The prolific veteran Mexican actor Ernesto Gómez Cruz passed away yesterday at the age of 90, due to undisclosed causes. One of the most decorated actors in Mexican cinema history, he appeared in over 150 film productions and enjoyed successful careers in television and theater as well. Throughout his illustrious career, he collaborated with numerous Mexican and international filmmakers, including Arturo Ripstein, Miguel Littin, Gregory Nava, Ruy Guerra, Paul Leduc, Luis Estrada, Alex Cox, and Felipe Cazals. Some of his notable works include Los caifanes, Reed Mexico Insurgente, El Norte, Canoa: A Shameful Memory, Erendira, Midaq Alley, Herod’s Law, and The Crime of Father Amaro.
Born in Veracruz on November 7, 1933, Gómez Cruz studied at the National School of Theater Arts, before making his film debut in the acclaimed 1967 movie Los caifanes, directed by Juan Ibáñez. In this film, which depicts the escapades of a young bourgeois couple who abandon a dinner party to roam the city with an urban gang, Gómez Cruz portrayed the character of El Azteca, one of the gang members.
Following his debut, Gómez Cruz continued to work tirelessly in Mexican cinema, often participating in prestigious projects alongside renowned filmmakers as Alfonso Arau in El águila descalza (1971), Leduc in Reed: México Insurgente (1972), and José Estrada in El Profeta Mimí and Maten al León (1977).
He also collaborated with Alberto Isaac on Tívoli (1975), Gustavo Alatriste in México, México, ra ra ra (1976), and with Chilean exiled director Littin on Letters from Marusia / Cartas de Marusia (1976), which competed for the Cannes Palm d’Or and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
In 1976, he portrayed the character of the student Lucas García in Cazal’s acclaimed film Canoa. The film is based on a true story about a group of visiting students who are lynched by an enraged mob from a small town, led by a priest. They are falsely accused of being communist agitators fleeing from the army in Mexico City. Three years later, he played the role of Cabo Pantoja in Risptein’s acclaimed film Life Sentence / Cadena perpetua, and worked again with him in the starring role of Dionisio Pinzón in The Realm of Fortune / El imperio de la fortuna, for which received the Best Actor Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
In the 1980s, Gómez Cruz portrayed the character of Arturo in Gregory Nava’s acclaimed film El Norte. The movie follows the journey of a Guatemalan brother and sister fleeing persecution in their homeland, traveling through Mexico, and ultimately aiming for the United States in pursuit of a better life. El Norte received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 1985 Academy Awards. Gómez Cruz continued his collaboration with Leduc in Barroco (1989) and Latino Bar (1991).
Among Gómez Cruz’s other notable credits are Midaq Alley / El callejón de los milagros (1995) directed by Jorge Fons, Herod’s Law / La ley de Herodes (1999) directed by Luis Estrada, and the Oscar-nominated The Crime of the Father Amaro / El crimen del padre Amaro directed by Carlos Carrera. Additionally, he shared the screen with Mexican comedy superstar María Elena Velasco, known for her popular character La India María, in her successful films Se equivocó la cigüeña (1993) and Las delicias del poder (1999).
Gómez Cruz was nominated for Mexico’s Ariel Award 12 times, winning Best Actor twice: in 1983 for La víspera by Alejandro Pelayo and in 1986 for The Realm of Fortune. Additionally, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award four times: in 1975 for La venida del rey Olmos by Julián Pastor, in 1976 for Letters from Marusia, in 1977 for Maten al león, and in 1979 for Life Sentence. In 2014, he received the Special Golden Ariel for his career achievement.
