Mexican actor Emilio Echevarría passed away on Saturday, January 4, at the age of 81. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Echevarría enjoyed an extensive career, appearing in numerous film productions in both Mexico and the U.S. He collaborated with acclaimed filmmakers such as Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, Nicolás Echevarría, Carlos Bolado, Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo Arriaga, Rodrigo Plá, Sebastián Borensztein, and Guita Schyfter. However, he is best remembered for his iconic portrayal of El Chivo in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s groundbreaking 2000 debut feature Amores Perros.
Born on July 3, 1944, in Mexico City, Echevarría launched his acting career in 1978 as a member of the Constitution of Art and Society. He later joined the theater group Circo, Maroma y Teatro, where he trained under renowned actors and teachers such as José Luis Ibáñez, Otto Minera, and Dimitrio Sarrás.
Echevarría made his film debut in Dana Rotberg's Intimidad (1989), followed by Morir en el Golfo (1990) by Alejandro Pelayo, Bathroom Intimacy / Intimidades en el cuarto de baño (1991) by Hermosillo, and Los pasos de Ana (1991) by Marisa Sistach. He worked with Schyfter on Like a Bride / Novia que te vea (1994) and Sucesos distantes (1996).
In 2000, Echevarría delivered his career-defining performance as El Chivo, a former professor turned guerrilla fighter and hitman, in Amores Perros. The film premiered at Cannes’ Critics’ Week and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. He reunited with González Iñárritu in Babel (2006).
In 2002, Echevarría portrayed Raoul, a Havana cigar factory manager and British sleeper agent, in the James Bond film Die Another Day, directed by Lee Tamahori. He also played Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna in the 2004 historical drama The Alamo by John Lee Hancock. More recently, he appeared in the television series Mozart in the Jungle, starring Gael García Bernal.
Echevarría's other notable film credits include Y tu mamá también (2002) by Cuarón, Ambar (1994) by Luis Estrada, Life Kills / Vivir mata (2002), The Night Buffalo / El búfalo de la noche by Jorge Hernández Aldana, The Dream of Lu / El sueño de Lu (2011) by Hari Sama, Colosio (2012) by Bolado, Guillermo Arriaga’s segment “God’s Blood” in the omnibus film Words with Gods (2014), and A Monster with a Thousand Heads / Un monstruo de mil cabezas (2015) by Plá.
Echevarría received three Ariel Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor: for Morir en el Golfo, A Monster with a Thousand Heads, and, most recently, The Chosen / El elegido (2016) by Antonio Chavarrías.
