Carlos Sánchez (Colombian actor)

{{Short description|Colombian actor (1935–2018)}}

{{For|other persons named Carlos Sánchez|Carlos Sánchez (disambiguation)}}

{{family name hatnote|Sánchez|Jaramillo|lang=Spanish}}

Image:Juanvaldez.png as portrayed by Carlos Sánchez]]

Carlos José Sánchez Jaramillo (1935 – December 29, 2018) was a Colombian actor who portrayed Juan Valdez for over thirty years, from 1969 to 2006.[http://juanvaldez.com/menu/advertising/juan.html Juanvaldez.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017003742/http://juanvaldez.com/menu/advertising/juan.html |date=October 17, 2008 }}. In 1969, Carlos Sánchez of Medellín, Colombia, was chosen to replace José F. Duval, a New York-based actor, who had until then portrayed Juan Valdez. Mr. Sánchez has been Juan ever since. He was originally a coffee farmer from Antioquia, Colombia. He was an artist in Medellín, Colombia.

He was born in Fredonia, Colombia, in 1935 and studied at the University of Antioquia before becoming a painter. He died on December 29, 2018, in Medellín, at the age of 83.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/obituaries/carlos-sanchez-dead.html|title=Carlos Sánchez, 83, Dies; Embodied Colombian Coffee as Juan Valdez|first=Daniel E.|last=Slotnik|date=January 9, 2019|publisher=|access-date=February 24, 2019|via=NYTimes.com}}

Juan Valdez is a fictional character that has appeared in advertisements for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia since 1959, representing the Colombian coffee farmer. He typically appears alongside his mule Conchita, carrying sacks of harvested coffee beans. He has become an icon for Colombia as well as coffee in general.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}