José Luis López Vazquez

José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre MMT (11 March 1922 – 2 November 2009) was a Spanish actor, comedian, costume designer, scenic designer, and assistant director whose career spanned nearly seven decades. One of the most prolific and successful actors in Spain in the 20th century, he starred in 262 films between 1946 and 2007. Internationally he was best known for his lead role in the surrealist horror telefilm La cabina (1972). Born in Madrid of working-class parents, López Vázquez began his career on theatre in 1939 as a costume designer and set decorator before making his breakthrough as an actor. In the mid-1940s he switched over to film, where he continued his work in costume designs while serving as an assistant director. Throughout the 1950s he mostly played bit parts in the Spanish film industry. However, his comedic talent soon allowed him to get bigger roles, cultivating an image as Spain's on-screen everyman in numerous comedies during the Franco era. Around the 1960s he revealed his ability to play dramatic roles. At one point in his career he became part of a distinctive Spanish art cinema led primarily by directors Luis García Berlanga, Juan Antonio Bardem, Carlos Saura and screenwriter Rafael Azcona, playing important roles in several films by Berlanga (Plácido, The Executioner) and Saura (Peppermint Frappé, The Garden of Delights, Cousin Angelica), which gained international attention. He also had the opportunity to occasionally collaborate with renowned foreign filmmakers such as Marco Ferreri (El Pisito, El Cochecito) and George Cukor (Travels with My Aunt). López Vázquez was the recipient of various accolades, including five CEC Awards, three Fotogramas de Plata, two Sant Jordi Awards, two New York Latin ACE Awards, and a TP de Oro. He received two consecutives Best Actor awards at the Chicago International Film Festival for The Ancines Woods in 1971 and My Dearest Senorita in 1972, the Honorary Spike at the Valladolid International Film Festival in 1989, the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Spanish Actors Union in 2000, the National Theatre Award presented by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 2002, and the Honorary Goya Award presented by the Spanish Film Academy in 2004. The Government of Spain honoured him with the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts in 1985 and the Gold Medal of Merit in Labour in 1997.