Marcos Martínez (actor)

Marcos Moreno Martínez (born 24 August 1977) is an Argentine actor and comedian, mostly active in stage and on television.

Marcos Martínez
Born (1977-08-24) 24 August 1977
Oberá, Argentina
NationalityArgentine
OccupationActor
Years active2000–present

Early life

Martínez was born in Oberá, Misiones Province, Argentina, on 24 August 1977. When he was 2 years old, he moved with his family to Luján, Buenos Aires. In Buenos Aires he studied dramatic arts at the Escuela Metropolitana de Arte Dramático (EMAD), graduating in 1999. In 2013, he further completed a technician's degree on cultural administration. Martínez is also a percussionist.[1]

Before reaching success in acting roles, he worked as a taxi driver to make ends meet.[1]

Career

In 2000, Martínez had his film debut in the short film Íconos. He also had minor roles in Tumberos and Un oso rojo in 2002. He also had a minor role in the 2009 telenovela Botineras.[2]

In 2019 he formed Les Limones, a family-oriented music band; Martínez plays the cajón peruano, the bombo legüero, timbaletas and bongos.[3]

Omar Obaca

In 2010, he was hired by satirical magazine NAH! to promote online streaming channel FWTV. As part of the marketing strategy devised by FWTV, Martínez starred in a series of satirical videos ahead of the 2015 general election in the role of "Omar Obaca", a fake presidential candidate whose name and presentation parodied Barack Obama.[1] In the skits, Obaca makes a number of impossible promises, such as using government funds to make Lionel Messi return to play in Argentina, making Argentina an economic powerhouse by stealing from the United States Federal Reserve, paying Argentina’s national debt to China with caramel candy; and reducing crime by having "everyone dress up as the police".[4]

In total, Martínez starred in 30 short clips released on social media. The videos went viral and were extensively shared, reaching up to 7 million views on YouTube. Obaca's popularity led the marketing company to double down by plastering fake campaign posters across the Greater Buenos Aires with comedic slogans, such as "vote black" (a quip on blank vote, as "blank" and "white" are the same word in Spanish), and calling on voters to back "the first black president of Argentina".[5]

The Obaca campaign was discussed by mainstream media in Argentina and received international attention. Among Afro-Argentine circles, the character received mixed responses; Afro-Argentine activist groups condemned the character as a reproduction of harmful stereotypes. Martínez, on the other hand, defended his character contending that there were "much worse things" than a black politician in a suit who is broadly admired.[4]

Despite being a fictional candidate and his name not being on any ballots come election day, he received a number of write-in votes at the PASO primaries in August 2015.[6][7]

Martínez continued to perform as Obaca after the elections, such as during Barack Obama's 2016 state visit to Argentina, when he stood in vigil outside Ezeiza Airport waiting for the US president to arrive.[8]

Personal life

Martínez has two children, a son and a daughter. As of 2021, he has retired from acting.[1]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Íconos Short film
2002 Un oso rojo Ramón
2007 ¿De quién es el portaligas? El Puma
2014 El Encuentro de Guayaquil

References
  1. Gómez Blanco, Alejandro (7 November 2021). "¿Te acordás de Omar Obaca?: El candidato ficticio que se convirtió en un fenómeno viral en las redes". InfoCielo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  2. "Obaca: la historia del actor "candidato"". Perfil (in Spanish). 23 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023.
  3. "«Les Limones», animados e internacionales". Ladran Sancho (in Spanish). 9 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. Bernas, Frederick; Ghogomu, Diane (22 October 2015). "A Fictional Candidate Draws Attention, and Criticism, in Argentina". The New York Times (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  5. Reina, Laura (16 May 2015). "¿Quién es Obaca? El candidato político creado por la TV online". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  6. Blanco, Pablo Javier (6 May 2015). "Obaca, el insólito candidato que quiere ser el primer presidente negro del país". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  7. De Carlos, Carmen (8 May 2015). "Obaca, un candidato negro para presidir Argentina". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  8. "Obaca esperó a Obama: un imitador en Argentina hizo guardia en aeropuerto". Radio France Internationale (in Spanish). 23 March 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
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