Juan Padrón

Cuban animation director and comics artist (1947–2020)

Juan Manuel Padrón Blanco (January 29, 1947 – March 24, 2020) was a Cuban animation director and comics artist, best known as the creator of the comic strip Elpidio Valdés.^[1]

He was born in Matanzas. From 1963 he published sketches and cartoons for Cuban magazines and newspapers. He was the creator, in 1970, of Elpidio Valdés,^[2] a cartoon character (and series) with more than sixty shorts and two feature-length movies. Padrón received international attention for Vampires in Havana, an adult-oriented comedy feature that gathered a cult following abroad.

Padrón directed six animated feature films in total, along with many shorts, especially those with Elpidio Valdés as the main character; and the one-minute comedy sketches for adults "Filminutos".

In 2008, Padrón was selected as the recipient of Cuba's National Film Award.^[3]

Death

On 24 March 2020, Juan Padrón died in Havana, Cuba after having been in the hospital in Intensive Care for several days due to a lung disease.

References

^ "Juan Padrón Blanco". Lambiek. 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
^ "Honor Award for Graziella Pogolotti and Juan Padrón in Cubadisco 2009". Cuba Headlines. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
^ "Cuba's 2008 National Film Award was unanimously granted to filmmaker Juan Padron". Cuba Headlines. 27 February 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2010.