Benalmádena

Leo Harlem receives the Una Vida de Cine Award from the Benalmádena festival

The Benalmádena International Film Festival (FICCAB) has presented its Una Vida de Cine Award to actor Leo Harlem, at the 25th edition of the event, according to the Benalmádena City Council.

FJCG · Published on October 17, 2026 at 07:15

Tres hombres en un escenario; el del centro sostiene un trofeo ante una pantalla con un caballito de mar y el texto Premio Una vida de cine. — Photo: Ayuntamiento de Benalmádena

The actor Leo Harlem has received the Una Vida de Cine Award given by the Benalmádena International Film Festival (FICCAB), which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The recognition honours a career of more than two decades dedicated to humour on stage, in film and on television.

An award for two decades of humour

The award was presented on Friday, October 16, at an event where the mayor, Juan Antonio Lara, handed the trophy to the performer. After receiving it, Harlem dedicated the award to the audience: «Cinema has made me very happy. When you do something it is so that people enjoy it. The public has treated me very well and that is why I want to dedicate it to the viewers: without an audience there is nothing».

Talk with Tomás García

After the presentation, the comedian Tomás García held a talk with the actor. García noted that «I have worked with so many children that I am ready to sing the lottery like the children of San Ildefonso. Kids now behave in front of the camera like true professionals, since they have grown up with TikTok, mobile phones and screens». Asked about the Málaga comedian Chiquito de la Calzada, Harlem recalled that they worked together on ‘Torrente 5: Operación Eurovegas’: «We had a great time. I have worked on the joke genre a little: you have to have spectacular time management or do it like Chiquito, who stretched it out and used a vocabulary that changed the way an entire country spoke».

Career of the award winner

Leonardo González Feliz, known artistically as Leo Harlem, began his career in humour in the early 2000s and achieved popularity thanks to ‘El Club de la Comedia’. His move into film came later, with ‘Torrente 5: Operación Eurovegas’, by Santiago Segura, and since then he has taken part in titles such as ‘Villaviciosa de al lado’, ‘El mejor verano de mi vida’, ‘Perdiendo el este’, ‘Hasta que la boda nos separe’, ‘Superagente Makey’, ‘A todo tren. Destino Asturias’, ‘Como Dios manda’, ‘Vacaciones de verano’ and ‘La familia Benetón’, as well as the ‘Padre no hay más que uno’ saga.