Murayama, Noé

(1930-1997)

   despite his Asian name and features (which would allow him to play Asian and Mexican characters interchangeably) Noé Murayama was born in San Luis Potosí and studied dentistry in Mexico City before the acting bug struck. After working in experimental theater and attending the ANDA acting school, Murayama made his professional debut in 1952 and first appeared on screen in 1957. Over the next 40 years he would act in many films, plays, and TV shows, often as villains. Murayama formed his own production company in the 1990s and directed 5 direct-to-video features before his death, of liver trouble, in August 1997. His son is also an actor, who works under the name Claudio Rojo. Murayama received a Best Actor Ariel nomination for La pachanga.