Osvaldo Laport

Career

Osvaldo Laport was born in Juan Lacaze, Uruguay, from Rubens Sixto and Teresa Natividad. He worked at several casual jobs during his youth. His brother Luis Udaquiola was detained and tortured, suspected of being linked to the guerrilla group Tupamaros. He moved to Buenos Aires in 1976 and started to study drama at Luis Tasca's Drama School. In order to support his acting classes and pay his room in a hotel downtown he had to work in some jobs as clown, warehouse employee and bricklayer. In 1979, he met Viviana Sáez in the same school, whom he married the following year (they have one daughter, Jazmín, born in 1995).

Then, Osvaldo's drama teacher, Luis Tasca, called him for to work in the play Adiós Juventud. His acting performance got the attention of Santiago Doria, who offered him the leading role in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, another important play in Argentina. In 1983, Luis Tasca supported Osvaldo again for him get a bit part in the soap opera Cara a Cara, starring Verónica Castro. His works in TV during the 1980s brought him success and in 1990 he was cast in a leading role opposite Jeanette Rodríguez in the remake of Pobre diabla.

The following year, he had his first work as a lead actor in Cosecharás Tu Siembra, with Luisa Kuliok. The role was initially meant for Víctor Laplace, who resigned. His major achievement was a Martin Fierro Award (1999/2000) as Best Actor in a Comedy for his performance as Guido Guevara in Campeones.

In 2006, Laport became UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.

He played Martín Fierro in the television sitcom Son de Fierro (2007–2008). Other than the name, the character has no relation with the famous Martín Fierro poem.

In 2009, Laport was the first Goodwill Ambassador to visit internally displaced camps and urban refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The trip had an extensive coverage in the media and a prime-time TV documentary shown in Argentina and Uruguay.

Awards