Tony LeBlanc

Ignacio Fernández Sánchez (his real name) from Madrid was born on May 7, 1922. Apparently he is the only person who can boast of having been born in the Prado Museum itself, since his father was the janitor and lived there.

A great boxing fan, he became Castilla’s amateur lightweight champion, while he began to take his first steps in the theater in amateur companies. He was also a soccer player for the Real Club Deportivo Carabanchel, in the Third Division, and became the top scorer, with 23 goals.

He debuted as a professional with the company of Celia Gámez , in 1944. Later he was part of the companies of Ana Mariscal , Manuel Paso and Luis Escobar . She could be seen for the first time on a screen in the classics Eugenia de Montijo and Los últimos de Filipinas . He was also part of the cast of the memorable Manolo, urban guard , and Historias de la radio .

In the 1950s and 1960s, he starred in blockbuster films such as El tigre de Chamberí , Las chicas de azul , Los underdeveloped , Don Lucio y el hermano Pío or Tres de la Cruz Roja , almost always as a castizo freelancer. He especially likes his role in The Man Who Wanted to Kill himself , by Rafael Gil , where he changed register quite a bit. “I adapted a novel by Wenceslao Fernández Florez and the character had many registers. I think that in 90 minutes I have never touched so many facets: smart, stupid, unfortunate, lucky, a man who wants to kill himself and a man who wants to live Leblanc explains.

He also worked as a producer, screenwriter and director. His debut feature was El pobre García , with Lina Morgan and Manolo Gómez Bur , followed by Los pedigueños and finally Una isla con tomate . A practicing Catholic, Tony Leblanc married Isabel Páez de la Torre in 1955. He is the father of eight children, two of whom, Tony Leblanc Jr. and Silvia Leblanc, have devoted themselves to acting.

He appeared in numerous films with the popular actress Concha Velasco , since Las chicas de la cruz roja , their first joint film. It would be followed by titles such as Valentine’s Day , The cheaters , Life without laughter , Love below zero , Julia and the coelacanth , My wedding night , They knew too much , Television stories , Today like yesterday , Those who play the piano and Una Once a year being a hippy doesn’t hurt .

He also became a regular presence on television, hosting shows like “Big Parade” and “Date with Tony Leblanc.” In the mid-70s he continued filming titles like Three Swedish for Three Rodríguez . In 1983 he suffered a tragic traffic accident that was about to end his life. “My life was cut short when I was on the crest of the wave. I have gone through the operating room 32 times, the last time to remove my spleen,” says the actor. “Rosa María Mateo, on the news that night, gave the news of my death. That was very hard. I have forgotten things about my roles, my films, but I will never forget the image of the car that fell on me” .

Santiago Segura , a great admirer of his, took advantage of the fact that his health had improved to return him to the screens in 1998 with the box office hit Torrente, the stupid arm of the law . “It was a bit difficult for him to convince me because I did not trust my strength. We discussed some scenes in which I did not agree, especially the one about my death. Everything else was exceptional. Santiago even wanted to put me in a bed so that I could rest during filming”, explains Tony Leblanc. The actor experienced a relaunch of his career, as he repeated playing relatives of the protagonist, different but physically identical to each other in the three sequels of the saga of the shabby policeman . It was also Cervan, the newsboy for Cuéntame cómo pasó, until he decided to leave the series due to his delicate health.

In 1994 he received an honorary Goya, and in 1999 the one for best supporting actor for the first Torrente . But he confesses in interviews that it seems somewhat false to him that after being forgotten for a long time, friends have suddenly emerged “even under the stones.” “Many of those people who were not even interested in my health now pat me on the shoulder and say they are my friends. I’m not spiteful, but it annoys me. When I was really bad, they couldn’t even pick up a phone and now I have to listen continuously that of `Tony, let’s see when we see each other’ What a tough face!”.

After turning 90, Tony Leblanc continued to work, at least occasionally, in some television spot. But at this age he died of heart failure at his home in Villaviciosa de Odón.