Ulises Toirac is a popular Cuban actor, comedian, screenwriter, and theater and television director. He is the creator of characters from regional 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 performance has been in the cultural field.
Since high school, 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 ensemble, he also produced the first staging of a theatrical work Un Brindis por el Zonzo, a theatrical adaptation of a story by Onelio Jorge Cardoso.
At CUJAE, Ulises got involved in amateur theater. He first joined an experimental group directed by Augusto Cañozares, with which he participated in the play Ópera X. He then became a member of 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 especially humor.
After finishing their university degree, they founded the group Onondivepa, along with a group of friends. They mount the play Farewell to the Comrade Benito and participate in summer shows alongside renowned 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 Ramón Program on Radio Ciudad de La Habana, where he acted, wrote scripts, and became familiar with radio production. A year later, he began working on the youth magazine broadcasted by Radio Progreso, called Youth 2000. At this station, he also wrote, directed, and starred in the humorous magazine Contalco.
His debut in the television scene was in Doble Filo, a program in which he played the character Pupi, a young and talkative barber. In 1993, he joined the cast of Sabadazo, the television show that definitely propelled him to fame.
In Sabadazo, a television program hosted by Carlos Otero, Ulises portrayed over 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 how humor is crafted in Cuba.
This gave him the necessary momentum to venture into solo shows. In these, he stood out for his ability to connect different themes, attitudes, and talents. The first solo performance 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, where he invited young comedians from across the country to participate: What Are You Laughing At?
In 2002, he then began his most ambitious project, Do 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 featuring Leopoldo Fernández and Aníbal de Mar.
In Do you swear to tell the truth? Toirac portrayed Chivichana, a descendant of Trespatines. The show had 5 seasons and remained on air until 2009. Some scripts were adapted for the theater, achieving tremendous 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 significant awards that confirm his popularity in Cuba, including distinctions 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)
