Who did Manuel Ojeda play in Romancing the Stone? Tributes pour in as iconic Mexican actor dies aged 81

Famous Mexican actor Manuel Ojeda recently passed away at the age of 81. The news was revealed on the official Twitter handle of the National Association of Actors. The reason behind his death is not known.

Manuel Ojeda in Romancing the Stone

Manuel Ojeda played the role of the antagonist Colonel Zolo in the 1984 action-adventure film, Romancing the Stone.

Zolo was Elaine’s husband killer who went to New York and killed a janitor while looking for a map sent to Joan Wilder. The Colonel tried to steal the map from Wilder and gets a ride from Ralph, who resembled Zolo until the former tricked him believing that he is French.

Ralph takes Zolo to his base where the latter recruits his military cops to search for the heroes and the stone. Wilder meets Ralph and Ira towards the end but Zolo interferes, who has also captured Jack.

Zolo takes Wilder to a pool of crocodiles and threatens her so that she gives him the stone. Jack kicks the emerald to Zolo, whose hand and the emerald get eaten by a crocodile.

A gun battle ensues between Zolo and Ira’s groups and Zolo runs after Wikilledand Elaine. While Zolo tries to finish Wilder, she pushes him into a pit of crocodiles where he is killed.

Manuel Ojeda's journey as an actor

Born on November 4, 1940, Ojeda was known as the most active actor in Mexican television and cinema.

He gained recognition for his performance in the 1984 film, Romancing the Stone. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film features Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito in the lead roles. It received positive reviews from critics, grossing $115 million at the box office and followed by a sequel, The Jewel of the Nile.

Ojeda grew up in La Paz, Baja California Sur and enrolled at the Instituto de Bellas Artes. He made his debut in theater and acquired his first role in a film when he was in his mid-30s.

He appeared in several telenovelas by Televisa for a long time. Ojeda became popular for his performances in P.D. Tu gato ha muerto and an adaptation of the novel, P.S. Your Cat Is Dead, in 1983. He then appeared in the telenovela Alborada from 2005 to 2006.

Detailed information about his career and educational background remains unknown for now.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Manuel Ojeda became famous all these years for his flawless performances in films and on television. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his demise. While grieved his death, others remembered him for all the roles he played.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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