Héctor Alterio was much more than his famous phrase: “The whore worth being alive”

Today 05:39

Héctor Alterio died in Madrid at the age of 96, “after a long and fulfilling life dedicated to his family and art and to his professional career to this day,” the Alterio-Bacaicoa family said in a text. For some generations, the name Héctor Alterio almost immediately refers to the phrase “The whore worth living,” which the actor improvised for one of the last scenes of Wild Horses, the film that Marcelo Piñeyro released in 1995. But obviously Héctor Alterio represents much more to Argentine theater and cinema – and also to Spanish cinema – than this scene.

Recognized. The actor was born on September 21, 1929 in Buenos Aires and was one of the most outstanding actors of his generation, both in Argentina and in Spain, where he successfully developed his career and where, for example, the Film Academy, of which he was a member, honored his artistic career with the Honorary Goya in 2004. This moment of the ceremony was very exciting because it was presented to him by Malena and Ernesto Alterio, his daughter and son, who were also renowned actors in Spain. Four years later, in 2008, he was awarded the Silver Condor by Argentina for his film career. And already in 2023, the CCK paid him an honor from the Ministry of Culture, attended by a large group of professionals, including Ricardo Darín.

From theater to cinema. Before cinema came into his life, Alterio made his acting debut in 1948 (in Buenos Aires) with the play “Forbidden Suicide in Spring” by Alejandro Casona. After completing his acting studies, he founded the group Nuevo Teatro, with which he worked to renew the Argentine scene in the sixties and which represented a very important moment for Argentine actors, directors and playwrights. However, his fame as an actor came through the cinema, where he debuted alongside Alfredo Mathé in Todo sole es bitter and starred in some of the best films of the new generation of Argentine filmmakers of that time. His name can already be found in classics of national cinema such as “La tregua” by Sergio Renán, which was the first film to be nominated for an Oscar; Rebel Patagonia, by Héctor Olivera; The official story of Luis Puenzo and winner of Argentina’s first Oscar; Camila by María Luisa Bemberg and The Bride’s Son by Juan Campanella, both nominated for an Oscar, as well as the aforementioned Wild Horses, among others.

Unstoppable. Like other Argentine artists, Héctor Alterio was forced into exile in the run-up to the civil-military dictatorship and went to Spain, where he was censored and banned until the advent of democracy in 1983. Madrid will become your “new Bueos Aires” and your base to work and become a recognized name.

In Spanish cinema he worked with important personalities such as Jaime Chávarri, who gave him a role in A Un Dios Unknown, with which he won the Silver Shell at the San Sebastián Festival. He also starred in films such as “Cría cuervos,” “The Crime of Cuenca,” and “El Nido,” which was nominated for an Oscar in 1980; among other things. His last works on the big screen were in “Kamikaze” by Álex Pina in 2014; the following year in Due uomini, quattro donne e una mucca depressa by the Italian director Anna di Francisca. However, he worked in the theater until 2025 with the play A Little Story.