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Carlos Iglesias was born in Quintanar de la Orden, Toledo, Spain. His parents moved to Switzerland, where he lived until he was 13, before relocating to Madrid and Alicante in Spain. He became an actor by chance when he substituted for an ill actor in an independent theater group. He later studied at the RESAD (Real Academia de Arte Dramático, or Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). He first gained recognition playing Pepelu in Pepe Navarro's TV show "Esta noche cruzamos el Mississippi" ('Tonight We'll Be Crossing the Mississippi', 1995–97). Subsequently, he portrayed Benito, a rough and untidy painter, in the TV series "Manos a la obra" ('Let's Get To It', 1997–2001). This series brought him widespread popularity, with ratings often exceeding 6 million viewers in a country of 42 million. In 2006, he directed his debut feature film, "Un franco, catorce pesetas" ('Crossing Borders'), which draws on his and his parents' experiences as Spanish immigrants in Switzerland during the late 1960s.
After earning his diploma from the Real Escuela de Arte Dramático de Madrid (Madrid's Royal School for Dramatic Art), Carlos Iglesias primarily performed in both classical and contemporary theater during the 1980s. In 1982, he appeared in Carlo Goldoni's "Arlequín, servidor de dos amos," directed by Ángel Gutiérrez, and later in Chekhov's "Polinka" with the same director. In 1983, he worked under Luis Balaguer in Lauro Olmo's "Pablo Iglesias," and also appeared in Valle-Inclán's "Los cuernos de Don Friolera," directed by José Estruch and Juan José Granda. His other theater roles include Sergi Belbel's "Caleidoscopios y faros de hoy" (1986), Federico García Lorca's "El público" (1987) produced by Lluís Pasqual for the Centro Dramático Nacional, Jean Genet's "Ella" (1990–91) directed by Ángel Facio, and Valle-Inclán's "Las galas del difunto" (1992) directed by Francisco Muñoz, among numerous others.
From the early 1990s, Iglesias focused mainly on television, participating in a variety of genres: drama productions such as José Ramón Larraz's "Goya," Mario Camus's "La forja de un rebelde," and Luis García Berlanga's "Blasco Ibáñez"; TV series including Vicente Escrivá's "Éste es mi barrio" and "Manos a la obra," as well as "Siete vidas" and Sergio Cabrera's "Cuéntame cómo pasó"; and starring roles in shows like "Esta noche cruzamos el Mississippi."
In film, he appeared in Pedro Costa's "El caso Almería" (1983), Jaime Camino's "Dragón Rapide" (1986), and Pedro Pinzola's "Siempre felices" (1991). More recently, he played Sancho Panza in Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón's "El caballero don Quijote" (2002) and appeared alongside Elsa Pataky in José Luis Garci's "Ninette" (2005).
His directorial debut feature film, "Un franco, catorce pesetas" (Crossing Borders, 2006), was well-received by audiences and earned acclaim at various film festivals.
"Ispansi!" (2010), meaning 'Spaniards!' in Russian, is his second film as a director.
