Manolo Cardona

Manolo Cardona
File:La mujer de mi hermano (screenshot).PNG Bárbara Mori and Manolo Cardona in a scene of the film, La mujer de mi hermano
Born	Manuel Julian Cardona Molano
Nationality	Colombian

Manolo Cardona began his career modeling professionally for several agencies in Colombia at the young age of 14. Though his big break came in 1999 when he played the character of Juan Diablo in the Colombian soap opera Por que Diablos?. However, when he was a child his dream was to one day become the President of Colombia, and to this day his dream continues to be the same.

Biography

Manolo Cardona (born Manuel Julian Cardona Molano on April 25, 1977 in Popayan, Cauca Colombia). He is a Colombian actor who began his acting career at a very young age. At the age of fourteen he shot his first commercial and began modeling professionally for TV commercials, photography, and including runways for several agencies in Colombia. Manolo studied finances, government, and international relations because since he was a child he has always dreamed of being the President of Colombia, though he still needs one year to finish his career. Manolo's mother, Nancy Molano, was a psychologist and astrologer. His father, Javier Cardona, has devoted his life to politics, and was the mayor of Popayan. Manolo has two brothers. The eldest Francisco, is an engineer, and the youngest Juan Jose, studies film direction in the University of Cataluña in Barcelona, Spain.

When cardona was eighteen he made his first television appearance on a popular Colombian Television series called "Padres e Hijos." Then in 1998 he won his first lead role in the television soap opera "Carolina Barrantes". He then became nationally and internationally known for the successful soap opera, "Porque Diablos?" in which he portrayed a young man that is involved with the wife of a drug ring he is a part of. Later in 2001 came "Amor a Mil" which was highly popular Soap Opera in Colombia. In 2002 he signed a contract with Telemundo and Argos Communications, and a year later in 2003 he starred in his first Mexican soap opera "Ladron de Corazones" which became a huge success. In "Ladron de Corazones" he worked opposite Lorena Rojas and Humberto Zurita. In it he portrayed "Gustavo Velasco", a man who returns to his home town in Mexico after ten years to avenge his father's death and clear his father's name. There, he falls in love with a woman (played by Rojas) whose father (Humberto Zurita)is responsible for Gustavo's fathers death. He was also the host of Telemundo's Spanish version of Temptation Island, "La isla de la tentacion". He is also known for his role as "Sebastián" on the Mexican telenovela Gitanas. In Gitanas, Cardona starred as a man in love with a Gypsy woman (played by Ana de la Reguera), who has to fight against prejudice and tradition for his love.

In 2005, the film Rosario Tijeras, Cardona's big-screen debut, was released in Colombia. The film was based on Jorge Franco's book of the same name. Cardona worked opposite Flora Martinez (playing Rosario Tijeras) and Unax Ugalde and was directed by Emilio Maille. The film was nominated for a Goya award for best foreign film. The film had it's North American premiere in November of 2005 at the AFI (American Film Institute) festival, in Hollywood. Recently, he starred in the film La mujer de mi hermano opposite Bárbara Mori and Christian Meier which was released in the United States in April of 2006.

In 2006 he finished filming "Madrid-Mexico" with director Enrique Renteria. Cardona is working, with his brothers, on his new production company "11-11", and is currently living in Los Angeles, California.

After two years of absence Manolo Cardona returned to work for Telemundo and Argos working along side Humberto Zurita,( his co-star in Ladron de Corazones) Aylin Mujica, and Sandra Echeverria on the Telemundo soap opera production "Marina", which is filmed in Acapulco, Mexico.

For two years he dated actress and model Barbara Mori, his costar in La mujer de mi hermano. After their break up in 2005, he has been romantically linked to Brazilian model Katarina Sacht.

Awards

• “Best Actor of Colombia” from TV y Novelas
• “The Best Colombian Leading Actor of the Year” in Houston; a tribute paid by the Hispanic community in the United States.

Filmography

Telenovelas

• Carolina Barrantes (1998) as David
• Por que Diablos? (1999-2000) as Juan "Diablo" Cantor
• Amor a Mil (2001-2002) as Jhon Hector Afanador
• Ladron de corazones (2003) as Gustavo Velasco
• Gitanas (2004-2005) as Sebastian Dominguez
• Marina (2006-2007) as Ricardo Alarcon

Films

• Rosario Tijeras as Emilio
• La mujer de mi hermano as Gonzalo

External links

• Manolo Cardona at IMDb
• Manolo Cardona official website