Actor and theater teacher Gabriel Prieto Escobar died at 65, as confirmed on Sunday, October 11. ChileActores announced the news on Instagram, where farewell messages from his colleagues gathered in the comments on the same post.
According to ADN Radio, television and performing arts figures used social media to bid farewell to the actor. Many particularly remembered his work in the classroom.
"Dear Gabo. Have a good journey, teacher. I will remember your enthusiasm, your smile and your constant support. Thank you for making us play," actress Mariana Loyola wrote. Luz Valdivieso commented: "I can't believe it, dear Gabriel". Cristián Arriagada wrote to him: "Always so kind, Gabriel. May your journey be just as generous to you."
Comedian Alison Mandel posted a photograph with him on her Instagram stories. "Have a good journey, teacher. He was the teacher who scolded me the most at theater school and, without a doubt, the one who was happiest about all my work," she wrote. She added that his lessons gave her "a great deal of discipline" in her craft.
BioBioChile reported that Mario Horton, Cristian Riquelme, Alonso Quintero and Dayana Amigo also left messages. Teatro Ictus, one of the country's oldest independent companies, bid him farewell "with great sorrow" and called him "a great Chilean actor, friend and beautiful person."
Prieto became known to audiences through soap operas from the end of the last century and the beginning of this one, such as Los Títeres, Loca Piel, Brujas, Dama y obrero and Te doy la vida. He also acted in comedies such as La Nany and Casado con hijos.
Away from the cameras, he worked in theater. According to the website Tecache, he was one of the founders of the Teatro Aparte company, alongside Rodrigo Bastidas, Elena Muñoz and Magdalena Max-Neef. He also trained new generations of actors at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
His final years were marked by health problems. In September 2022, he contracted COVID-19, which led to multisystem organ failure, aggravated by his diabetes. He spent about a month in an induced coma.
After a long rehabilitation, he regained his mobility and returned to the stage in early 2025 with the play La Nona. The sources did not report the cause of his death. ChileActores is expected to provide details of his wake and funeral.
