One of Barcelona’s most versatile actors, who for more than three decades has brought skill and expertise to the stages of theaters and the sets of film and television, has passed away. Francesc Garrido, sober and magnetic, died early Monday morning at the age of 56 due to a heart attack. His unexpected passing is mourned by the acting world both locally and nationally. His legacy continues on the big screen with titles such as Mar adentro, Te doy mis ojos, Alatriste, Smoking Room, El habitante incierto, El tiempo entre costuras… and the most recent El anfitrión, alongside Willem Dafoe, whom he accompanied on the red carpet of the Barcelona Film Festival held on Verdi Street.
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Born in Barcelona in 1969, the loss of his father marked him deeply as a teenager, something he had not publicly expressed until recently, during an interview on RAC1. His love for theater far exceeded that for film or television series, but paradoxically those were the fields in which he achieved great success, from the initial Estació d’enllaç for Televisión de Catalunya to the more recent Sé quién eres and La novia gitana.
Historically, he was cast as a villainous, tortured character with a turbulent inner world. His very distinctive voice was even featured in a campaign for the Sagrada Família. Discreet and simple, Garrido was not enthusiastic about the star system, although he maintained relationships with people in the profession, forming a solid friendship with fellow actor Eduard Fernández and Alberto Sanjuán. The season that just ended began at the Lliure with a version of El mestre i Margarita directed by Àlex Rigola, in the role of the demon, obviously.
He spent this August, as always, in Vilaplana, in Baix Camp, a village of five hundred inhabitants where he went to disconnect. It was his resting refuge, and he enjoyed his walks through the Musara mountain range. He was athletic, took care of himself, and also liked to swim… Some of the roles he was working on he prepared there.
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Francesc Garrido leaves behind a daughter, Anna, in her twenties, and his wife, also an actress, Mercè Mariné, a voice and acting teacher at the Institut del Teatre. He was born on Saint Stephen’s Day, December 26, and not on September 7 as appears in his online biographies. But his sarcastic nature prevented him from correcting the error; he rather joked about it. “I find it funny that they congratulate me on the wrong day.”
He had also worked under the direction of Laura Mañá in La vida empieza hoy, with Juan Cavestany in Gente en sitios, or Gerardo Olivares in Cuatro latas, alongside Jean Reno… And he had a role in La ciudad de los prodigios (1998), directed by Mario Camus, with Emma Suárez and Olivier Martinez in the cast… And in theater, he coincided, for example, with Julio Wallovits, who directed him in Las listas.
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