ECHANOVE, JUAN

(1961- )

Juan Echanove's bulky build, sad liquid eyes, and fleshy features keep him from playing typical leading man parts, but his career has been all the more interesting for this. After beginning law studies, he shifted careers for acting, and his film debut took place in supporting roles inEl caso Almería(The Almería Case, 1984) andLa noche más hermosa(The Most Beautiful Night, 1984). He went on to play the excessive, sensualistic young intellectual who is oedipally obsessed with his mother inVicenteAranda'sTiempo de Silencio(A Time of Silence, 1986). As in many of the younger post-Transition generation, his career took off after starring in atelevisionseries (as a lawyer inTurno de oficio).By the late 1980s, his had become a popular face, and this allowed him a certain freedom in the selection of film roles.

A potentially unremarkable part as the retarded man inJosé Luis GarciaSanchez'sDivinas palabras(Divine Words, 1987) earned him aGoyaas best supporting actor. He played General Francisco Franco inFranciscoRegueiro'sMadregilda(1993), his best hour on screen, which showcased his ability for comedy. Perfectly matching the film's tone, he approached the role as a caricature, and he put into it the cynicism and coldness of the real character. Very much in demand during the 1990s, he had a key supporting part inPedroAlmodóvar'sLa flor de mi secreto(Flower of My Secret, 1995) as a lonely, over-emotional journalist who develops unrequited feelings for the protagonist. Next came a starring part in García Sanchez'sSuspiros de España(yPortugal) (Spanish[and Portuguese]Sighs, 1995) and his enjoyable turn as a fascist heavy inFernando Colo-mo's road movieLos años bárbaros(The Barbarian Years, 1998).

Echanove returned to the theater to play Sancho Panza in a staging of Cervantes' novelDon Quixote, as well as in a monologue in which he played a pig (The Pig). In recent years, he has worked regularly, but mostly in supporting roles. He was especially good inMorir en San Hilario(To Die in Saint Hilario, Laura Mañá, 2005),Bienvenido a casa(Welcome Home,David Trueba, 2006), andAlatriste(Agustín Díaz Yanes, 2006), in which he was almost unrecognizable as SpanishGolden Agepoet Francisco de Quevedo.