Narciso Ibáñez Menta

Biography

Born in Langreo, Asturias, Spain, Menta made his first stage appearance in 1919 at the Teatro La Comedia of Buenos Aires. He worked in both theatre and film in Argentina until 1964, when he returned to Spain and developed a successful television career. In both Argentina and Spain, he was particularly prominent in suspense and horror subjects.

He married the Argentine actress Pepita Serrador, a member of a famous theatre family. In 1935 they had a son, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, who became a director, writer and actor, and directed the Spanish television series Historias para no dormir (1973), El Televisor (1974) and El fin empezó ayer (1982) in which his father starred.

Films featuring Ibáñez Menta included Historia de crímenes (1942), La Bestia debe morir (1952), Tres citas con el destino (1953), Obras maestras del terror ('Masterworks of Terror'1960), Shoot Twice (1969), La saga de los Drácula (1972), Los muchachos de antes no usaban arsénico (1976), Viaje al más allá (1980), Sal gorda (1983), and Más allá de la muerte (1984).

His last film role was in ¡Qué vecinos tan animales! (1998). He died in Madrid at the age of 91.

In 2008, Argentine cinema director Gustavo Leonel Mendoza exhibited a documentary about Ibañez Menta's life, titled Nadie inquietó más ('Nobody worried any more'). In 2010, Argentine writers Leandro D'Ambrosio and "Gillespie" published a biography of the actor, El artesano del miedo ['The Craftsman of Fear'].