Gerardo Taracena, the Mexican character actor recognized for his gritty, grounded performances in crime dramas and historical epics, has died at 55.
News of Taracena’s passing was confirmed on Sunday, February 1, by Mexico’s national film academy, which shared a public statement honoring the actor’s decades-long career.
The organization described him as a foundational presence in Mexican cinema and extended condolences to his family and collaborators, noting that his work left a lasting impression on audiences and filmmakers alike.
For many viewers outside of Mexico, Taracena became instantly recognizable through Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico, where he portrayed real-life smuggler Pablo Acosta.
His performance was praised for what it brought to the series’ portrait of the Guadalajara Cartel. The series ran from 2018 to 2021 and introduced him to a global audience.
Long before that, Taracena had already built a reputation as a go-to actor for physically demanding and emotionally heavy roles.
One of his most widely seen film appearances came in Apocalypto. Set during the decline of the Mayan civilization, the film relied heavily on nontraditional casting and immersive performances.
His résumé stretched well beyond those two titles. Over the years, he appeared in projects including El Violín, Saving Private Perez, A World for Raúl, Sound of Freedom, and TV series like Queen of the South and Netflix’s Pedal to Metal.
He was also a three-time Ariel Award nominee, a distinction often viewed as the Mexican equivalent of an Oscar nod.
Taracena once spoke candidly about the physical demands of his roles. Discussing Saving Private Perez in a past interview with Fox News, he explained, “I had to gain 20 pounds to play my role. But, in two months, I was able to lose the weight again.”
Even in the final stretch of his career, he remained active. According to IMDb, Taracena recently appeared in an Amazon Prime Video series and had multiple projects in various stages of production.