Luis María Larrañaga Merlo (born June 13, 1966), known as Luis Merlo, is a Spanish actor.
Biography
Early years
Luis Merlo was born on June 13, 1966, in Madrid.[1] As a child, he frequently traveled with his parents, Carlos Larrañaga and María Luisa Merlo, who were also actors,[2] and he became accustomed to seeing them on their theatrical tours, both performing and backstage, along with his three siblings: Amparo Larrañaga, Kako Larrañaga, and Pedro Larrañaga, who is married to the actress Maribel Verdú.
Thus, as a child, Merlo regarded the art of acting as something natural. The influence of his maternal grandfather, Ismael Merlo, who took care of him after the divorce of his parents, reinforced this idea. The fact that, in his early years, he released an album for young children, confirmed his interest in the arts.
As a young man, Merlo took dance classes for a year, after which he studied a degree in drama. When Merlo had finished his studies, Mario Gas gave him his very first acting role in a version of Salomé, produced by the Núria Espert company in 1985.
Apart from cinema, he has been a regular face on Spanish television, with notable roles in Aquí no hay quien viva, Hospital Central and El Internado. In 2016, he made his debut in La que se avecina, reuniting with many of his former colleagues from Aquí no hay quien viva.