Galician actor Celso Bugallo, Goya winner for best supporting actor in 'Mar adentro', died on December 20 in Pontevedra at age 78. With a long career in theater and film, he debuted on the big screen at 52 and appeared in over 50 audiovisual productions. His cremation will take place this Sunday in strict privacy.
Celso Bugallo Aguiar was born on January 1, 1947, in Vilalonga, a parish of Sanxenxo in Pontevedra, Spain. Although he initially dreamed of becoming a footballer, his passion for acting led him to theater in the 1970s. He was part of independent groups like Adefesio Teatro Estudio and Lope de Rueda, and founded and directed JUBY, which won the National Theater Comedy Prize in 1976 with 'El retablo del flautista'. In the late 1970s, he cofounded the Galician group Olimpo. In the 1990s, he created AFAP (Pontevedra Actors Training Classroom), directing productions in Galician.
His film debut came late, in 1999 at age 52, with 'La lengua de las mariposas' directed by José Luis Cuerda. He quickly became an essential supporting actor in Spanish cinema. Standout roles include Amador in 'Los lunes al sol' (2002) by Fernando León de Aranoa, an austere and simple character that brought him popularity; 'El lápiz del carpintero' (2003) by Antón Reixa; and 'La vida que te espera' (2004) by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón.
In 2004, he portrayed José Sampedro, the protagonist's brother in 'Mar adentro' by Alejandro Amenábar, winning the Goya for best supporting actor. The film also received the Oscar for best foreign language film. Other notable works include 'La noche de los girasoles' (2006), for which he won the CEC award for best supporting actor; 'Palmeras en la nieve' (2015); and 'El buen patrón' (2021) by León de Aranoa, earning another Goya nomination.
Bugallo was also a regular on television, appearing in series such as 'Mareas vivas', 'Rías Baixas', 'Periodistas', 'Los hombres de Paco', 'El incidente', and 'Fariña'. His last work was in the miniseries 'El caso Asunta' and the film 'Estación Rocafort' last year.
Bugallo's life was marked by family exile: his father, a mechanic, was imprisoned during the Franco era, leading the family to emigrate to Bilbao and then Logroño in the 1950s. There, inspired by James Dean in 'Rebel Without a Cause', he decided to pursue acting. He returned to Galicia in 1978 after marrying. 'I remember I was in Amsterdam and José Luis Cuerda was looking for me. [...] It seemed like a miracle to me', he recounted in 2020 about his debut.
