Hovik Keuchkerian defies the ordinary. Born to act, he’s one of those magnetic figures who commands the screen the moment he appears, yet his ascent began later in life, at the age of 37. Before turning to cinema, he spent years in rough-and-tumble circles: he worked as a waiter at his father’s restaurant and served on El Canto del Loco’s security team while the rings and stages of Madrid shaped his character.
Today he stands as a sought-after figure in Spanish cinema, someone seasoned professionals want by their side. He moves through projects with a sense of independence, staying true to his own rules and instincts rather than chasing trends. Among his many distinctions, he remains one of Spain’s most accomplished heavyweight performers; he has published books of poetry on two occasions and has earned notable recognition such as the Concha de Plata at the San Sebastián Festival. His recent collaboration with Isabel Coixet on a literary adaptation of Sara Mesa’s novel helped cement a new peak in his artistic journey, underscoring a career that has grown through fearless choices. The momentum traces back to the breakthrough that Salvador Osorio’s portrayal in a popular series gave him, lifting his profile and demonstrating his range beyond the ring into the realm of drama and intrigue.
Now aged 50 and rooted in Madrid for nearly half his life, his roots trace back to Beirut, where his parents fled amid the Lebanese Civil War to safeguard their future. His family’s path took them to a different corner of the world, and from a young age he embraced sport. Basketball captivated him, but an ankle injury redirected his path. A neighborhood gym project, started when he was 22, became a lifelong commitment, running a space that fueled his early sense of purpose. Alongside his sports career, he carved out a niche in combat disciplines, training in kickboxing and later turning professional boxing. He closed his boxing chapter in 2005 with a record of 15 wins and a single knockout defeat, the same year he released a poetry collection, Letters from El Palmar. He would later publish the prose essay Lokura (2008), the autobiographical short stories collection Diarios y desvaríos (2012), and the poetry work Resiliente (2014), all enriched by the guidance of Yuri Méndez.
Sara Mesa: “Patriarchy has made many women unhappy, but it has also made many men unhappy.”
After a period away from boxing, Keuchkerian shifted toward the stage and screen. He began recording for Paramount Comedy in 2010 after a well-received comic cameo during a friend’s show by Jorge Blass. His stand-up presence opened doors, and soon he led the Madrid theater run A Beggar in Cotton Shoes at the Gran Via. His star rose in television as well, culminating in a hit that brought him into the spotlight as a charming presence on screen. A writer’s room connection—someone who knew a gym client—helped anchor his ascent, and luck complemented talent as his filmography widened.
Following a Goya nomination for the boxing drama Alacrán Amor (2013), 2016 was a milestone: he led the thriller Toro with Luis Tosar and Mario Casas, and he crossed into international productions, appearing in The Spy alongside Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston, and joining the cast of the film adaptation of Assassin’s Creed, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. Yet even with these high-profile projects, the true global breakthrough arrived with his role in La casa de papel in 2019. The exposure was immense, and Keuchkerian openly discussed how the whirlwind affected him, admitting he let his guard down at times and began to lose sight of discipline—an honest self-portrait of the pressures that fame can impose. In 2021 he chose to reset: he ended a long relationship with his agent and took a sabbatical year to regain balance and clarity.
Looking ahead to 2024, the momentum continued. He was slated to headline the first season of Red Queen, adapted from a celebrated Juan Gómez Jurado novel, and to star in the miniseries Attack on the Central Bank, directed by Daniel Calparsoro. Other major projects included the science fiction thriller El hoyo 2, the sequel to a Netflix phenomenon. Weighing in at 153 kilos, his physical presence remains a striking counterpoint to the quiet intensity that defines his performances.
In the film Un amor, his character, nicknamed El Alemán, appears formidable at first glance, almost as if he’s carved from a rough-hewn shell. Yet the gaze behind the rough exterior reveals a childlike fragility—an unexpected tenderness that reminds viewers that there is more to him than raw power. Hovik Keuchkerian is not normal.