Acting
Jan 26, 1941
Bogotá, DC, Colombia
Carlos Benjumea
Acting
Biography
Carlos Julio Benjumea Guevara (Bogotá, May 1, 1941 – Bogotá, May 13, 2021), known as El Gordo (“The Fat One”), was a Colombian comedian, theater director, and film, theater, and television actor, as well as the founder of the production company Coestrellas. With more than 50 years of artistic experience, “El Gordo” began his career in theater. He later joined the cast of the famous comedy show Yo y tú. During the 1970s, he became the leading star of several comedy films such as El taxista millonario (The Millionaire Taxi Driver), Esposos en vacaciones (Husbands on Vacation), and El inmigrante latino (The Latin Immigrant), producing six films of this kind with director Gustavo Nieto Roa. He later focused on comedy and theater. He was also co-owner of the television company Coestrellas, where he hosted programs such as Sabariedades alongside his close friend Fernando González Pacheco, and Ver para aprender. He also founded the theater company La Casa del Gordo, where he became well known for his performances in the café-concert genre. In the late 1990s, he demonstrated his dramatic talent in telenovelas such as Fuego verde and Isabel me la veló. In the 21st century, he appeared in films such as Perder es cuestión de método (Losing Is a Matter of Method) and telenovelas such as Hasta que la plata nos separe (Till Money Do Us Part). In 2017, he received the Víctor Nieto Lifetime Achievement Award at the India Catalina Awards. In 2021, he passed away due to health complications he had been facing for several months.
Feature Films (10)
A body is discovered impaled on a stake near a scenic lake near Bogota. A journalist try to find what happened. With a friend, they set about to find the cause of the crime and uncover an intricate real estate fraud involving corrupt politicians, emerald hunters, nudists...
The Art of Losing
With humor and satire, developers and pirates who emerge as candidates of the people reveal themselves as professionals. They are behind the figure of candidate Climaco Urrutia U.
El candidato
The story of legendary Colombian actor Hernando "El Culebro" Casanova, told by his youngest son Nicolás Casanova, featuring unseen archival footage and unheard tracks.
El Culebro: My Father's Story
Chronicle of life in a typical Colombian village where residents and visitors alike are induced by the soporific climate to lead lives of indolence. Not even the sight of cadavers floating in the river can shock them.
Dead Men's River
Jose, a taxi driver in Bogotá suffers from the condition of his old vehicle and is almost unable to work.
El taxista millonario
Television & Series (6)
A colombian big family moves from their country house into the city due to economical problems. The husband is obsessed with pursuing the american dream so he decides to enter the USA illegally, as his sister in law did, while leaving his wife and son in their country. He promises he will earn enought money so that they could be able to join him. However, things don't work out as expected and the whole family becomes divided due to their opinions on the american dream.
Allá te espero
The Law of the Heart is a story that takes place in a successful law firm specializing in family law, specializing in divorce cases and, in general, in family and relationship conflicts. The decisions these lawyers make often affect them both inside and outside the office and in the courts. Some of them are guided by the law, but others are guided by their hearts—two paths that don't always go hand in hand when it comes to resolving legal conflicts.
Heart's Decree
A kind-hearted young teacher faces a family curse while protecting an orphaned girl in a home run by ruthless individuals. The arrival of a guardian angel on a special mission sets off a tale of magic, love, and redemption that could change their destinies forever.
