Cuba’s eternal Corina.

Sadly, the dawn of June 2024 brought to the largest of the Antilles the death of its Corina. Social networks and the media echoed the unfortunate news to express Cuba’s affection and admiration for one of its most radiant stars.

I am still disturbed by the surprise of knowing her distant and the pain after the untimely news of her departure. Death, like an unusual whisper, demanded her presence on the podium of the greats and she, in a shrewd effluvium, succumbed to its warm embrace.

She was barely 69 years old, but those six decades and more of pure talent and firmness were enough to leave an incomparable artistic legacy and an irreplaceable void in the hearts of those of us who admired her so much.

Born on October 12th, 1954, Corina Emilia Mestre Vilaboy stood out for the versatility and commitment she showed in every task since she graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte in 1981 and which became evident after her incursion in the most diverse facets of theater, cinema, television and radio, which earned him recognitions and awards, including, among others, the Alejo Carpentier and Nicolás Guillén medals, the Distinction for Cuban Culture, as well as the Caricato, Hola Awards of the Association of Hispanic Artists and Critics of New York and the prestigious National Theater Award 2022.

She was also awarded the National Artistic Teaching Award and the Maestro de Juventudes for her merits in the teaching profession, and took her performances to foreign lands such as Moscow, Venezuela, Mexico, Portugal, Nicaragua, Spain and the United States, where spectators witnessed her professionalism and skill.

The acclaimed actress is widely remembered for her histrionics and artistic expertise in television dramas such as Pasión y Prejuicio, El eco de las piedras, Salir de noche, Doble juego and, mainly, La casa de Bernarda Alba. She also lent her voice to the work of Radio Habana Cuba and Habana Radio and it is impossible to forget her presence in more than 70 plays of the Grupo Teatro Estudio and her vast career with children’s theater and the New Trova Movement.

She also assumed other responsibilities as Assistant Professor, Head and Head of the Acting Department of the Institute from which she graduated. She was vice-president of the Association of Stage Artists of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), shared her knowledge, from teaching, in various workshops on directing actors at the International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños and maintained a relentless defense of the revolutionary work and the achievements of socialism.

Sadly, the dawn of June 2024 brought to the largest of the Antilles the death of her Corina. Social networks and the media echoed the unfortunate news to express Cuba’s affection and admiration for one of its most radiant stars. Today, heaven opens its doors to her, but the greatness of her being and the memory of her legacy live on, like eternal applause, in the hearts of her people.

Written by Yadiel Barbón Salgado.