Actress Gemma Cuervo dies at 91

The actress Gemma Cuervo has died at the age of 91 in Madrid, as confirmed by her family. Cuervo developed an extensive career in theater, film and television that made her one of the most loved performers on the Spanish stage by viewers, giving life to characters as recognized by the Spanish public as Vicenta from ‘Aqui no hay donde viva’.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our mother, the actress Gemma Cuervo, so loved and admired by everyone,” the family said in a statement sent to the media. According to reports, the funeral chapel will open this Sunday at the La Paz Mortuary (Tres Cantos) starting at 10 in the morning.

Throughout more than six decades of work, she participated in more than 60 theatrical productions and numerous audiovisual projects, establishing herself as one of the great ladies of national theater. On television it achieved enormous popularity thanks to the comedies of the Caballero brothers, which brought it closer to new generations of viewers.

The actress, born in Barcelona in 1934, began her career at the Teatro Español Universitario and made her professional debut in the late 1950s with ‘Harvey’, directed by Adolfo Marsillach. He was also part of the Lope de Vega Company, directed by José Tamayo, and founded his own stage project together with Fernando Guillén.

During his theatrical career he was the protagonist of more than one hundred productions in classics such as ‘El malentendido’ by Albert Camus, also directed by Marsillach, ‘Bodas de sangre by Federico García Lorca’, ‘La Celestina’ by Fernando de Rojas, ‘The Seven Infantes’ by Lara and ‘El Punishment Without Vengeance’ by Lope de Vega, in addition to texts by Valle-Inclán, Robert Patrick, among others. He also acted and directed pieces such as ‘Always is not a lifetime’ or ‘The other William’.

He came to television in the 1960s, when he participated in more than 200 adaptations of ‘Studio 1’, a space that adapted plays for the small screen, and in ‘Historias para no corazón’. She would also appear in productions such as ‘Family Doctor’ but her television exposure would come with fiction series, especially highlighting her role as Vicenta in ‘Aqui No Hay Who Lives’ and characters in other series such as ‘La que se cerca’.

Regarding the big screen, he worked in ‘The World Goes On’ (1965), by Fernando Fernán Gómez, in ‘Life is Wonderful’ (1965), ‘The Preu Boys’ (1967), ‘Mrs. Doctor’ (1974), ‘I Hate My Body’ (1974), ‘The Dream of a San Juan Night’ (2005) and ‘The Queen of the Convent’ (2024).

During her career, the actress received numerous awards such as the 2021 Max Honor Award, the National Theater Award (1965) and the Silver Medal of the Community of Madrid (2018), the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts or an Ondas, among others.

During recent years, the actress had reduced her public presence and maintained a discreet but active profile on social networks, where she appeared reciting verses or sending messages of encouragement in situations such as the pandemic. Even so, he was still present in the memories of the public and his colleagues, who highlighted his closeness and professionalism during filming.