Biographie
Cástulo Guerra, an actor known for his international presence and distinctive voice, was born on August 24, 1945, in Córdoba, Argentina, to parents Cástulo Guerra and María Sola. He earned the nickname Pericles from medical students at the boarding house where he lived. He was raised in Salta, located in northern Argentina near the Andes. In 1961, while attending high school at Colegio Nacional, he became captivated by film after watching the shooting of Taras Bulba (1962), starring Yul Brynner and Tony Curtis, on Salta’s rolling hills. Initially a pre-med student at Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, he soon left medical school to pursue Drama and English studies. With the Teatro Universitario de Tucumán, he played The Player in the acclaimed production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which toured to the prestigious Teatro Cervantes in Buenos Aires in 1971. That same year, he received a Fulbright fellowship to pursue graduate studies in International Theater at the University of Kansas, where he reprised his role as The Player in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, this time performing in English alongside Mandy Patinkin as Rosencrantz.
In 1972, Guerra relocated to New York City, dedicating himself to experimental theater. Supported by a Ford Foundation grant, he founded and directed the Free Theater Lab, staging works by Fernando Arrabal, T.S. Eliot, and others in unconventional venues such as Theater at Saint Clement's, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, and Union Theological Seminary. In 1975, he returned to Argentina with his solo performance, Holiday for a Unicorn, which he presented amid political scrutiny during the military dictatorship. Back in New York, he appeared in the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park in 1979, acting alongside Raul Julia and Richard Dreyfuss in Othello, and with Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington in Coriolanus, both in 1979.
Guerra was also the drummer for the band Tragic Flaw, featuring Steve Anderson on lead guitar and vocals and Christy Risska on bass; the group frequently performed at CBGB's on the Bowery. His Equity membership was earned through the play Watch On The Rhine at Baltimore’s Center Stage. He also acted in Much Ado About Nothing in Baltimore and in Galileo, The Suicide, Undiscovered Country, and Animal Crackers at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage. His film debut came with Two of a Kind (1983), which led him to Los Angeles. In 1986, he was part of the ensemble in Green Card at the Mark Taper Forum, and in 1987, he portrayed Prospero in The Tempest at La Jolla Playhouse. Alongside his film and television work, he has maintained his theatrical roots by playing The Bishop in the Los Angeles Theatre Center’s annual multimedia production of La Virgen de Guadalupe at the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles.
His refined voice has also supported a parallel career in commercials, promos, trailers, animation, and documentaries. This remarkable versatility has allowed him to pursue a multifaceted acting career. He considers his children, Clarity and Ian, among his greatest blessings.
