Tributes pour in for Elite actor Julián Ortega after he dies aged just 41
Julián Ortega appeared in several episodes of Elite’s first season. (Getty)
Actor Julián Ortega, who appeared in hit show Elite, has died. He was just 41 years old.
Despite initial reports that he had drowned, Ortega collapsed on Zahora Beach, in Barbate, Spain, on Sunday (25 August). Paramedics tried to revive him for 30 minutes but he was pronounced dead at the scene. It has been reported that he suffered a cardiac arrest.
Spain’s national union of actors and actresses confirmed Ortega’s death in an obituary this week, saying: “From the Unión de Actores y Actrices, we send our most sincere condolences to the actor’s family and friends.”
Tributes also flooded in on social media. One former colleague of Ortega took to X to write:
“It was a great pleasure @julianortega_7 to play your father in @elpuebloserie you left us with sympathy, generosity and professionalism, many hugs friend and also to your family, a real shame in the prime of your youth, RIP Julian.”
Ortega appeared in the first season of the Spanish-language Netflix drama Elite, playing the manager of the La Cabaña restaurant.
Elite, which ran for eight seasons before ending in July, followed a group of working-class pupils at a prestigious private school who clash with the rich elite fellow students.
It starred the likes of Omar Ayuso and Itzan Escamilla and was celebrated for its innovative portrayal of class and representation of LGBTQ+ identities.
Ayuso, who played gay Muslim Omar Shanaa, previously said he felt it was his “moral responsibility” to portray such a nuanced character.
“You have to be honest, you have to start from an honest point, especially if you’re talking about a minority that has been marginalised over time,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Everything you do has to help them eventually get to a better place.”
There were several queer relationships in the show, including sex scenes between two gay teens.
Last year, co-creator Carlos Montero said that it was “time to end” the show despite its success.
“Elite changed everyone’s life, there are actors who started with us and it has been their springboard to now be world stars, it is happening to this cast and it is a pride to have contributed to that and to know that they have seen us all over the world and liked it,” he said.
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