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Tomás Vidiella

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Tomás Vidiella
Vidiella in 2000
Born
Tomás Humberto Eduardo Vidiella Baigorrotegui

26 October 1937
Santiago, Chile
Died10 March 2021(2021-03-10) (aged 83)
Santiago, Chile
Occupation(s)Actor, director, cultural manager
Years active1958–2021

Tomás Humberto Eduardo Vidiella Baigorrotegui (26 October 1937 – 10 March 2021) was a Chilean actor, theatre director, and cultural manager.

He is notable for his long and broad artistic career. He was the founder of the theater companies El Túnel (1970), Hollywood (1976), Anfiteatro Lo Castillo (1980) and El Conventillo (1983), along with his sister Eliana Vidiella. He is considered the father of café-concert in Chile, which he helped forge and develop with remarkable success in the 1970s and 1980s.

In theater he acted and collaborated in various and successful plays, with national and international tours, such as Cabaret Bijoux and Viejos de mierda. While on television he is recognized for his roles of character and interpretive strength, in titles such as La torre 10, La villa, Amor a domicilio, Fuera de control, Sabor a ti and his magisterial antagonistic role in Montecristo. In cinema he stand out in films such as El nominado (2003), Cachimba (2004) and La memoria de mi padre (2017)[1][2]

Biography

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Vidiella alongside fellow actors Patricio Achurra, Rodolfo Bravo, Willy Semler, Aldo Parodi, Cristián Campos, Romeo Singer, among others, at the 2000 Viña del Mar International Film Festival.
Vidiella in January 2020

He was the son of Tomás Vidiella Sánchez and Lina Elvira Baigorrotegui de la Barra. He had a sister named Eliana Vidiella, also an actress. In his childhood he lived in a wealthy family in the Lastarria neighborhood of Santiago. He studied at the San José Patrocinio and later at the Barros Arana National Boarding School. Later, he performed at the School of Theater at the University of Chile.[3] Of his generation, 36 students entered the theater and only four graduated, among them Víctor Jara, Alejandro Sieveking, Luis Barahona and him. Later, with Víctor Jara and Alejandro Sieveking they made a tour of Latin America and when they were in Mexico, after six months, they fought before leaving for Spain. So Vidiella returned to Chile, sold her clothes and his record player, and left for New York with $200.

Upon his return he soon stood out, especially as a creative, manager and entrepreneur of the show. He brought to Chile the concept of the café concert, which he developed with total success. And he opened nine theaters, while still performing. His sister, Eliana, supported him in the administration of his premises, reaching great success in the 70s and 80s. The first show of this genre in Chile was orchestrated by Vidiella together with the actors Alejandro Cohen and Pina Brandt, thus premiering Hagamos el amor in 1971 at the El Túnel Theater.

Already in 1961 the interpreter had his first appearance in the Chilean fotonovela, in the magazine Cine Amor in El que volvió, directed by Eduardo Naveda. Vidiella first appeared on a cover in 1962 with El Milagro.

His El Túnel Theater company was the first to premiere a work by Isabel Allende in 1973, with Balada de medio pelo and with the performance of Valentín Trujillo. In 1975, Vidiella made her debut at the Chilean-French Institute of Culture with the play Los siete espejos, written by Allende and Francisco Flores del Campo.

In 1976, he played the second transforming character in the Chilean theater, after Travesti por mi abuela (1971) by Eduardo Soto, playing "Lulú" in the play Cabaret Bijoux, which became a success and over time came to be presented in Valparaíso, Osorno, Concepción, Arica, Puerto Montt and Valdivia. Famous actresses such as Sonia Viveros and Silvia Piñeiro took part in it.

On television, he was one of the first gallants of the Dramatic Area of National Television of Chile hired by the Executive Director, Sonia Fuchs, thus standing out in telenovelas such as La torre 10, along with Sonia Viveros and young Javiera Parada, and in La Villa. He also contributed his experience as a mature actor in several Channel 13 productions in the 1990s, with titles such as Amor a domicilio, Fuera de control, Sabor a tí, among others. In 2006 he masterfully antagonized the telenovela Montecristo, by Megavisión.

As a cultural manager and producer, he stands out as founder of the theaters El Túnel (1970), Hollywood (1976), Anfiteatro Lo Castillo (1980) and El Conventillo (1983). He has acted and directed in Mrs. Warren's Profession (2002) and Los Chinos (2002).

With the work Parecido a la felicidad, he toured La Havana, Caracas, Bogotá, Guatemala, San José and Mexico City. He has also toured in Buenos Aires with Las Sirvientas, Fausto Shock and Los Chinos.

In 2001, Vidiella was awarded the Award of the Association of Journalists of Shows, Art and Culture of Chile (APES) for Best Theater Actor in 2001 for Largo viaje del día hacia la noche.

Regarding cinema, his performances in El nominado (2003), Cachimba (2004) and La memoria de mi padre (2017) stand out. In the latter, along with Jaime McManus, directed by Rodrigo Bacigalupe. His performance was the winner of the Best Actor Award at the Santiago International Film Festival.[4]

In the theater field, he stood out in his last years mainly with the play Viejos de Mierda (2015–2021), a delirious comedy written and directed by Rodrigo Bastidas, where Vidiella shared roles with comedian Coco Legrand and Jaime Vadell.

In 2018, he received a tribute from the Actors Union of Chile to his career. On 26 February 2021, two weeks before his death, ChileActores awarded him with a Caleuche Lifetime Achievement Award for his exceptional work in the performing arts. The actor said that: “I have made a career out of love, because theater is very important for the life of human beings”.[5][6]

Death

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On 5 March 2021, Vidiella was hospitalized at the UC Christus Clinic after contracting COVID-19, just days after it was confirmed that Cristián Campos, his co-star in the play Orquesta de Señoritas, also tested positive. In turn, all the rest of team members also underwent a preventive quarantine including stars such as Luis Gnecco, Willy Semler and Mauricio Pesutic.

On 9 March, his friend and actor, Jaime Vadell, indicated that Vidiella was in good health, and they even communicated by phone on 6 March. Despite this, the actor remained connected to a mechanical ventilator since 7 March, finally dying three days later of complications related to COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile.[7][8]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Produccion Character Director
1973 Antonio Claudio Guzmán
1998 El entusiasmo Canoso Ricardo Larraín
2003 The Chosen One Mañungo Eyzaguirre Ignacio Argiró & Gabriel López
2004 Cachimba Marcel Silvio Caiozzi
2009 Teresa Antonio Balmaceda Tatiana Gaviola
2011 Dios me libre Óscar Cifuentes Martín Duplaquet
2012 Educación Física Padre de Exequiel Pablo Cerda
2013 Oranch Pablo Lagos
2015 Sendero Gustavo Lucio A. Rojas
2017 La memoria de mi padre Jesús Rodrigo Bacigalupe
2021 Un loco matrimonio en cuarentena Hugo Espíndola Rodrigo Bastidas

Telenovelas

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Year Telenovela Role Channel Type
1982 De cara al mañana Ignacio Martínez TVN Papel principal
1984 La represa Fernando Varas TVN Reparto
La torre 10 Hernán Ugalde TVN Papel principal
1986 La dama del balcón Ruperto TVN Reparto
La Villa Ignacio Montes / Héctor Pereira TVN Papel principal
1988 Vivir así Aldo Francino Canal 13 Invitado
1990 El milagro de vivir Aníbal Gómez / Roberto Martínez TVN Antagonista
1994 Top secret Horacio Ragner Canal 13 Antagonista
1995 Amor a domicilio Gaspar Encina Canal 13 Papel co-principal
1996 Marrón Glacé, el regreso Amador Monarde Canal 13 Antagonista
1997 Eclipse de luna Ómar Riva Canal 13 Papel co-principal
1998 Amándote Vicente Trosciani Canal 13 Antagonista
1999 Fuera de control Aarón Hurtado "El viejo Aarón" Canal 13 Papel co-principal
2000 Sabor a ti Refugio Sarmiento Canal 13 Papel principal
2001 Piel canela Galo Casagrande Canal 13 Reparto
2006 Montecristo Alberto Lombardo Mega Antagonista
2008 Camera Café Gregorio Hormazábal Mega Antagonista
2008 Lola Alfonso Salamanca Canal 13 Reparto
2009 Corazón rebelde Sergio Bustamante Canal 13 Antagonista
2017 Tranquilo papá Leopoldo Sánchez Mega Invitado

TV Series

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Year Produccion Role Channel
1978 El show de Tomás Vidiella Él mismo Canal 9 U
1980 Tres veces amor Dr. Ismael Flores TVN
1996 Amor a domicilio, la comedia Gaspar Encina Canal 13
2003 La vida es una lotería Gregorio TVN
2004 Tiempo final: en tiempo real Héctor TVN
2010 Cartas de mujer Luis Alberto Chilevisión
2015 Fabulosas Flores Leopoldo Ramos La Red
2017 Lo que callamos las mujeres Chilevisión

References

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  1. ^ S.A.P, El Mercurio (18 October 2006). "El villano de Montecristo cuenta la trastienda de la teleserie de Mega | Emol.com". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  2. ^ Morales, Natalia (10 March 2021). "Muere Tomás Vidiella, el reconocido actor que cubrió teatro, TV y café concert". La Tercera. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  3. ^ "U. de Chile despide al actor Tomás Vidiella – Universidad de Chile". uchile.cl. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Protagonistas de 'La Memoria de Mi Padre' ganan premio a Mejor Actor en Sanfic – FM7 / 89.7 Antofagasta". 29 October 2017. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  5. ^ Chile, C. N. N. ""He hecho una carrera por amor": El mensaje de Tomás Vidiella cuando recibió el premio Caleuche a la trayectoria". CNN Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  6. ^ mario. "14 ACTORES Y ACTRICES CHILENOS SON LOS PROTAGONISTAS DE NUESTRO LIBRO "ABCDIARIO ACTORAL" – Chileactores" (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  7. ^ Morales, Natalia (10 March 2021). "Muere Tomás Vidiella, el reconocido actor que cubrió teatro, TV y café concert". La Tercera.
  8. ^ "Fallece el actor nacional Tomás Vidiella luego de luchar contra el coronavirus". BioBioChile – La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile. 10 March 2021.