At age 83, Mexican actor Héctor Bonilla, well known for his work in Red Dawn and Grumpy Christmas, passed away. Check out his situation and Héctor Bonilla cause of death in more detail.
What happened to Héctor Bonilla?
The actor, playwright, and stage director Héctor Bonilla passed away this Friday, according to his family.
Sergio Bonilla, son of the Mexican writer, confirmed to CNN the death of his father, while Fernando Bonilla, the youngest of his three children, and also an actor and playwright, published a statement on his social networks to indicate that his father died surrounded by his inner circle after fighting cancer for four years.
Fernando Bonilla shared the video of a song by his father called “Testamento”. In it, with visual support from his staging, Héctor Bonilla highlighted the legacy that he would follow after his death.
“We are aware that Hector left an immeasurable legacy and many hearts will mourn his departure,” the statement read. “As he wanted, we share with you the epitaph that Héctor wrote for himself several years ago: ‘The show is over. Don’t be fucking ****. He who saw me, he saw me. Nothing remains'”.
For its part, the Ministry of Culture regretted the death of the actor on Twitter, and described him as “one of the best actors in Mexico.”
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, shared a photo with the actor on social networks and the following message: “I regret the death of Héctor Bonilla, a great actor, honest and always with firm convictions. I hug Sofia, her children, her family, and her friends.
Héctor Bonilla cause of death
In 2019 Héctor Bonilla was diagnosed with kidney cancer and on multiple occasions refused to receive treatment. This afternoon, after years of fighting, he passed away from this condition. As per his family reports it was confirmed that Bonilla died from cancer complications.
— Fernando Bonilla (@fdobonilla) November 25, 2022
Family Statement
Bonilla announced that he had kidney cancer four years ago. His family has indicated in a statement that he “died in his house, in peace, without pain and surrounded by his closest circle.” “We are aware that Hector left an immeasurable legacy and many hearts will mourn the loss of him,” reads the message from his relatives. “Know that, despite the infinite sadness that overwhelms us, we are calm to say goodbye to a man who left without owing anything to anyone, who lived intensely and fully, who always led by example,” he adds.
“The show is over, don’t mess around. He who saw me, he saw me. Nothing remains”. That is the epitaph left by the first actor, with a career spanning more than six decades. He began in projects that date back to the sixties and remained in force in films, documentaries, plays, and television series until well into 2018. A talented, versatile man with an unmistakable sense of humor, Bonilla also ventured into dubbing, stage direction, and narrator.
Who was Hector Bonilla?
Héctor Hermilo Bonilla Rebuntun was born on March 14, 1939, in the town of Tetela de Ocampo, in the state of Puebla, he was the youngest of six children. His father was a homeopathic doctor, he also held two extra careers: that of a physical education teacher and that of a normal teacher. In fact, and as a curious fact, it was his father who created the normal school in Ayotzinapa. While his mother developed as a teacher. After training professionally at the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL) school, he made his debut in 1962 in the film ‘Jóvenes y Bellas’, while on television his first job was in the production ‘La Casa de the beasts’.
How did your passion for acting start?
His first approach to the world of the arts occurred at the age of 15 during his secondary education when a literature teacher allowed him to go on stage, there he discovered that he could make the audience laugh and shut up when he wanted.
Later, when he entered high school, he began to perform in university theater, however, it was not until he graduated that he chose to enter the National School of Theater Art of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature; At the same time, he studied at the Faculty of Law in the mornings. In addition to acting, another of his great passions was sports, for which he was part of the Pumas American football team in the second division, although he abandoned it due to the health risk that the discipline implies.
La Secretaría de Cultura lamenta profundamente el fallecimiento del actor Héctor Bonilla, egresado de la Escuela de Arte Teatral del INBAL y considerado uno de los mejores actores de México. Se desarrolló en teatro, televisión y cine, donde participó en filmes como Rojo amanecer. pic.twitter.com/Q8qQzmXuAo
— Secretaría de Cultura (@cultura_mx) November 25, 2022
Héctor Bonilla’s film debut
In 1962 he made his film debut with the film “Young people without them”, where he played a brief role, although throughout his life he always classified it as a terrible production.
Hector Bonilla’s family
In 1969 Héctor married Socorro Bonilla for the first time and they have their first two children, Leonor and Sergio Bonilla. The marriage would only last 9 years since by 1978 they were already separated. Later he remarried Sofía Alvaréz, his wife until the end. As for the theater, Héctor made more than 149 plays, but four are the ones that marked his life: ‘That time of champion’, My life is my life, ‘I am my wife’, and ‘Stored’. The foregoing is a result of the own congratulations of the authors and writers, by classifying him as the best actor of his creations.
The controversial nude that he did in his career in 1974
At the age of 35, Héctor Bonilla was nude in the film ‘The Dog’s Birthday’ at the director’s request. One of the scenes involved a direct approach to his sexual organ From him. The fact generated controversy among the ANDA delegates, so in the end, the scene was not shown.
Rojo Amancer, the film that made him international Héctor Bonilla directed, financed, and acted in one of the most important films in Mexican cinema and is even considered a cult, Rojo Amanecer. It portrays the events on the afternoon and night of October 2, 1968, when the Tlatelolco massacre took place. Due to the complexity of the subject, Bonilla faced multiple challenges, from the choice of the cast, the attraction of investment, and the projection itself.
Hector Bonilla’s career
Even though it was filmed more than 20 years after the original events, and focused on a family living inside their apartment in the housing complex, the Mexican government censored the tape. Finally, it was the President of the Republic himself who authorized its premiere, after eliminating a couple of scenes; Fearing that it would be completely erased, the production sent a copy to Cuba and another to the United States.
Some of the actor’s most memorable roles were in productions such as Amor Sin Reserva, El Señor de Los Cielos, Rojo Amanecer, Coco, Papá Soltero, and El Chavo del Ocho, where he played himself in two special episodes. Héctor Bonilla made a special appearance as El Chavo del Ocho in 1979. In that episode, the actor played himself. Due to a mechanical failure of his car, he decides to go into the neighborhood to ask for help.
Once inside the building he meets several of the characters from the series, including Don Ramón, Professor Jirafales, Chilindrina, and, of course, Chavo del Ocho. The tenants of the neighborhood are moved when they see the actor, especially Doña Cleotilde and Doña Florinda, who think that the actor is a very handsome man.
Thanks to his great and varied career, Héctor Bonilla was awarded several awards such as the TvyNovelas and Ariel Awards, which he won 3 times for Rojo Amanecer, Meridiano 100 and in 2019 he was awarded the Ariel de Oro for his artistic career.
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.