Conrado Cogle, better known as Boncó Quiñongo, is a Cuban actor and comedian who was born on January 21, 1971, in the Santos Suárez neighborhood of Havana.
In 1988, when he was still a university student studying Civil Engineering, he joined the popular Cuban humor group Pagola la Paga. He began working professionally in 1992 at the headquarters of the Humor Promotion Center, which was then located at the Acapulco Cinema
They began to perform at cultural festivals in their center and later at other institutions, until their participation in the Humor Festivals of the FEU in 1989, 1990, and 1991, where they won the first prize for sketch and parody, propelled them to fame within the university community. Among those early members, in addition to Boncó, were Geonel Martínez and Gustavito.
With Pagola la Paga, Boncó shared the stage with greats of Cuban culture such as El Guayabero (Faustino Oramas) and garnered the most important awards at the island's leading humor festivals, including Aquelarre and the “Festival of Humorous Song.”
In 1993, he was part of the popular show Sabadazo, one of the highest-rated programs in the history of Cuban television. Sabadazo marked the consolidation of Boncó as a comedian, earning him significant popularity with his character, which reflects the stereotype of a tough guy from a humble social background, often using a language that mixes and omits many sounds. During this time, Quiñongo shared the stage with Carlos Otero, Gustavito, and other figures who later became recognized Cuban comedians, such as Osvaldo Doimeadiós, Ángel García (Antolín El Pichón), and Ulises Toirac, among others.
He decided to emigrate to Spain in 1999, but after failing to revive his career with the recognition he had enjoyed in Cuba, he set his sights on Miami in 2005, where he was able to continue his career as a comedian, participating in popular Hispanic television formats such as "El Happy Hour" on América TeVé and alongside a top-tier cast in "TN3" with his friend Carlos Otero.
There, he has been able to reunite with his audience and many of his fellow professionals who have maintained the same comedic formats that made them successful in Cuba.
In 2019, he made history at the Viña del Mar Festival by winning the Silver and Gold Seagulls for his performance, the highest awards given at the event for the most appreciated acts.
In 2019, the film Plantados was directed by Lilo Vilaplana alongside figures such as Albertico Pujol. The movie addresses the issue of Cuban political prisoners who went on hunger strikes in prisons at the beginning of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.
