Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (21 September 1929 – 13 December 2025) was an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain. His long filmography includes performances in film such as The Truce (1974), Rebellion in Patagonia (1974) To an Unknown God (1977), Trout (1978), The Crime of Cuenca (1980), The Nest (1980), Camila (1984), The Official Story (1985), Wild Horses (1995), Ashes of Paradise (1997), and Son of the Bride (2001).
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Life and career
Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato was born in Chacarita, Buenos Aires on 21 September 1929, to parents from Carpinone, Italy. Alterio's acting debut came in 1948 in the stage play Cómo suicidarse en primavera ('How to commit suicide in spring'). After finishing drama school, he created the Nuevo Teatro ("New Theatre") company in 1950, where he worked until 1968 and helped change the Argentine theatrical scene of the 1960s.
He also worked in Argentine cinema. His debut on the silver screen took place in Alfredo Mathé's Todo sol es amargo (Every sun is bitter) in 1965. He then participated in many of the most important Argentine movies of the 1970s, including La Patagonia rebelde (The Rebel Patagonia), which was awarded a Silver Bear at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival. His voice was used in Ya es tiempo de violencia (1969), an anonymous film about the Cordobazo riots which took place the same year. The film was produced by Enrique Juárez, close to the Grupo Cine Liberación.
While in Spain in 1975, he received death threats from the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance (Triple A). He decided not to return to Argentina and remained in exile. He also obtained Spanish citizenship.
Consequently, Alterio began to work in Spanish films, including To an Unknown God (1977) and received the Best Actor award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and The Nest (1980), for which received the Best Actor award from the Association of Latin Entertainment Critics in 1983.
After the restoration of democracy in Argentina in 1982, Alterio worked in films produced in both countries and some co-productions.
In 2004, he received an Honorary Goya Award for his lifetime body of works.
In a 2007 interview, Alterio declared himself an atheist.
For his last screen appearance, Alterio played a minor role in the television series Su majestad, which premiered in 2025.
Alterio died in Madrid on 13 December 2025, at the age of 96. His lying in repose at the M-30 funeral home was attended by family members and colleagues such as Fernando Tejero, Lola Herrera, Natalia Dicenta, Juan Diego Botto, Luisa Martín, Juana Acosta, Gustavo Salmerón, and Mariano Barroso, among others.
Roles in Academy Award-nominated films
Héctor Alterio has been in five pictures that have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film:
The Truce (1974)
The Nest (1980)
Camila (1984)
The Official Story (1985)
Son of the Bride (2001)
The fourth of these films won the award at the 58th Academy Awards, and was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. All of these films, except for The Nest, which was submitted by Spain, have been submitted to the awards by Argentina.
Awards
Won:
Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor for Best Supporting Actor, for La maffia, 1973.
Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: Prize San Sebastián, Best Actor, for To an Unknown God, 1977.
Association of Latin Entertainment Critics: Best Actor, for The Nest, 1980.
Valladolid International Film Festival: Best Actor, for The Last Train, 2002.
Cinema Writers Circle Awards: CEC Award Best Supporting Actor, for Son of the Bride, 2002.
Goya Awards: Honorary Goya Award, 2004.
Max Award for Best Actor, for I, Claudius, 2005
Nominated
Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated for four Silver Condors (1998, 2001, 2002, and 2003).