Fernando Esteso, Spanish Comedy Icon, Dies at 80
Spanish actor and comedian Fernando Esteso, known for his iconic comedy duo with Andrés Pajares, has died at 80 after suffering from respiratory problems.
Actor and comedian Fernando Esteso passed away this morning at La Fe University Hospital in Valencia. He was 80 years old and had been suffering from respiratory problems for several weeks. His representative confirmed the news to Europa Press.
Born in Zaragoza on January 14, 1945, Esteso came from a family of jota performers. He made his stage debut at just six years old, known as 'el Niño de la Jota' (The Jota Boy), and developed his early career in variety theater. He quickly became a well-known entertainer across Spain.
At 19, in the 1960s, he moved to Madrid, where he started to make a name for himself in theater and on television. His first film was 'Celos, Amor y Mercado Común' in 1973. A year later, he took on his first starring role in the 1974 comedy 'Onofre,' alongside Luisa María Delgado, Bárbara Rey, and Ágata Lys.
His greatest fame came in the late 1970s when he partnered with Andrés Pajares, forming one of the most successful comedy duos in Spanish film history. They made nine films together and became a strong presence on both television and in movies before eventually going their separate ways. Directed by Mariano Ozores, they starred in huge hits like 'Los bingueros' (1979) and 'Yo hice a Roque III' (1980).
After nearly a decade of continuous work in Spanish cinema, primarily playing comedic roles that were box office hits, he starred in Javier Aguirre's 'El amor sí tiene cura' in 1991. By 1993, having largely stepped away from film, he moved to Telecinco, where he hosted 'La ruleta de la fortuna' (The Wheel of Fortune) and 'Veraneando' alongside Bertín Osborne and Remedios Cervantes.
Though originally from Aragon, Esteso had lived in Torrevieja, Alicante, for decades. He was a familiar face at the Fallas festival and often performed in local theater productions.