Boncó Quiñongo

Conrado Cogle, better known as Boncó Quiñongo, is a Cuban actor and comedian who was born on January 21, 1971, in the neighborhood of Santos Suárez, in Havana.

In 1988, when he was still a university student in Civil Engineering, he joined the popular Cuban humor group Pagola la Paga, which began to work professionally in 1992 at the headquarters of the Center for Humor Promotion, located at that time in the Acapulco Cinema.

They began to present themselves at cultural festivals in their center and then at other institutes, until their participation in the Humor Festivals of the FEU in 1989, 1990, and 1991, where they won the first prize in sketch and parody, launched them to fame in 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 main humor festivals on the island, such as Aquelarre and the “Festival de la canción humorística.”

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, gaining great popularity with his character that reflects the stereotype of a tough guy from a humble social background, who articulates language by confusing and omitting a large part of the sounds. During this time, Quiñongo shared the stage with Carlos Otero, Gustavito, and other figures who 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 upon failing to resume his career with the recognition he had enjoyed in Cuba, he headed to Miami in 2005, where he has managed to continue his career as a comedian, participating in popular formats of Hispanic television such as "El Happy Hour" on América TeVé or alongside a leading cast in "TN3" with his friend Carlos Otero.

There, he has been able to reconnect with his audience and many of his professional colleagues who have maintained the same humorous formats with which they triumphed in Cuba.

In 2019, he made history at the Viña del Mar Festival by winning the Silver and Gold Seagulls with his performance, the highest awards given at the event for the most liked performances.

In 2019, the film Plantados directed by Lilo Vilaplana was shot, featuring figures like Albertico Pujol. The film addresses the issue of Cuban political prisoners who "stood firm" in prisons at the beginning of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.