francisco (1975); Jíbaro (1982); In tres y dos (1985); Baraguá (1985), Plaza Vieja (1987), Plaff (1988), El Siglo de Las Luces (1992), among others.
They are mainly remembered on television are characters in the adventures The Little Fugitives (in the 2001 version) and in the telenovela If you could love me (1997). In the latter he played an unforgettable metrobus inspector.
Frank González had been retired for years. One of his last public appearances was on October 24 at the José Martí Memorial in Havana, where he received the 2019 National Television Award along with other artists.
In recent hours, condolences for the death of the prominent actor have been added in social networks.
“I just heard about the death of Frank González. Very sad. He was a great and total actor. Guilty of much of my enthusiasm to watch TV, of much laughter and amazement. My condolences to family and friends.”comedian Ulises Toirac wrote on Facebook.
A condolence record published by the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba indicates that his body will be cremated at the request of his relatives.