Mexican actor Emilio Echeverría has passed away at the age of 80. He was best known for his roles in Babel, Amores Perros, The Alamo, and the James Bond franchise. The Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences confirmed his death on Saturday, although further details were not immediately available.
Echeverría was a three-time Ariel Award nominee, Mexico’s equivalent of the Oscars, and appeared in numerous acclaimed films. In addition to Amores Perros, he starred in Alfonso Cuarón’s coming-of-age road film Y tu mamá también (2001) and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Babel (2006), which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
The actor also had memorable roles in Hollywood, including portraying Raoul, a British agent and manager of a cigar factory in Die Another Day (2002), and as Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna in The Alamo (2004).
Born in Mexico City on July 3, 1944, Echeverría initially studied accounting and worked at Televisa before transitioning to acting in his early 30s. His breakthrough came when a friend invited him to participate in a play, leading him to discover his passion for acting.
He continued to take on a variety of roles, including portraying Venustiano Carranza in the 2011 historical miniseries El Encanto del Águila. Echeverría also appeared in the Prime Video series Mozart in the Jungle (2015-16), playing Maestro Ignacio Rivera, the mentor of Rodrigo (played by Gael García Bernal).
In addition to his film career, Echeverría’s performances in films such as Dying in the Gulf (1990), A Monster With a Thousand Heads (2016), and The Chosen (2018) earned him Ariel nominations.
He is survived by his daughter, actress Lourdes Echeverría. In a tribute on X (formerly Twitter), Amores Perros screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga remembered Echeverría as “a tremendous actor and an even better human being,” calling him “a dear friend” and praising their collaborations.