Armando Roblán, comedian, writer, actor. (Born in Havana)
Armando Roblán was born on February 4, 1931 in Bejucal, Cuba as Francisco Armando Rodríguez Blanco. He was an actor and writer, known for Freedom Flight (2005), Camaleon: Atentado a Castro (1992). Known for his extensive work in theater, radio and television in Cuba and in Miami, Roblán was best known for his extraordinary impersonation of Fidel Castro. One of his successes was to keep the comedy En los 90 Fidel revienta (“In the 90s, Fidel Will Explode”) running at a local theater for more than a decade.
Roblán started his career in the early days of Cuban television drawing cartoons and performing impersonations in an amateur program presented by the TV tycoon Gaspar Pumarejo.
He also perfected the impersonations of other figures and characters in the world of show business such as Maurice Chevalier, Nat King Cole, Bola de Nieve, Liberace and Cuban poetry performer Luis Carbonell, among others. Roblán also worked on television in Panama and Puerto Rico.
In Miami he produced, acted and wrote numerous Cuban vernacular plays at the Martí Theater and Trail Theater on Calle Ocho.
Roblán began to impersonate Castro in Cuba after he came to power in 1959. He even did his impersonation of Castro at a world convention of the American Society of Travel Agents held in Havana — apparently without Castro’s permission..
He was often mistaken for the Castro in his tours throughout Cuba and people who saw him would present him with petitions.
Later, the Cuban government made political demands from him that he could not meet and he decided to leave Cuba.
In Miami, the actor began to play the role of Castro in several plays while creating other characters such as Ñañito, El Indio and El Chino, among other performances that he made popular on Univision’s Sábado Gigante.
As a television actor writer Delia Fiallo trusted him with the role of Calvo in the telenovela Morelia (1995) filmed in Miami and one of the top Univision hits.
In 1963, Roblán was part of the cast of La esquina del infierno (“The Corner of Hell”), considered the first Panamanian telenovela.
http://youtu.be/-AiQiozA_fY
In films he left his imprint in the movies Freedom Flight (2005), in which he played Fidel Castro, as he also did in The Disciples (2000), Havana Connection (1994) and The Chamaleon: An Assassination Attempt on Castro (1992). He was also in the comedy A mí qué me importa que explote Miami (“What Do I Care If Miami Blows Up”), in which he acted with Cuban comedian Guillermo Alvarez Guedes, and also in the Mexican film El tesoro de Morgan (“Morgan’s Treasure”) (1971).
Cuban actor Armando Roblán died of lymphoma in his home in Coral Gables 9 January 2013. He was 81.
Agencies/Various/Wiki/InternetPhotos/youtube/thecubanhistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.