Héctor Alterio was declared an Emeritus Personality of Culture

Last Saturday, the actor from the Chacarita neighborhood had started the farewell with his show “To Buenos Aires”, with the first of 12 Buenos Aires performances with which he will step aside from the tables. At that moment, emotion already invaded the audience of the Astros Theater, which applauded him standing up.

The same scene was experienced today at the Kirchner Cultural Center, where the interpreter of “The rebellious Patagonia” he surrounded himself with his wife, Angela Bacaicoahis daughter Malena, friends, family and a large number of colleagues who paid him a tribute not without tears.

Gerardo Romano walked around the room with georgina barbarosawhile Ricardo Darin and Pepe Soriano (honored at the 2021 Mar del Plata Festival) chatted at the entrance to the hall. It was Soriano, who, precisely, received the first ovation of the night when he entered through the armed corridor between the two groups of chairs, walking directly to the first row.

And it was Soriano, another symbol of national performance, who received Alterio. Melted in a hug, things were said in each other’s ears, while the organizers began to place the guests in their places. Gaston Pauls was the master of ceremonies and, through tears, he remembered the backstage of the filming of “Heart of fire”film of Diego Arsuagawhich Pauls shared with Soriano, Alterio and Federico Luppi.

“His humility is greater than his acting quality”, was the reflection of the former Roller Coaster on that experience with Alterio. Then it was the turn of Victor Laplace. “I already cried in the theater, today I’m not going to do it,” said Laplace, although he did not comply. He also with tears he read a text that included Antonio Machado’s poem “Portrait”.

After a brief video that went through Alterio’s films, the Minister of Culture, Tristan Bauergave him the plaque that recognizes the actor as “Emeritus Personality of Culture”.

“When an artist goes on stage, he transforms everything. And when you came in here, you transformed the aura of this dome,” Bauer told him. The minister also recalled that Alterio was in exile during the last military dictatorship.

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That fact was also highlighted by the actor. “My political party – he maintained – was always the theater (…). We all suffered a terrible barbarity, but that is over.” Alterio reflected on inequality in the world, stating that “goods are badly distributed, while a few have a lot, many others have little. That is unfair.”

In turn, he dedicated a paragraph to the Grandmothers and Mothers of Plaza de Mayo and to the children and grandchildren of the disappeared; “Mothers, grandmothers, children and grandchildren have fought for memory. That is the most important milestone and we can proudly show it to the world.”

In turn, although he acknowledged the ailment of time, he said that, like an uncle of his who was a soccer goalkeeper, he longs to “take a few more penalties.” “I hope to continue playing as long as he can,” he said with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.

In his extensive career, the actor has participated in around 150 films, 50 plays and 10 television series, and has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Spanish Goya and the Silver Condor.

Alterio also has a milestone: he was part of the cast of five Oscar-nominated films: “Truce”by Sergio Renán; “Camila”by Maria Luisa Bemberg “The official story” (who won the prize), by Luis Puenzo; “The son of the bride”by Juan José Campanella, and the Spanish “The nest”by Jaime de Arminan.