Ulises Toirac is a popular Cuban actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director of theater and television. He is the creator of characters from traditional humor such as Juan Marchante (Chivichana), Matute and Yudmila, among many others.
Ulises Toirac Abelenda was born on June 29, 1963. He graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the "José Antonio Echeverría" Technological University of Havana (CUJAE) in 1986. However, his professional career has been in the cultural field.
Since pre-university, he began to act as an amateur artist. In 1981, he formed a theater group for which he wrote the humorous play Colón en el Onceno Festival. With this group, he also staged the first production of a theatrical work Un Brindis por el Zonzo, a theatrical adaptation of a story by Onelio Jorge Cardoso.
At CUJAE, Ulises joined the amateur theater scene. He first became part of an experimental group directed by Augusto Cañozares, with which he participated in the play Ópera X. Later, he joined the Carlos Pous theater group.
After these experiences, Ulises, along with several friends, founded the First National University Humor Festival. He took this opportunity to invite Alejandro García Villalón (Virulo) to close the event with the National Show Ensemble. This was a turning point in Toirac's life, leading him to pursue acting and, in particular, humor.
After completing his university studies, he founded the group Onondivepa with a group of friends. They staged the play Farewell to the Comrade Benito and participated in summer performances alongside established artistic groups and Cuban comedians, such as La Seña del Humor and the National Show Ensemble itself.
In 1988, Ulises joined the cast of the Programa de Ramón on Radio Ciudad de La Habana, where he acted, wrote scripts, and became acquainted with radio production. A year later, he began working on the youth magazine that was broadcasted by Radio Progreso, called Juventud 2000. At this station, he also wrote, directed, and starred in the humor magazine Contalco.
His breakthrough in television came with Doble Filo, a program in which he played the character Pupi, a young and talkative barber. In 1993, he became part of the cast of Sabadazo, the TV show that ultimately propelled him to fame.
In Sabadazo, a television program hosted by Carlos Otero, Ulises portrayed more than fifteen characters, among which Matute and Yudmila stood out.
Despite being a period of success, Ulises has stated in several interviews that it was a contradictory phase, as it also marked the beginning of an era of the trivialization of jokes and the simplification of the way humor is created in Cuba.
This gave him the necessary momentum to delve into solo performances. In them, he stood out for his ability to connect different themes, attitudes, and talents. The first solo show was Con Las Tiras del Pellejo (1995). This was followed by El Flaco (1996).
In 1999, he made his return to television with his own show in which he invited young comedians from across the country to participate: So, what are you laughing at?
In 2002, he then began his most ambitious project, Will You Swear to Tell the Truth?. It was a television show that paid tribute to La Tremenda Corte, an internationally renowned Cuban comedy program written by Castor Vispo and starring Leopoldo Fernández and Aníbal de Mar.
In Do you swear to tell the truth? Toirac played Chivichana, a descendant of Trespatines. The show had 5 seasons and remained on the air until 2009. Some scripts were adapted for the theater, achieving great success.
Ulises Toirac has performed on international stages. In 2011, he toured the United States. In Florida, he presented his one-man show Cuentos, Canciones y otras IDEAteces at the Miami Dade County Auditorium.
Ulises Toirac is a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba. Throughout his artistic career, he has received important awards that affirm his popularity in Cuba, as well as honors such as the Order for National Culture (2004).
Movies in which he has participated as an actor:
- Alicia in Wonderland (1992)
- Tropical Dream (1993)
- Adorable Lies (1993)
- Pata Negra (1999)
- A King in Havana (2004)
- Chivichana The Movie (2005)
