Child of war, boxing champion, poet, ‘curata’ of El Canto del Loco… this is Hovik Keuchkerian, fashion actor

He is currently one of those actors that everyone in Spanish cinema wants to work with, but he still gives the impression that he is unaware of the ‘hoax’ and does not allow himself to be fooled, going his own way and following his own rules. And almost certainly the only one Spanish heavyweight champion He is the only person to have published books of poetry – it has happened twice – and to have won the Concha de Planta award at the San Sebastián Festival; provided by you excellent work in his new movie ‘Un amor’ Isabel Coixet and her literary adaptation of the novel of the same name turned Sara Mesa into a literary phenomenon. Undoubtedly, this is the most important acting award to date in a personal record that began to take shape thanks to the recognition given to him by Salvador Osorio, his character in the hit series. ‘Riot gear’.

He is 50 years old and has lived in Madrid for 47 years. He had to do it with only 3 of them He leaves his hometown Beirut with his parents – he is Armenian; o, Navarrese – Because of the Lebanese Civil War. Sports have seduced him since childhood, and he devoted himself seriously to basketball until an ankle injury forced him to quit. 22-year-old opened a gym in the neighborhood Vegetableand for twenty years he had charge of this work; Meanwhile, he was a kickboxing champion and later became a professional boxer. When he hung up his gloves in 2005, he had a personal record. 15 wins and one defeat by knockout. The same year his poetry collection ‘Letters from El Palmar’ was published; He would later publish the prose essay ‘Lokura’ (2008), the collection of autobiographical short stories ‘Diarios y desvaríos’ (2012) and the poetry book disc ‘Resiliente’ (2014), produced by Yuri Méndez.

Some time passed between his exit from the ring and his appearance on stage. He decided to record for Paramount Comedy in 2010 after being well-received for his brief comic intervention during the performance of his friend, magician Jorge Blass. monologue ‘Cocretas’, His success soon earned him a place at the front of the ‘A beggar in cotton shoes’ show at the Gran Via in Madrid. Thanks to him, he starred in the series the same year. ‘Spain, legend’ -thanks to her and luck: one of the screenwriters of that ‘peplum’ was a customer of the gym- and from there, her charm in front of the camera did the rest.

After receiving a Goya nomination for his role in the boxing drama ‘Alacrán amor’ (2013), in 2016 he not only starred in the thriller ‘Toro’ alongside Luis Tosar and Mario Casas, but also starred in two international productions: ‘The series ‘The Spy’ starring Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston and Film adaptation of the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ video gameCast starring Michael Fassbender and Mario Cotillard.

However, neither this nor the movie ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ (2018), directed by Terry Gilliam, could prepare him. He gained worldwide fame after joining the cast of ‘La casa de papel’ in 2019. Maybe because of this extraordinary exposure, maybe not; By his own admission, Keuchkerian had lost control of his fuel consumption during his three seasons with the series. alcohol, tobacco and junk food; He claims he came to hate the profession. In 2021, he decided to clear the air: he put an end to the excesses, ended the relationship with his agent and a sabbatical year.

2024 promises to be another important year in his career. During this time, he will star in the first season of ‘Red Queen’, adapted from Juan Gómez Jurado’s acclaimed noveland the miniseries ‘Attack on the Central Bank’ directed by Daniel Calparsoro. There will also be the premiere of the science fiction intrigue ‘El hoyo 2’, which is the sequel to one of the most unexpected hits in Netflix history. 153 kilos weight.

His character in ‘Un amor’, which is currently on billboards, It doesn’t look quite like cattle, but almost. And it makes sense: El Alemán, as he is nicknamed, looks like a wounded beast. However, when you look into the eyes of the actor playing him, you forget his physical roundness and occasional movements. the boar grunts; What appears from them is a child, fragile and pure. Hovik Keuchkerian is not normal.