Spanish actor began his career in theatre in 1939 at the age of 17 with the support of director Modesto Higueras and painter José Caballero. He started as an actor, set decorator, and costume designer in non-commercial amateur theatre plays, primarily at Teatro de las Organizaciones Juveniles (TOI) and TEU.
He began his career in cinema as a costume designer in films directed by José López Rubio and Rafael Gil, and as an assistant director to Pío Ballesteros and Enrique Herreros. His debut as a professional actor was in 1946 at Teatro María Guerrero in Madrid, playing roles in plays such as "El Anticuario", "El vergonzoso en palacio", and "La dama boba".
Later, he formed part of the companies owned by Conchita Montes and Alberto Closas. His debut as a cinema actor was also in 1946 with a small role in "María Fernanda la Jerezana" (1946). In 1951, he appeared in the credits together with debutant key directors in Spanish cinema, Juan Antonio Bardem and Luis García Berlanga, in the film "Esa pareja feliz" (1951).
His first roles were mainly comic, but later ones increased in importance. In 1958, he started to have his first successes, including "Unamuchachita de Valladolid" in theatre with Elisa Montes and Alberto Closas, and "The Little Apartment" (1958) in cinema with Mary Carrillo and Concha López Silva.
From that moment on, he acted in the best theatre companies and became an almost indispensable figure in Spanish cinema for the following two decades. Some of his notable films from this stage include "El cochecito" (1960),"Placido" (1961),"Robbery at 3 O'clock" (1962),and "The Executioner" (1963).
He worked with film-makers like Marco Ferreri, Juan Antonio Bardem, José María Forqué, and Luis García Berlanga, who were able to extract amazing nuances from his funniness, including tenderness, dirtiness, meanness, absurdity, and even nonsense. His popularity surged dramatically after working with Gracita Morales in several films under the direction of Mariano Ozores and performing the main role in the TV series "Tercero izquierda".
In the early 1970s, he began to deliver dramatic performances in films, including "Peppermint frappé" (1967),"The Garden of Delights" (1970),"Bosque del lobo, El" (1970) (Best Actor Award in the 1971 Chicago Film Festival),"Mi querida señorita" (1971) (Best Actor Award in the 1972 Chicago Film Festival),"La cabina" (1972) (TV; winner of an Emmy Award),or "Habla, mudita" (1973).
He made a great success with these films, which became even stronger after the international effects caused by his TV film "La cabina" and his contribution to George Cukor's "Travels with My Aunt" (1972). This success defined the rest of his career, full of successful films both dramatic and comic, such as "Escopeta nacional, La" (1978),"Verdad sobre el caso Savolta, La" (1979),"La colmena" (1982),"Corte del faraón, La" (1985),"Mi general" (1987),and "Largo invierno, El" (1991).
In 1985, he received the 'Medalla de Oro de las Bellas Artes' (Arts Gold Medal).
