Fernando Ciangherotti Díaz (August 23, 1939 – January 11, 2019), better known by the stage name Fernando Luján, was a Mexican actor. He was a star of the silver screen in classic mexican films during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.
His father, Alejandro Ciangherotti Erbelia; his mother, Mercedes Soler; brother Alejandro Ciangherotti Jr; wife Martha Mariana Castro; sons Fernando Ciangherotti and Fernando Canek; and daughters Cassandra Ciangherotti and Vanessa Ciangherotti were or are also actors.
Contents
Family
Luján was born in Bogotá, Colombia, while his parents, both actors, were on tour presenting a play, but he never obtained Colombian nationality. He is the son of Argentine actor Alejandro Ciangherotti Erbelia and Mercedes Soler (Mercedes Diaz Pavia), the youngest of the famous Soler family. His late brother, Alejandro Ciangherotti, ex-wife, Adriana Parra, wife Martha Mariana Castro, children Fernando, Vanessa, Cassandra, Fernando Canek, Franco Paolo, granddaughter and son-in-law Vaita and Roberto Sosa, nephews Alejandro III, Alexis and Alan are also actors.
He has ten children: five daughters and five sons.
Una vuelta al corazón
In 2009, his wife and daughter, Martha Mariana and Vanessa, produced a trilogy of the family in celebrating the ninth anniversary of Lo que callamos las mujeres, starring his children, nephews and granddaughter, where Vanessa and Fernando Ciangherotti serve as the director.
Acting career
He started his acting career as a child in the Cinema of Mexico credited as Fernando Ciangherotti, but changed his stage name to Fernando Luján a few years later. After appearing in more than eight films, mostly light comedies, he obtained a role in the telenovela Cuatro en la trampa at age twenty-three. The next eighteen years, he alternated his film career with television, culminating with the worldwide famous production Los ricos también lloran. The next twelve years, he did not participate in telenovelas and only starred in four films. He returned to television with Vida robada and Cadenas de amargura in 1991.
After participating in three other telenovelas for Televisa in the next five years, he signed a contract with TV Azteca to co-star with Angélica Aragón in the second telenovela of that new network titled Mirada de mujer. This telenovela was a success and would produce a sequel six years later. After Mirada de mujer, he obtained significant roles in film, especially as the star of the film-version of Gabriel García Márquez's book No One Writes to the Colonel in 1999 (El coronel no tiene quien le escriba). His performance in this film was qualified as "remarkable" by The New York Times. In 2005, he received the Ariel Award by the Mexican Academy of Film in honoring his career and contributions to film.
Death
A long-time cigar smoker, Luján died on January 11, 2019, in Puerto Escondido at the age of 79.
Awards
Ariel Award in 2005
Diosa de plata ("Silver Goddess") to honor his career in the Cinema of Mexico
Fernando Luján was remembered as a "movie legend" at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony on February 9, 2020.
Filmography
Telenovelas
Cuatro en la trampa (1961)
La culpa de los padres (1963)
Marina Lavalle (1965)
El edificio de enfrente (1972) as Camilo
Los que ayudan a Dios (1973)
María José (1978) as El Jaiba
Bella y bestia (1979) as Alfred
Los ricos también lloran (1979) as Diego
Vida robada (1991-1992) as Don Ramón
Cadenas de amargura (1991) as Padre Julio
Sueño de amor (1993)
La paloma (1995)
Para toda la vida (1996) as Juan Angel
Mirada de mujer (1997) as Lic. Ignacio San Millán
Todo por amor (2000-2001) as Gonzalo Robles
Lo que es el amor (2001-2002) as Emiliano Lomelí
Mirada de mujer: El regreso (2003) as Lic. Ignacio San Millán
Las Juanas (2004) as Calixto Matamoros
Montecristo (2006) as Alberto Lombardo
Entre el amor y el deseo (2010-2011) as Edgar Dumont
Quererte así (2012) as Alfred "Fred" Roth
Series
Pinche Pancho (2012)
Ingobernable (2017) as Tomás Urquiza