Carlos Quintas, a prominent Cuban actor in theater, radio, and television, has passed away

The Cuban actor Carlos Hernández Quintas, artistically known as Carlos Quintas, passed away in Havana on the night of Sunday, August 24, at the age of 83, according to a report by Televisión Cubana published on its official Facebook page.

Born on November 4, 1941, in Santiago de Cuba, Quintas began his career in 1959 at the station Radio Hernández, where he worked as a host and reciter on the program Poemas y canciones. From the beginning, he starred in popular radio dramas such as Lino Álvarez, líder campesino, Yo, estudiante, and Por nuestro amor, written by the narrator José Soler Puig, as noted on the official site of Televisión Cubana.

In 1961, he studied at the Academy of Dramatic Arts of the East and soon after became one of the founders of the Dramatic Ensemble of the East, with which he participated in plays such as With You, Bread and Onion, The Invaders, and Santiago 57, presented at the First Latin American Theater Festival in Havana. A year later, he was involved in the production of The Invasion at the second edition of the festival.

His move to Havana in 1967 marked a new stage in his career. He worked at Radio Progreso, CMQ, and Radio Rebelde, where he portrayed leading characters in programs such as Actualidad Mundial, La Novela de las Dos, and Estudio Cuatro. At the same time, he joined the programming of National Television, participating in shows like Los mambises, Juan Quinquín en Pueblo Mocho, El Halcón, and Los comandos del silencio, all part of the Aventuras segment of Cuban television, as noted in his biographical profile on EcuRed.

Throughout his career, he also participated in telenovelas such as El pagador de promesas, Café Habana, and La última mujer y el próximo combate, as well as in comedy programs like Vivir del cuento, A otro con ese cuento, and La descarga. In cinema, he worked on several short films from the International School of Film in San Antonio de los Baños and in the film En fin..., directed by Juan Carlos Cremata.

For more than four decades, he worked as an artistic director for shows, touring nationally with institutions such as ARTEX, Provincial Culture, Commerce and Gastronomy, and tourism entities.

His career was recognized with multiple awards, including the ACTUAR Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2019, the Small Screen Award granted by Cuban Television, the Raúl Gómez García Medal, and the Laureate Seal from the National Culture Union. In addition, he was awarded the title of Artist of Merit and was honored as a founder of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television.

In the statement published by the Communication Directorate of Cuban TV, it was emphasized that “Carlos Quintas will be remembered for his acting versatility and his ability to portray characters across various genres.” The institution expressed its condolences to the actor's family, colleagues, and friends, on behalf of the performing arts, radio, and television of the country.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Legacy of Carlos Quintas and the State of Art in Cuba