Fernando Esteso, one of the most popular comic actors in Spanish cinema, has died at the age of 80. Best known for the comedies he made with Andrés Pajares in the 1970s and 80s, he also had several connections with Mallorca over his long career.
Filming in Palma in 1979
In November 1979, Esteso travelled to Mallorca to shoot exterior scenes for Los energéticos, a comedy directed by Mariano Ozores that reunited the team behind the hit Los bingueros, with Esteso and Pajares in the lead roles.
The production used Palma’s seafront and the Hotel Valparaíso as locations. Press reports from the time record that the cast in Mallorca also included Antonio Ozores, Sara Mora, Ricardo Merino, Florinda Chico and Paco Camoira, and photographs show Esteso arriving at Palma airport with his family.
A comic institution
The comedies Esteso made with Ozores and Pajares were huge box-office successes in the years of Spain’s transition to democracy, and made him one of the most recognisable faces of the era. Their humour was often criticised by critics, but they drew millions of viewers to cinemas and remain part of the country’s popular culture.
Esteso was also known for his musical comedy, including the song “La Ramona”, one of the hits of the late 1970s.
Working with Villaronga
Later in his career, Esteso showed a different side, taking on more dramatic work. He collaborated with the Mallorcan director Agustí Villaronga, one of the most respected filmmakers in Spanish cinema, including around the time of Incerta glòria (2017), the director’s adaptation of Joan Sales’ Civil War novel.
The collaboration reflected a late-career reappraisal of Esteso as an actor capable of more than broad comedy — something he also showed in television and theatre work in his later years.
A long relationship with the island
Beyond his work, Esteso visited Mallorca on holiday on numerous occasions with his family. From the commercial comedies of the late 1970s, which used the island’s scenery as a backdrop, to his later collaboration with one of its most important filmmakers, his career traces part of the history of Mallorca as a setting for Spanish cinema.
