Biographie
Fernando Colunga was born on March 3, 1966, in Mexico City, Mexico. His parents are Don Fernando Colunga and Doña Margarita Olivares. From a young age, Fernando aspired to be an actor. He graduated from the University of Mexico with a degree in civil engineering. However, following a friend's advice, he went to Televisa studios, renowned for their successful telenovelas. Fernando began his career as a stand-in. A producer soon recognized his exceptional acting talent, marking the start of his remarkable acting journey.
His television debut was in the telenovela _María Mercedes_ (1992). Originally, his role was intended for just 10 episodes, but due to its tremendous success, the producers extended it by 80 episodes. Following this, he appeared in several telenovelas such as _Marimar_ (1994) before landing his first leading role. His first lead was in _María la del Barrio_ (1996), which achieved great success. Immediately after, he starred in _Esmeralda_ (1997), which brought him international fame, being broadcast in 170 countries. Fernando became a major TV star, garnering high ratings and millions of fans.
In 1998, he starred in _La Usurpadora_, which enjoyed massive ratings in Mexico and worldwide. In 1999, Fernando continued his successful career with _Nunca te olvidaré_, and later that year appeared in Televisa’s Christmas telenovela _Cuento de Navidad (1999/I) (mini)_. The pinnacle of his career occurred in 2000-2001 with _Abrázame muy fuerte_ (Embrace Me Tightly, 2000), where his portrayal of Carlos Manuel Rivero earned him two awards: the "Los Heraldos" award, akin to the Mexican Oscars, and the "TV y Novelas" award, determined by Mexican audience votes. _Abrázame muy fuerte_ was the most successful telenovela of that year and received the award for best telenovela at the same ceremonies. During Christmas 2001, he filmed another mini telenovela, _Navidad sin fin_ (2001), playing a surprising role as an "ugly" and poor man.
Fernando Colunga is widely regarded as one of the best and most famous Mexican actors. He is the only actor to have starred in five consecutive highly successful telenovelas. Beloved in Mexico and internationally, Fernando has demonstrated through his roles that he is not only strikingly handsome but also a talented actor. Beyond his career, he is known as a decent man with strong moral values, keeping his personal life private. His lifelong dream is to marry once, following the example of his beloved parents.
