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The Board of Directors of the Institute of Information and Social Communication (ICS Cuba) unanimously approved the awarding of the National Television Award 2026 to Paula Andrea Alí Rivera this Friday, one of the most beloved and respected actresses in Cuban culture, at the proposal of the General Directorate of Cuban Television.
The award recognizes over six decades of uninterrupted work in television, theater, and film on the Island. According to the ICS reported on its social media, "it is an honor to wake up confirming" the decision, which was made at the regular meeting of the organization.
Paula Andrea Alí Rivera was born on January 26, 1938, in Candelaria, in the current province of Artemisa, and took her first steps in the artistic world in 1959 as a model and extra on television, unbeknownst to her that she would become an iconic figure in national culture.
His career encompasses virtually all possible stages. He performed at the Teatro Martí in the vernacular genre and bufo theater, joined the prestigious Teatro Estudio group in 1970—maintaining a connection to this day—and also worked with the El Público group, where he starred in La Celestina, directed by Carlos Díaz.
In cinema, her filmography exceeds 30 films from ICAIC, including Lista de espera (2000), Nada (2001), El cuerno de la abundancia (2008), and Cartas del Parque. Particularly for Nada, by director Juan Carlos Cremata, she received the Best Actress Award at the Cartagena de Indias Film Festival in Colombia in 2003.
On the small screen, as highlighted by Cubavisión when announcing the recognition, "her masterful versatility in transitioning between drama and comedy has made her an indispensable face in Cuban households." Her appearances in soap operas such as Enamorada del mar (1989), Las huérfanas de la Obrapía (1999), and Vuelve a mirar (2021) are part of the collective memory of several generations of Cubans. She is also fondly remembered for her role as Dr. Rosa Matriz in the popular comedy show Punto G.
The ICS emphasized that "her legacy is in the collective memory of a country that has admired her for years, and her name is synonymous with dedication, talent, and love for acting," and added that "her career continues to be an inspiration for new generations of Cuban artists."
The National Television Award 2026 adds to an extensive list of accolades accumulated throughout her career. Among these are the UNEAC Award for Best Female Performance in Television for The Year to Come (1993), the Segismundo Awards for the monologue A Woman Alone (1990), the Little Screen Award and the Special Master of Generations Award, both in 2021, as well as the Distinction for National Culture. She has also conducted international tours in Portugal, Yugoslavia, Spain, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia.
The actress, who celebrated her 88th birthday in January 2026 with a special tribute on the Al Mediodía program of the national channel, has generated a wave of popular affection in Cuba that transcends the artistic realm. In August 2024, she was rushed to the Cardiology Institute in Havana, which sparked a surge of solidarity on social media; she made a good recovery. In June 2025, the National Council of Performing Arts had to debunk new rumors about her health, confirming that she was doing well.
The recognition of the actress comes at a time when Cuban television is facing severe material difficulties, marked by the power outages affecting the country since 2024 and the mass emigration of talent, which adds symbolic value to the tribute to a figure who, at 88 years old and with over six decades of dedication, remains, as Cubavisión summed up, "one of the greatest living legends on our screens."
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