Fernando Colunga Olivares (; born 3 March 1966) is a Mexican actor known for his work in Mexican

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

s. Colunga gained international fame for playing Luis Fernando de la Vega in the Mexican soap opera '' Maria la del Barrio''. He is also known for his roles as Manuel Fuentes-Guerra in the

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

set in the Mexican post-independence period of the mid-19th century, '' Amor real'', and for playing Jesús García in '' Porque el amor manda''. He received his drama education at Centro de Educación Artística de Televisa (CEA) in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Career

Colunga worked as an actor in 1988, when he debuted twice as Eduardo Yañez's stuntman in the soap opera '' Dulce desafío''. After that, he decided to start his acting career and enrolled in the Centro de Educación Artística de Televisa in 1990. In his early career, he was known to many audiences for his role in the Mexican version of '' Sesame Street.'' Colunga also starred in other shows, such as ''The Web'', ''Marked Time'', and ''All of It''. He starred in telenovelas, including '' Cenizas y diamantes'', '' Madres egoístas'' and '' Maria Mercedes''. Carla Estrada offered him a role in the soap opera, '' Más allá del puente,'' together with Maria Sorté in 1993–1994. After this telenovela, Colunga played a role in '' Marimar.'' In 1994, the film '' Bésame en la boca'' featuring Colunga and

Paulina Rubio Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer, songwriter and television personality. Referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Golden Girl", she first achieved recognition as a member of the successf ...

, was shown in the cinema. In 1995, Colunga played the role of Lieutenant Raul Gutierrez in '' Alondra'', a period novel produced by Carla Estrada. He acted alongside Veronica Merchant, Gonzalo Vega, Ernesto Laguardia, Marga Lopez, Ana Colchero, Juan Manuel Bernal, Beatriz Sheridan, and Eric del Castillo. In 1995–1996, Colunga got his first starring role with Thalía in the telenovela, '' Maria la del Barrio,'' giving life to Luis Fernando de la Vega. With this telenovela, Colunga began to be known internationally and established his sex symbol status. He later starred in '' Esmeralda'' (1997) with Leticia Calderon, seen in countries as disparate as Indonesia and the Czech Republic. After the success of ''Esmeralda'', he made a foray into theater with '' Original Sin Not'' where he starred with Chantal Andere, as Jenny and Bill, in an unhappy marriage in the process of destruction. His next show was in 1998, '' La Usurpadora'', with Venezuelan actress Gabriela Spanic, Juan Pablo Gamboa, Chantal Andere, Alejandro Ruiz, Enrique Lizalde and Dominika Paleta. He played Carlos Daniel Bracho, a man who knows that the usurper, Paulina, has replaced his wife Paola, and is being blackmailed for it. His next telenovela were '' Nunce Te Olvidare'' (1999) by Edith Gonzalez and '' Abrazame Muy Fuerte'' (2000) with Aracely Arambula, Victoria Ruffo, Cesar Evora and Nailea Norvind. After this, he spent time away from telenovelas to study acting and production. He also played a role in '' Navidad sin fin'' in 2001. In 2003, he worked in '' Amor real'' with Adela Noriega; a production of Carla Estrada, where he played Manuel Fuentes Guerra, the bastard son of a rich landowner. He starred alongside Mauricio Islas and Helena Rojo. In 2003, he won the TVyNovelas Award for Best Actor. After ''Amor Real'', Colunga took some time from TV acting and concentrated on theater. Along with César Evora, he adapted screenplays and launched ''Death Trap''. After spending several months touring with his work, Colunga returned to television with the telenovela of Carla Estrada, '' Alborada'' (2005) and '' Pasion'' (2007)''.'' He shared the stage with actors like Valentino Lanús, Daniela Romo, Mariana Garza, Luis Roberto Guzmán, Vanessa Guzman, Arturo Peniche, Irán Castillo, Susana González, Sebastián Rulli, and Daniela Castro. In 2008, he worked on the telenovela '' Manana Es Para Siempre'' sharing credits with Silvia Navarro and Lucero. This telenovela is produced by Nicando Diaz, in which he plays Eduardo Juarez, a man who, for his revenge against Barbara Greco (Lucero) changes his name to Franco Santoro. In 2010, he was the star of the telenovela '' Soy tu dueña'' produced by Nicandro Diaz; he shared credit with Lucero, Gabriela Spanic, and Jacqueline Andere. In 2012, he starred in '' Porque el amor manda'' with Blanca Soto, Erick Elias, and Claudia Alvarez, debuting in the genre of telenovela with a comic touch. ''Porque el Amor Manda'' is a Mexican telenovela produced by Juan Osorio. It was an adaptation of the 2011 ''Secretary''. This starred Colunga and Blanca Soto, with Erick Elias and Claudia Alvarez, who play the main antagonists of the story. In 2015, he worked on the telenovela '' Pasión y Poder'' sharing credits with Jorge Salinas and Susana González.

Filmography

Films

Television performances

References

External links