2024-09-21 00:12:26
To Daniel Fanegolife was nothing but the wonderful possibility of connecting with others and enriching the soul. “I am interested in human relationships,” he stressed again and again. That is why, in his case, he hated that his career was considered a “career.” extensive and fertile artistic career in theater, film and TV“I don’t believe in a career, I don’t make a career; mine is a trade, it is a journey in which I meet people, projects, difficulties,” he once said with his slow but always wise way of speaking. social vision of human existence which prevented him from separating his personal life from his artistic life, which he always intertwined naturally, either as one of the founders of Theatre for identityor as a simple citizen who was active and participated in the causes that called him. actor and directorwhich He passed away on Thursday 19th at the age of 69then, left behind much more than the memory of his artistic roles, but fundamentally the wisdom of having lived as he wanted.
Passionate but always thoughtful, good-humored but never condescending, Daniel Fanego always knew that acting was much more than a job condition. Perhaps that is why the actor and director everyone wanted it. “Work is a very important ingredient because one doesn’t just earn money or not, or earn little – he explained to this newspaper some time ago -. One feels fulfilled, socializes, meets other people, becomes rich. Maybe it is not the only element to seek and find happiness. I don’t believe in a musical comedy happiness. I think that happiness is a construction and it is the acceptance, in addition, of the passage of time; it is the acceptance that not all days are the same nor are all times the same. There are ups and downs, there are good and bad moments. Maybe happiness is facing that with the greatest vitality possible, and with a lot of faith in oneself and in the beings one loves. And those one surrounds oneself with emotionally.”
It was no coincidence, then, that Fanego said goodbye to this dimension. at home and accompanied by the people he loved and who love him“Dani Fanego left his home surrounded by the love of family and friends, absolutely in peace,” he expressed on his social networks. his son Manuwith whom he had the luxury of working last year in Modestly Fanegothe one-man show in which Daniel shared the authorship with Daniel Casablanca and Mariano Saba. “He was the best father in the world, you know that,” his son stressed in the publication. It was only one of the many displays of pain and love that colleagues and citizens expressed on social networks in response to the news of his death.
Even, Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo He dedicated a heartfelt message to the person who was the first director of About doubt. This was the work that began on June 5, 2000. Theatre for identitythe wonderful initiative that has been searching for grandchildren for more than 20 years using art as a tool. “Cavallo had already appeared; we actors were coming out of a major strike in ’99. There was a unique, very strong camaraderie. As more people joined, it became more forceful, effervescent, full of ideas,” recalled Fanego about the artistic action that emerged in the heat of the social crisis.
“With deep sadness – the Abuelas statement says – we say goodbye to a friend who, since the origins of Theatre for Identity (TxI) joined the search for our grandchildren, and since then, with creativity and solidarity, he has accompanied us unconditionally to think and rethink new ways of reaching those who doubt their origin. Dani was one of the founders of TxI and participated in each new edition. In addition, he collaborated with the direction and script of three of the last television spots of Abuelas, in which he put all his passion and commitment. He was our advisor, creative partner; we will miss the brainstorming and his generosity. To the colleagues of TxIhis family and loved ones, we embrace you in this moment of pain. Dear Dani, how much we will miss you, farewell!
Since those first two years in charge of About doubt Until last year, Fanego was always part of TxI and he worked actively, driven by the search for the Grandmothers. “During the two years that I was in charge of hosting the show, I had practically no professional activity,” he acknowledged. “Yes, finding the Grandmothers, finding the word ‘identity’ with all the resonances that surrounded the word ‘identity’ in the context of the Grandmothers’ struggle, was a turning point for me. It changed me as a human being, as a person. It changed the meaning of being an actor.” Throughout the more than 20 years of TxIFanego presented the works as director Sardines, After the rehearsal, Christ wins, Roberto Zucco, About doubt y cumbia morena cumbiaamong many others.
Fanego’s early years (March 30, 1955) After graduating from high school they split between classes at the Faculty of Law and acting. It was only when they were in their mid-teens that fourth year of law school when he decided to definitively change the laws for the scripts. His debut in the theatre was -literally- on the skin: At the age of 22 he was part of The anatomy lessonthe classic play in which he appeared on stage completely naked. From that moment on, he never stopped acting in different plays, from comedies to dramas, through all genres and numerous characters. However, neither experience nor the passage of time changed the “terror” that he always felt before a performance.
“Going on stage always generates an extraordinary adrenaline rush,” he confessed. “I don’t know of a similar sensation. In the moment before going on stage (not on the opening day but at every performance), you feel like the curtain is opening, that you’re in the box waiting, like cutting nails. You examine all the instruments, you look around, at your colleagues. It’s a very holistic moment. You’re very open, very perceptive of everything. And it’s a sensation of an emotionality that is very difficult to convey. It seems like adrenaline, but it’s more than adrenaline because it’s an emotion, an eroticism, a desire. And it’s a pain.”
That inner fear of going on stage, however, never carried over into his vast and rich theatrical performances. On the stage, he shone in works such as Open couple, Medea, Twelve men in contention, Porteños, The three sisters, Camille, The misanthrope, Pygmalion, Flight to Capistrano, Letters from the absent y The lion in winteramong many others. Until recently he directed at Espacio Callejón After the rehearsala production of a play by Ingmar Bergman starring Vanesa González, Osmar Núñez and Silvina Sabater. For her theatre work she received of the ACE awards: in 1995 as best director for Roberto Zucco and in 2013 as best dramatic actor for The lion in winter.
Fanego gained popularity with his work on the small screen, where he also participated in fictions for all tastes. Since Rafa, Barbara Narvaez, Mrs. Ordonez and Loving… the Savageuntil The Chosen One, Killer Women, I Will Resist, The Males, The First of Us, Guilty, The Bronze Garden, Reborn y The truthpassing through The marginal y The kingdom On platforms, Fanego displayed an acting ability on TV that made him one of the most sought-after performers of his generation.
For his numerous works on the small screen, Fanego was recognized with two Martín Fierro awards, both for best supporting actorLast year he won his statuette for his role in The first of us (Telefe). Upon receiving the award at the ceremony held on July 9, 2023, he did not miss the opportunity to take a stand. “I want to celebrate the Day of the Homeland with a gas pipeline that will bring energy to many homes. Let’s see if the rates go down now,” he demanded before the local jet set, in addition to asking for fiction on open TV “because 70% of televisions do not have money to pay for platforms.” The other Martin Fierro had received it in 2004 for his performance in I will resistthe memorable Telefe fiction that marked a before and after on the small screen. “A very high-class fiction, very high-level, very deep, with the audacity to talk about death, cancer in all its forms, to call things by their name and, even so, to give a hopeful message,” he said.
He also left his mark on the big screen. The Creole Faust, The Punk Professor, We All Have a Plan, Laurita’s Loves, The Clouds, The World Against Me, Akelarre, Eva Doesn’t Sleep, Accused, From the Abyss, Moon of Avellaneda, The Angel y You’re in were some of the movies in which he participated as an actor. In fact, throughout his “profession” of more than 50 years he received Three Silver Condors for Best Supporting Actor: by Moon of Avellaneda in 2004, by We all have a plan in 2013 and by The angel in 2019. His interest in his peers led him to join the Board of Directors of the Argentine Actors Association between 1988 and 1990holding the position of Secretary of International Relations.
Beyond his artistic works, Fanego He always publicly assumed his status as a Peronistto the point that during the pandemic he presented together with María Fiorentino and Gustavo Garzón an online show of readings of A history of PeronismPedro Saborido’s book. “One of the great merits of Néstor and Cristina was to have brought together people who were not Peronists before but felt identified with certain objectives. Peronism recovered its transformative condition and its integrative conception of reality, the humanism of its origins,” he stressed some time ago. Fanego disdained those who proclaim themselves as apolitical beings. “Everyone has an opinion on politics, even those who say they are apolitical. Every time I hear someone say that, I expect a justification for the existence of the neoliberal right. That kind of apoliticism does not exist. All beings are political, even those who do not have a party identification,” he pointed out with conviction.
Five years ago, on the occasion of the presentation of the film Lobosthis newspaper asked Fanego how he was dealing with the passage of time. In his response, the actor evaluated the path taken with simple logic and the peace of mind of having done the right thing. “I think about the future. And more so when you are over 60, you say: ‘How far from the edge will I be?’” (laughs). I think about what I want from now on. That happens to me sometimes, it’s not like I wake up all the time thinking ‘What about from now on?’ But every now and then you think about it and say: ‘What do I want for the next few years of my life? Where do I want to be?’ And I insist: that’s what helps you when it comes to saying ‘I don’t want this’ or ‘I want this’. There were many moments in my life when I said ‘Now, this is the way it goes’. And I’m glad because, in general, I’ve been happy with the decisions I’ve made. I don’t say ‘I wasn’t wrong’ because that’s very presumptuous, very arrogant. I’ve been happy with the decisions I’ve made.” Words from a great actor who never wanted to stop being a citizen committed to his peers and his time.