Sergio Jiménez, an actor who in 1966 made his film debut in the classic "Los Caifanes," died of an apparent heart attack, television producer Rosy Ocampo said Wednesday. He was 69.Jiménez had been working as a director on the TV soap opera "La fea más bella."
Ocampo, who was in charge of the production, told Televisa that Jiménez´s body was found in his apartment after he did not show up for the show´s Wednesday taping, the first such session scheduled after the holiday season.
"People close to him went to look for him at his apartment and upon noticing that (the door) was locked, that his car was parked outside and that it had been several days since he had gone out, it was decided to go to the district attorney´s office" to notify them of the unusual circumstances, Ocampo said. He also said that prosecutors "finally entered his house and found that he had died, apparently while he was watching television."
The time of death has not yet been ascertained with certainty, although Ocampo said that he had died on Wednesday.
The last time Jiménez attended the taping of the show was on Dec. 23, the final day of work for the soap opera´s cast and crew in 2006.
´VITALITY AND ENERGY´
He was a man who was full of vitality and energy, said Ocampo, adding that he had planned to travel to Greece when "La fea más bella" ended.
Jiménez was born on Dec. 17, 1937, in Mexico City, and in recent years he had focused on directing.
In "Los Caifanes," directed by Juan Ibáñez (1937-2000) and featuring famed writer Carlos Fuentes among its screenwriters, Jiménez played the role of "El Gato."
Also starring in the film, in which a young upper-class couple leaves a party to make a nighttime foray through Mexico City in the company of a band, was Enrique Álvarez Félix (19341996), the son of diva MaríaFélix.
