Ulises Dumont
Encyclopedia
Ulises Dumont was a prolific Argentine film
actor, credited with over 80 appearances in film and countless others in theatre and television from 1964 until his death in 2008.
, Argentina's largest grain wholesaler and one of the principal grain conglomerates in the World. Later that year (1956), he made his first appearance on the stage, developing an affinity for the art that, for economic reasons, he postponed pursuing for several more years. After a modest career in sales, Dumont was given his first film role, a bit part in a 1964 comedy. The otherwise forgettable experience opened doors for him in Buenos Aires' vibrant theatre scene, and he returned to film only in 1971. Eschewing classical theatre, he contributed mostly to locally-written productions, soon becoming a fixture in works by noted Argentine dramatists such as Villanueva Cosse, Carlos Gorostiza
and Griselda Gambaro
. Receiving his first starring film role in Sergio Renán
's 1976 film adaptation of an Haroldo Conti
play, Crecer de golpe
("Maturing Suddenly") secured Dumont's reputation in Argentine drama. He was offered numerous leading theatre roles in 1977, the most memorable of which were probably Carlos Gorostiza's El puente ("The Bridge") and what would become his signature role, that of a crusty, ravenous Italian-Argentine grandmother in Roberto Cossa
's La nona
.
The following year, Dumont lent his talent to a young, hitherto unknown Argentine director, Adolfo Aristarain
. The 1978 thriller, La Parte del león
("The Lion's Share") began a successful string of similar collaborations between the two and an actor already well-established as a leading man since the 1960s, Federico Luppi. The three collaborated similarly in the muck-raking Tiempo de revancha
("Time for Revenge," 1981) and the thriller Últimos días de la víctima
("The Victim's Last Days," 1982). True to Dumont's understated style, the three acclaimed and commercially successful films criticized the pravailing climate of fear (during a regime
in which doing so was often perilous) with metaphor and veiled references to current events.
Developing a close friendship with Federico Luppi, he and Dumont co-starred with various other directors over the following years and, in the interim, Dumont married Marcela Luppi, Federico's daughter. The two starred in Hector Olivera
's No habrá más penas ni olvido ("Little Dirty War," 1983), a tragic comedy set during the 1974 conflict between left and right-wing Peronists; 1983 also saw Dumont star in Eduardo Calcagno's Los Enemigos ("The Enemies"). The dark thriller, released months before Argentina's return to democracy, focused on the use the well-connected had made during the dictatorship of their ties to the military in ridding themselves of enemies, with impunity. Working prolifically following the advent of democracy, Dumont played, among others, an opinionated hobo in Lautaro Murúa
's Cuarteles de invierno ("Winter Barracks," 1984) and a no-nonsense producer faced with an unpredictable film maker in La película del rey ("A King and His Movie," 1985), a title which has enjoyed international exposure since its VHS release the following year. His role in "Winter Barracks" remained, by his own admission, his favorite. He was reunited with Luppi in 1987, cast in a supporting role in El Año del conejo ("The Year of the Rabbit") a divorce comedy made during Luppi's own contentious separation from wife and former co-star Haydée Padilla.
During an era in which Argentine cinema often revisited the traumas lived during the 1976-83 dictatorship, Dumont was cast in a leading role as an aging, targeted intellectual in Fernando Solanas
' Sur
("South," 1987), one of the defining films on the subject. Working in varied genres, he also starred in a crime caper, Juan Carlos Desanzo's Al filo de la ley ("On the Edge of the Law," 1992) and was reunited with director Eduardo Calcagno in El Censor ("The Censor," 1995), a surreal historical drama loosely based on Miguel Paulino Tato's notorious tenure as National Film Rater (censor) during the 1970s.
Turning to more sentimental work in his later years, Dumont traveled to Cuba
to play an aging businessman in the throes of hopelessness in Diego Musiak's Historias clandestinas en la Habana ("Hidden Stories in Havana," 1996). Continuing to be active in the theatre, he performed in the title role of an alienated professor in Roberto Cossa's Yepeto ("Gepetto"), a play that enjoyed an approximately 5,000-performance run during the 1990s. Yepeto was adapted for the screen by director Eduardo Calcagno in 1999. A heavy smoker, Dumont suffered from worsening cardiovascular health subsequently and, yet, his work in film remained as vigorous as ever, playing a socially conscious priest in Cerca de la frontera ("Near the Border," 1999), an ex convict in a bind in Rosarigasinos
("Rosario
Boys," 2001), a widower lost without his better half in La esperanza ("Hope," 2003), an elderly woman's inopportune lover in Conversaciones con mamá (2004), and a railroad worker laid off by the sector's mass 1992 privatizations in Próxima salida ("Next Stop," 2004), to name only a few of his recent film, theatre and television roles. Dumont earned two Silver Condor Awards and three awards at the Havana Film Festival
, among numerous other recognitions.
A victim of heart disease, Dumont died in a Buenos Aires clinic at the age of seventy-one. Dumont was interred in Chacarita Cemetery.
Cinema of Argentina
The cinema of Argentina has a tradition dating back to the late nineteenth century, and continues to play a role in the culture of Argentina....
actor, credited with over 80 appearances in film and countless others in theatre and television from 1964 until his death in 2008.
Life and work
Born in 1937 in Buenos Aires, Dumont first worked in Bunge y BornBunge y Born
Bunge y Born was a multinational corporation based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, whose diverse interests included food processing and international trade in grains and oilseeds...
, Argentina's largest grain wholesaler and one of the principal grain conglomerates in the World. Later that year (1956), he made his first appearance on the stage, developing an affinity for the art that, for economic reasons, he postponed pursuing for several more years. After a modest career in sales, Dumont was given his first film role, a bit part in a 1964 comedy. The otherwise forgettable experience opened doors for him in Buenos Aires' vibrant theatre scene, and he returned to film only in 1971. Eschewing classical theatre, he contributed mostly to locally-written productions, soon becoming a fixture in works by noted Argentine dramatists such as Villanueva Cosse, Carlos Gorostiza
Carlos Gorostiza
Carlos Gorostiza is a prominent Argentine playwright, theatre director and novelist.-Life and work:Carlos Gorostiza was born to Basque Argentine parents in the upscale Buenos Aires borough of Palermo...
and Griselda Gambaro
Griselda Gambaro
Griselda Gambaro is an Argentine writer, whose novels, plays, short stories, story tales, essays and novels for teenagers often concern the political violence in her home country that would develop into the Dirty War. One recurring theme is the desaparecidos and the attempts to recover their...
. Receiving his first starring film role in Sergio Renán
Sergio Renán
Sergio Renán is an Argentine actor, film director and screenwriter.Born in Buenos Aires in 1933, Renán became an accomplished violinist in his teens and, following a minor film role in Mario Soffici's 1951 drama Pasó en mi barrio , he joined the theatre as an actor and continued to appear in...
's 1976 film adaptation of an Haroldo Conti
Haroldo Conti
Haroldo Conti|thumb|right|150pxHaroldo Conti was an Argentine writer, screenwriter, teacher and Latin professor. On May 5, 1976 he disappeared during the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional military dictatorship, on this day the "Día del Escritor Bonaerense" is held in his honour.- Biography...
play, Crecer de golpe
Crecer de golpe
Crecer de golpe is a 1977 Argentine film....
("Maturing Suddenly") secured Dumont's reputation in Argentine drama. He was offered numerous leading theatre roles in 1977, the most memorable of which were probably Carlos Gorostiza's El puente ("The Bridge") and what would become his signature role, that of a crusty, ravenous Italian-Argentine grandmother in Roberto Cossa
Roberto Cossa
Roberto Cossa is a prominent Argentine playwright and theatre director.-Life and work:Roberto Cossa was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in the quiet residential borough of Villa del Parque. He first performed in theatre at the age of 17 and, in 1957, he and friends founded the San...
's La nona
La Nona
La Nona is a 1979 Argentine comedy film drama directed by Héctor Olivera.-Cast:*José Soriano ... La nona*Juan Carlos Altavista ... Chicho*Osvaldo Terranova ... Carmelo*Eva Franco ... Anyula*Guillermo Battaglia*Nya Quesada ... María...
.
The following year, Dumont lent his talent to a young, hitherto unknown Argentine director, Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain is an Argentine film director whom Variety has deemed a "master filmmaker."After leaving Argentina Aristarain started working as assistant director in the Arcente cinema, and then in Europe during his short exile for Mario Camus, Giorgio Stegani and Lewis Gilbert before...
. The 1978 thriller, La Parte del león
La Parte del león
La Parte del león is a 1978 Argentine film....
("The Lion's Share") began a successful string of similar collaborations between the two and an actor already well-established as a leading man since the 1960s, Federico Luppi. The three collaborated similarly in the muck-raking Tiempo de revancha
Tiempo de Revancha
Tiempo de revancha is a 1981 Argentine drama film directed and written by Adolfo Aristarain. The film starred Federico Luppi, Haydée Padilla and Ulises Dumont....
("Time for Revenge," 1981) and the thriller Últimos días de la víctima
Últimos días de la víctima
Últimos días de la víctima is an Argentine novel, written by José Pablo Feinmann. It was first published in 1979....
("The Victim's Last Days," 1982). True to Dumont's understated style, the three acclaimed and commercially successful films criticized the pravailing climate of fear (during a regime
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
in which doing so was often perilous) with metaphor and veiled references to current events.
Developing a close friendship with Federico Luppi, he and Dumont co-starred with various other directors over the following years and, in the interim, Dumont married Marcela Luppi, Federico's daughter. The two starred in Hector Olivera
Héctor Olivera
Héctor Olivera is a film director, producer and screenwriter.He works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, but has contributed to numerous films in the United States.-Biography:...
's No habrá más penas ni olvido ("Little Dirty War," 1983), a tragic comedy set during the 1974 conflict between left and right-wing Peronists; 1983 also saw Dumont star in Eduardo Calcagno's Los Enemigos ("The Enemies"). The dark thriller, released months before Argentina's return to democracy, focused on the use the well-connected had made during the dictatorship of their ties to the military in ridding themselves of enemies, with impunity. Working prolifically following the advent of democracy, Dumont played, among others, an opinionated hobo in Lautaro Murúa
Lautaro Murúa
Lautaro Murúa was a Chilean-born Argentine actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is one of the best known actors in the Cinema of Argentina....
's Cuarteles de invierno ("Winter Barracks," 1984) and a no-nonsense producer faced with an unpredictable film maker in La película del rey ("A King and His Movie," 1985), a title which has enjoyed international exposure since its VHS release the following year. His role in "Winter Barracks" remained, by his own admission, his favorite. He was reunited with Luppi in 1987, cast in a supporting role in El Año del conejo ("The Year of the Rabbit") a divorce comedy made during Luppi's own contentious separation from wife and former co-star Haydée Padilla.
During an era in which Argentine cinema often revisited the traumas lived during the 1976-83 dictatorship, Dumont was cast in a leading role as an aging, targeted intellectual in Fernando Solanas
Fernando Solanas
Fernando Ezequiel 'Pino' Solanas is an Argentine film director, screenwriter and politician....
' Sur
Sur (film)
Sur is an Argentine drama film written and directed by Fernando E. Solanas. The film features Susú Pecoraro, Miguel Ángel Solá, Philippe Léotard, Lito Cruz, Ulises Dumont among others....
("South," 1987), one of the defining films on the subject. Working in varied genres, he also starred in a crime caper, Juan Carlos Desanzo's Al filo de la ley ("On the Edge of the Law," 1992) and was reunited with director Eduardo Calcagno in El Censor ("The Censor," 1995), a surreal historical drama loosely based on Miguel Paulino Tato's notorious tenure as National Film Rater (censor) during the 1970s.
Turning to more sentimental work in his later years, Dumont traveled to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
to play an aging businessman in the throes of hopelessness in Diego Musiak's Historias clandestinas en la Habana ("Hidden Stories in Havana," 1996). Continuing to be active in the theatre, he performed in the title role of an alienated professor in Roberto Cossa's Yepeto ("Gepetto"), a play that enjoyed an approximately 5,000-performance run during the 1990s. Yepeto was adapted for the screen by director Eduardo Calcagno in 1999. A heavy smoker, Dumont suffered from worsening cardiovascular health subsequently and, yet, his work in film remained as vigorous as ever, playing a socially conscious priest in Cerca de la frontera ("Near the Border," 1999), an ex convict in a bind in Rosarigasinos
Rosarigasinos
Rosarigasinos is a 2001 Argentine film, written and directed by Rodrigo Grande and starring Federico Luppi and Ulises Dumont. The film is also known as Presos del Olvido in Spain....
("Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
Boys," 2001), a widower lost without his better half in La esperanza ("Hope," 2003), an elderly woman's inopportune lover in Conversaciones con mamá (2004), and a railroad worker laid off by the sector's mass 1992 privatizations in Próxima salida ("Next Stop," 2004), to name only a few of his recent film, theatre and television roles. Dumont earned two Silver Condor Awards and three awards at the Havana Film Festival
Havana Film Festival
The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Spanish-language filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana, and in English as Festival of New Latinamerican Cinema of La Havana.The festival takes place...
, among numerous other recognitions.
A victim of heart disease, Dumont died in a Buenos Aires clinic at the age of seventy-one. Dumont was interred in Chacarita Cemetery.