Francisco León Barrios, known as Paco León (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpako leˈon]) is a Spanish actor, producer, director, screenwriter and activist.
Born in Seville, León began his career in television comedy roles in Andalusian regional productions. Following appearances in sketch show Homo Zapping, he became popular in Spain for his performance from 2005 to 2014 in sitcom Aída, portraying Luisma, a good-natured rehabilitated drug addict. In addition to his acting career, he has also pursued an activity as a filmmaker and show creator, starting with his debut feature Carmina or Blow Up (2012), for which he was nominated to the Goya Award for Best New Director. He has since featured in series such as The House of Flowers and Arde Madrid (also show creator) and films such as Kiki, Love to Love (also director).
He is also a prominent campaigner for HIV/AIDS causes.
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Career
León's first roles were in comedy television, on Mariquilla Ríe Perlas and Castillos en el aire in 1999. These played on Canal Sur, the channel of Andalusia. León has had success in theatre throughout his career, first appearing on stage in 2001. He moved to Madrid in 2003 to continue his career, where his first big job was impersonating personalities on Homo Zapping, where he was noticed for popular imitations of women like Anne Igartiburu and Raquel Revuelta. He is best known for playing Luisma, a recovering drug addict, on Aída, a role he played for nine years and which garnered him many Best Actor awards.
