RIP Gonzalo Cañas

Spanish actor and puppeteer Gonzalo Cañas Olmeda, a familiar face in Spanish popular cinema of the 1960s, died October 29, 2012 at the Hospital de Guadarrama in Madrid from kidney failure, as reported by the Management Company Performers (AISGE), to which he belonged. Born in Cuenca on July 7, 1937, Cañas shared the screen with such actors as Lina Morgan, Rafaela Aparicio or Tony Leblanc. After making his debut with a small role in " Cerca de las estrellas" in 1962, his popularity soared the following year thanks to " Confidencias de un marido", in which he appeared with Rafaela Aparicio and Enriqueta Carballeira. "La frontera de Dios" (1965) with Julia Gutiérrez Caba and Concha Velasco and "Soltera y madre en la vida" (1969), with Lina Morgan, were other films that followed. Cañas appeared in only one Euro-western “Montana Trap” (aka “Potato Fritz”) (1975) with Stpehen Boyd and Hardy Kruger. But his great passion was for puppets and in 2001 began what would be his great dream project when he acquired the "Theater of Automata" the oldest and best preserved in Spain, and then restored it. Gonzalo regained its 35 characters and managed to bring this mechanical theater on a tour of Spain and other countries such as France, Belgium, Italy and the Czech Republic. The last will of Gonzalo Cañas was the donation of this almost century-old puppet theatre to the Madrid City Council as indicated by AISGE.