As the protagonist of El Agente Topo, Sergio Chamy, says, "there is always a Chilean", and in the world of show business, it is a statement that is not far from the truth. From appearances in big screen movies to starring roles in television series that have gone around the world, Chilean acting talent has been gaining more and more prestige in recent years.
From Imagen de Chile, we present some of the Chilean artists that today shine on the screens of the world.
Pedro Pascal
After playing Prince Oberyn Martell in the series Game of Thrones in 2014, and portraying the role of Javier Peña in the series Narcos between 2015 and 2017, José Pedro Pascal, better known as Pedro Pascal, jumped to worldwide fame. Born in Santiago de Chile in 1975, at a young age he went to live in the United States, where he studied acting at the Orange County School of the Arts and at New York University, arriving at the cinema for the first time in the film "Earth vs. the Spider" (2001).
Recently, Pascal has made news by starring in the series of the Star Wars saga, "The Mandalorian" (2019). During 2021, it was announced that HBO Max was working on an adaptation of the renowned game "The Last of Us", a TV series in which the Chilean actor will assume the role of "Joe", one of the protagonists of the story, and which would premiere in the first half of 2023.
During this year, Pascal occupied the top 3 in the ranking of the best-known Chileans in the world of culture, prepared by the Fundación Imagen de Chile.
Daniela Vega
Recognized for her leading performance in "A Fantastic Woman" (2017), the first Chilean production to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Daniela Vega Hernández is one of the Chilean actresses who has recently seen her career strongly boosted, being part of the main cast of the Chilean series "La Jauría" (2020), released in Spain and Latin America through Amazon Prime.
Among her awards are 6 prizes for her performance in "Una mujer fantástica", including a Platinum Award (Spain) for best female performance; and a Caleuche (Chile) for best leading actress in a fiction feature film. She was also recognized in Imagen de Chile's ranking of the 10 best known Chileans in the world of culture.
Francisco Reyes
Recognized especially for his work during the golden age of Chilean teleseries on national television, actor Francisco Reyes Morandé has participated in several audiovisual productions of international scope. In 2011 he co-starred in the HBO drama series "Prófugos", and in 2017 he worked alongside Daniela Vega in "Una Mujer Fantástica", the first Chilean film to win an Oscar.
Throughout his career, the actor has been part of the cast of 24 films, and more than 40 series and micro series, both on television and streaming platforms. Among the awards he has received are two TV Grama awards for best leading actor; a Copihue de Oro for best actor; and a Wikén award as "the best Chilean actor of all time" as part of the first 50 years of Chilean television.
Alfredo Castro
During his extensive career, Chilean actor Alfredo Castro - trained at the University of Chile and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art - has played renowned characters in Chilean film, television and theater, in addition to his work as a screenwriter and director.
Since his appearance in the film "Fuga" (2006), which marked his entry into cinema, Castro has participated in 22 films, between national and international productions, being highly praised for his acting talent. Thus, in 2019 he became the first Latino to win the Starlight International Cinema Award at the Venice Film Festival, for his performance in "Blanco en blanco" (2019). In addition, he has been distinguished in Spain with the Platinum Award for Best Male Performance (2018) and Best Supporting Male Performance (2021 and 2022).
During 2021, Castro was honored during the 23rd version of the "Filming in Latin America" festival, Geneva, Switzerland, where the films "Karnawal" (2020), "Los Perros" (2017), "Tengo Miedo Torero" (2020), and "Rojo" (2018), all starring the Chilean actor, were screened.
Paulina Garcia
Paulina del Carmen García Alfonsín or Paly García is a prominent national film, theater and television actress. During the last decade she has gained international recognition as a result of her work in national productions, highlighting her starring role in the film "Gloria" (2012). This role earned her the Silver Bear for best female performance at the Berlin Film Festival 2013, becoming the first Chilean actress to have received the award.
Among the audiovisual productions in which he has participated are "Casa de remolienda" (2007), "Cárcel de mujeres" (2008), and "Mis hermanos sueñan despiertos" (2021). This last film, directed by Claudia Huaiquimilla, is nominated for the Ariel Awards in Mexico.
Leonor Varela
With her acting studies at the École du Passage and the Paris Conservatory, Chilean actress and model Leonor Varela Palma has been recognized for her participation in various American, Latin American and European series and films.
Among the productions she has been part of, Guillermo del Toro's "Blade II" (2002) and the Mexican film "Voces inocentes" (2005) stand out, in which Varela played one of the main characters, and after which she was nominated for the Ariel de Plata Award for Best Actress. Her awards include an APES Award (Chile) for Best Actress in a Motion Picture and an Imagen Award (USA) for Best Supporting Actress.
Aline Kuppenheim
Born in 1969 in Barcelona, Spain, Aline Kuppenheim Gualtieri has been widely recognized for her career as an actress in Chilean theater, film and television. Her debut was in the successful Chilean TV series "Ellas por Ellas" on Canal 13, one of the 12 national TV series in which she has starred.
On the big screen, the actress has been part of the cast of more than a dozen national films, including "Machuca" (2004), "Una mujer fantástica" (2017), and the recent Netflix series "42 days in the dark" (2022), which for a week remained among the most watched content on the platform, accumulating almost 10 million hours viewed since its premiere.
Kuppenheim has been recognized with several awards, such as the Altazor Award in the category of best television actress, and the Pedro Sienna Award for best leading female performance.
Benjamín Vicuña
Renowned actor Benjamín Vicuña Luco has developed his career over the last 20 years mainly between Chile and Argentina. Throughout his work he has participated in 25 productions for the big screen and 30 television series. His most prominent roles in recent years have been in "Pacto de Fuga" (2020), "El Bosque de Karadima" (2015), and the Chilean-Spanish series "Inés del alma mía" (2020), a historical drama based on Isabel Allende's novel of the same name, which was distributed by Amazon Prime.
The national actor has been recognized with several national awards throughout his career such as two APES awards; two Copihues de Oro; and four Tv Grama awards. He was also awarded during the New York Latin ACE Awards 2009, in the category of best supporting actor for his participation in the Spanish production "Fuera de carta" (2008).
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