CASTILLO, ERIC DEL

(Eduardo Castillo Negrete Galván)

(1930, '34 or 35? - )

   after years playing slick villains (usually in Westerns), Eric del Castillo (he is occasionally billed as "Erik" and "Erick") eventually achieved a sort of elder-statesman status and was allowed to play leads in pictures like Las grandes aguas (The Great Waters, 1978) and Vagabunda (Vagabond, 1992). Del Castillo made his screen debut in the late 1950s, and was one of the busiest actors of the following decade, appearing in at least 70 films between 1960 and 1969! Beginning in the 1980s, he has also occasionally scripted and directed films, but continues to be a sought-after actor in films and telenovelas. His brother Federico del Castillo [aka Federico Falcón] had supporting roles in a fair number of 1960s and 1970s features, and his daughter Kate is a popular telenovela actress with a few film credits as well. Del Castillo was nominated for Ariel awards for Los marcados (The Marked Ones, 1970), Las grandes aguas and Perro callejero (Street Dog, 1979).