“Narcos: Mexico” actor Gerardo Taracena has died. He was 55.
Taracena’s death was confirmed on Sunday by the Mexican Academy of Film Art and Sciences, who said in an Instagram post that Taracena was a “fundamental actor in Mexican cinema, whose presence on screen left an intense, honest, and profoundly human mark.”
“The Academy extends its respectful and heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues,” the statement added. “His work and his unforgettable face will remain in the memory of our cinema.”
The Mexican Academy also recognized Taracena for the “memorable characters” in movies that he “brought to life” and for being a three-time Ariel Award nominee which recognized “a career marked by absolute dedication, expressive power, and a deep commitment to his craft.”
Taracena was best known for playing drug smuggler Pablo Acosta in Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico.”
The series, a follow-up to “Narcos,” focused on Mexico’s infamous Guadalajara Cartel in the 1980s. It aired for three seasons from 2018 to 2021.
The cast included Michael Peña, Diego Luna, Tenoch Huerta, Alyssa Diaz, Joaquín Cosío, Alejandro Edda and Matt Letscher.
Taracena’s most memorable movie was Mel Gibson’s 2006 epic “Apocalypto” also starring Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Mayra Sérbulo and Dalia Hernández. The movie is set during the the decline of the Mayan civilization and follows a young hunter trying to escape capture by Maya raiders.
He also appeared in “El Violin” (2005), “Saving Private Perez” (2011), “A World for Raúl” (2012), “Sound of Freedom” (2022) and “Surviving My Quinceañera” (2023). He was also in the Netflix show “Pedal to Metal” and the USA Network five-season series “Queen of the South.”
In a past interview with Fox News, Taracena spoke about his role in “Saving Private Perez,” a comedy film about a Mexican organized crime leader who is asked by his mother to rescue his brother, a United States Marine private fighting in Iraq
“I had to gain 20 pounds to play my role,” Taracena told Fox News in 2011. “But, in two months I was able to lose the weight again.”
The Mexican actor also said he was happy to bring such a “risky” movie to the States.
Last year, Taracena appeared in seven episodes of the Amazon Prime Video series “Cometierra.” He had two projects in postproduction and two in preproduction at the time of his death, according to his IMDb.