Eugene Luis Francisco Iglesias CarrilloAncestry: Eugenio Luis Francisco Iglesias Carrillo in the Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885–2001 (December 3, 1926 – February 4, 2023) was an American actor from Puerto Rico who was active mainly in the 1950s and 1960s. His films include The Naked Dawn (1955), Cowboy (1958), and Harper (1966). He also appeared in television series such as My Little Margie and Dragnet.

Entertainment career Iglesias was born in San Juan to Eugenio Iglesias de la Cruz and Gloria Carrillo Maldonado. Iglesias was born into a family of lawyers, of which some had served as judges in Puerto Rico. He began his career as a child actor in Puerto Rico. His artistic inclinations became apparent while attending Goyco School at the age of nine as part of the "Noches Culturales" initiatives. . While attending Central High, Iglesias was mentored by Pilar García and Carmen Marrero. Iglesias was discovered by producer Leopoldo Santiago Lavandero, who scouted for talent while he was performing at Central High. He participated with traveling theater groups in Puerto Rico, New York and Mexico. At New York, he met José Ferrer, who served as a mentor to him. Both interpreted Puerto Rican poetry at the Carnegie Hall. Eventually, Ferrer helped him get a space in Hollywood.

Santiago hired him for a role in the University of Puerto Rico, which extended from seven months to six full years and included Prohibido suicidarse en la primavera, Seis personajes en búsqueda de un actor and plays by Chekhov. . During this time, he joined other students in the radio programs that the former directed. In 1946, Iglesias joined Universidad Nacional Autónoma, where he organized three events on Luis Pales Matos' poetry. It was there that he joined fellow Puerto Ricans Mapy and Fernando Cortés in Mexican cinema. From there, Iglesias returned to Puerto Rico. After enrolling at Columbia University (arriving there with $100), Iglesias joined theater group Chenser Players. It was performing for them that he met José Ferrer. The established Puerto Rican actor invited him to join his group.

Ferrer was responsible for Iglesias joined Columbia Studies, after informing him that there were auditions for The Brave Bulls. The studio first considered him for the role of "Yank" before moving him to that of "Pepe Bello". For this part, he received bullfighting classes. For his performance in this film, Iglesias was nominated by Foreign Press and mayor Felisa Rincón de Gautier granted him the Key to San Juan for a second time. In 1950, Columbia contracted Iglesias to a seven-year contract. Throughout the decade, he appeared in 65 films including The Brave Bulls (1951), The Naked Down (1955), War Cry Jaka: Indian Upbringing (1952), The Mask of the Avenger (1951) and East of Sumatra (1953).

For The Money Trap, Iglesias returned to his native Puerto Rico to film scenes in the island municipality of Vieques. While contracted to Columbia Studios, Iglesias was forced to use dark makeup and black wigs to fill the roles that were usually given to Latin Americans. Iglesias refused to change his name to an English variant, despite knowing that this limited his roles. He did, however, take English fiction classes to reduce his accent. During his tenure with the studio, he completed his education at Columbia University. Iglesias later reunited with Fernando Cortés in Posada del caballo blanco. He stated that of all the films he participated in, his favorite was The Naked Dawn.

Later life After retiring, Iglesias traveled throughout the world along with his parents, during which he gathered paintings. He became a dedicated art collector, beginning with modern and romantic pieces. Afterwards, Iglesias gathered 19th Century paintings and sculptures, in a collection that was claimed to have been the largest in the Western United States. He also acquired other paintings, which he occasionally sold. Iglesias purchased Myrna Loy's House at Hollywood Hills. After retiring from Hollywood, Iglesias withdrew from public life, at one point spending 30 years without granting an interview.

Death Iglesias died from a heart attack in Lamesa, Texas, on February 4, 2023, at the age of 96, and was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1951 The Brave Bulls Pepe Bello 1951 Mask of the Avenger Rollo D'Anterras 1952 Indian Uprising Sergeant Ramirez 1952 California Conquest José Martínez 1952 Duel at Silver Creek Johnny Sombrero 1952 Hiawatha Chibiabos 1953 Jack McCall, Desperado Grey Eagle 1953 East of Sumatra Paulo 1953 Tumbleweed Tigre 1954 Taza, Son of Cochise Chato 1954 They Rode West Red Leaf 1955 Underwater! Miguel Vega 1955 The Naked Dawn Manuel Lopez 1956 Walk the Proud Land Chato 1957 Domino Kid Juan Cortez 1958 Cowboy Don Manuel Arriega 1959 Rio Bravo 1st Burdette Man in Shootout Uncredited1959 The Untouchables Tony Cestari Episode: "The Artichoke King"1959 Frontier Doctor David Lanyon Episode: "Superstition Mountain"1960 Key Witness Emelio Sanchez Uncredited1961 Peter Gunn Vicente Alvarez Episode: "Cry Love, Cry Murder"1961 Frontier Uprising Lieutenant Ruiz 1962 Safe at Home! Mr. Torres 1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Pedro Sanchez Season 1 Episode 29: "The Dark Pool"1964 Apache Rifles Corporal Ramirez 1965 The Money Trap Father 1966 Harper Felix 1966 The Wild Wild West Galito Episode: "The Night of the Poisonous Posey"1967 Combat! Kako Episode: "Gadjo"1969 The Wild Wild West Bernal Episode: "The Night of the Pistoleros"

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