Antun Castro

Biography

Antun Castro was a Colombian actor, singer, and composer. He was one of the first Black actors to participate in Colombian television and is considered one of the greatest representatives of Afro culture in national television.

(Read also: Biography of Leonor González Mina)

Antun Castro was born on February 28, 1946, in Riosucio, Chocó, the eldest son of teacher María Ezequiela Urrutia and pharmacist Luis Efrén Castro Machado. After finishing his studies at the Carrasquilla School of Quibdó, he traveled to Bogotá at the age of 19 to pursue higher education. Initially intending to study medicine, he decided instead to pursue a degree in Philology and Languages at the Universidad Libre. During that time, he played percussion in orchestras to support himself financially and joined the Chocó Folkloric Dance and Song Group led by Antero Agualimpia Mosquera at the National University of Colombia.

The artistic experience he gained in these settings led him to meet television personalities of the time, such as Fernando González Pacheco, which opened the doors for him in Colombian television. This allowed him to become one of the leading figures of Afro culture in national television, not only in the 1970s and 1980s but also for future generations.

In addition to his strong presence on television, he cultivated a fruitful musical career. He was a singer in the orchestra Tropibomba (1972), founded the orchestra Los Astros, later renamed Los Nada Que Ver (1977), and participated in several musical groups during the 1970s and 1980s. He composed well-known songs such as Por cuánto me lo das (1990), Maquerule (2000), Nuna llora el negro, La negra que más quiero, Así es Colombia, among other hits. He later created his own group called La Chirimía de Antún Castro (1981), with which he paid tribute to the instruments of his homeland.

(Read also: Biography of Carmen Marina Torres)

In 1992, he co-wrote the book Apuntes sobre geografía e historia del Chocó with his sister Arminda Castro and his mother.

In his later years, Castro dedicated himself to teaching languages at various universities and schools in Bogotá, where he applied his degree in philology. He had 10 children, one of whom is a musician in a chirimía orchestra.

Antun Castro passed away on January 14, 2021, in Bogotá, after being in delicate health for several weeks. The exact cause of his death is uncertain; some sources indicate that he may have suffered from COVID-19 in the days prior to his passing.

MUSIC

Discos

• La Chirimía de Antún Castro

LPs

• Traigo de todo un poco
• Tronco de Sabor