Alfredo Landa Areta MML (3 March 1933 – 9 May 2013) was a Basque actor.[1]
He was born in Pamplona, Navarre. He finished his pre-university studies in Donostia-San Sebastián. He then began university studies in law, where he began to work with university school groups. He left university to work in the theater.
After working as a dubbing actor for a short time in the 1950s, he debuted with his first considerable role in film in José María Forqué's Atraco a las tres in 1962.
When dictator Franco died in 1975, censorship began to disappear. This led to the growth of erotic comedies in Spanish cinema. Landa became the "sexually repressed" role of that trend, especially under directors Mariano Ozores and Pedro Lazaga. He even created his own trend, that some people called landismo.[2]
Afterwards, Landa changed his image, taking much deeper roles, like his bandit in El Bosque animado.[3]
Landa, along with Francisco Rabal, won the Best Actor award at 1984 Cannes Film Festival for his memorable performance in Los santos inocentes.
He is now widely recognized as a great dramatic actor.
After a career with more than one hundred and twenty movies, one dozen of television series, and several stage successes, with a great amount of Spanish and European awards, 74-year-old Landa announced his retirement at the X Festival de Cine de Málaga (10th Movie Festival of Málaga) while receiving a new award.[4]
Landa died on May 9, 2013, following complications from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 80.
In 2008 he received the Prince of Viana Prize from the Government of Navarre for promoting his homeland,[6] but he also has received many film prizes throughout his career:
Spanish Actor's Guild
Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos