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Cuban actor Héctor Echemendía dies in Belgium at 87

The Camagüey-born performer, unforgettable as Andrés Iznaga in the series "Hermanos," died on Thursday in Belgium, where he lived with his children and grandchildren, as his daughter confirmed and 14ymedio, Diario de Cuba and Cubanet reported.

Héctor Benito Echemendía Ruiz de Villa, born on Nov. 17, 1938 in Camagüey, died on Thursday in Belgium at the age of 87, as his daughter Dannele Echemendía confirmed on Facebook and 14ymedio reported. The causes of his death have not been disclosed.

Before acting he trained as a radio operator and worked at the CMJA station in his home city. He came to the theater in 1960, with an amateur group led by Miguel Ponce that turned professional a year later as the Conjunto Dramático de Camagüey, according to 14ymedio.

His move to Santiago de Cuba in 1968 was marked by the political tensions of Cuban theater: according to director Carlos Padrón Montoya, in a 2023 interview in the magazine Tablas cited by 14ymedio, Echemendía was part of a group of actors who left the Conjunto Dramático de Camagüey because there "policies and bosses contrary to their idea of theatrical art had been imposed on them."

Television made him popular: his Andrés Iznaga in the late 1980s adventure series "Hermanos" was forever tied to the cry of "Lorencito!" Diario de Cuba remembers him as "unforgettable" for that character. After moving to Havana in 1992 he appeared in dramas such as "Tierra brava," "Las huérfanas de la Obrapía" and "Vuelve a mirar," and in the films "El brigadista," "La bella del Alhambra" and "Amor vertical," according to 14ymedio.

He spent his final years in Belgium, with his children and grandchildren, according to Cubanet and Diario de Cuba. "Although he was far from his land, Cuba never stopped living in him. Camagüey, the city where he was born and began to dream of art, was always present in his heart," his daughter wrote, according to 14ymedio.

Sources: 14ymedio · Diario de Cuba · Cubanet

Data updated: 2026-11-06T04:15:00.000Z

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