# Humberto Zurita
**Humberto Zurita** (Humberto Zurita Moreno, born 1954, Torreón, Coahuila) is a Mexican actor, television producer and director whose career spans more than 40 years and more than 100 projects across telenovelas, film and theater[1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/) • [2](https://www.nacion.com/viva/television/entrevista-con-el-actor-humberto-zurita-con-los/ML5URH63VJGYFAPCKHOHCVHTLI/story/). He became a leading man at Televisa during the 1980s, won the Ariel for his film work, and later reinvented himself as an independent producer and as a character actor for [Telemundo](https://www.edgepedia.org/telemundo) and streaming platforms, most notably as Epifanio Vargas in *La reina del sur*[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico[1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0958784/) |
| Training | Centro Universitario de Teatro (CUT), UNAM, 1976–1979, with Héctor Mendoza and Luis de Tavira[5](https://laotraplana.mx/humberto-zurita-un-actor-lagunero-que-abrio-senderos-2/) |
| Breakthrough role | Alberto Limonta in *El derecho de nacer* (1981), directed by Ernesto Alonso[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/humberto-zurita/umc.cpc.17mvsfets2y4xb8o150acjj5z) |
| Career totals | 39 films (7 as producer), 39 telenovelas (12 as producer, one as director), 7 series, 37 stage works (19 as producer)[7](https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/espectaculos/2022/09/27/quien-es-humberto-zurita-el-actor-productor-y-yerno-de-sylvia-pasquel/) |
| Top honors | Ariel for Best Actor (*Bajo la metralla*, 1984); 5 TVyNovelas as actor and 2 as producer; 2 Diosas de Plata; 2 ACE awards[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/) • [7](https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/espectaculos/2022/09/27/quien-es-humberto-zurita-el-actor-productor-y-yerno-de-sylvia-pasquel/) |
| Production company | ZUBA, founded with his wife Christian Bach (died 2019) and his brother Gerardo Zurita[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/) |
| Signature later role | Epifanio Vargas in *La reina del sur* (2011 and 2019)[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/) |
## Early life and training
Zurita was born in Torreón, Coahuila, in the Laguna region of northern Mexico, the son of Armando Zurita Rodríguez and Guadalupe Moreno[1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/) • [8](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=cineasta&table_id=670). In 1976 he moved to Mexico City to train professionally, entering the Centro Universitario de Teatro (CUT) of the [National Autonomous University of Mexico](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-autonomous-university-of-mexico), where he studied from 1976 to 1979 with the director Luis de Tavira and acted under the director Héctor Mendoza[5](https://laotraplana.mx/humberto-zurita-un-actor-lagunero-que-abrio-senderos-2/) • [3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/). His university-stage work included *Vámonos a la Guerra*, *Don Quijote* and *Y con Nausístrata ¿Qué?*[5](https://laotraplana.mx/humberto-zurita-un-actor-lagunero-que-abrio-senderos-2/).
His professional theater debut came in Molière's *El avaro* alongside Ignacio López Tarso, and he also appeared in *Jesucristo Superestrella*; early stage roles included *El rey Lear* and *Madame Butterfly*[1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/) • [7](https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/espectaculos/2022/09/27/quien-es-humberto-zurita-el-actor-productor-y-yerno-de-sylvia-pasquel/).
## Television career: the Televisa years
Zurita entered television through Televisa telenovelas beginning with *Una mujer* (1978), followed by *Muchacha de barrio* (1979)[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/humberto-zurita/umc.cpc.17mvsfets2y4xb8o150acjj5z) • [1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/). Sources differ on which role counts as his first lead: La Razón calls *Muchacha de barrio* (1979) his first starring role, while Apple TV identifies his first lead as Alberto Limonta, the doctor at the center of *El derecho de nacer* (1981)[1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/humberto-zurita/umc.cpc.17mvsfets2y4xb8o150acjj5z). Either way, *El derecho de nacer*, produced by Ernesto Alonso, made him a leading man[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/humberto-zurita/umc.cpc.17mvsfets2y4xb8o150acjj5z).
Through the 1980s and early 1990s he anchored Televisa's prime-time slate: *El maleficio*, *De pura sangre* (1985), *Encadenados*, *Al filo de la muerte* (1990), *Capricho* (1993), *El vuelo del águila* (1994), in which he played the adult [Porfirio Díaz](https://www.edgepedia.org/porfirio-diaz), and *Alguna vez tendremos alas* (1997) opposite [Kate del Castillo](https://www.edgepedia.org/kate-del-castillo)[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/) • [1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/). *De pura sangre* won TVyNovelas Best Telenovela of the Year[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/humberto-zurita/umc.cpc.17mvsfets2y4xb8o150acjj5z).
## Film and stage work
His film debut was *El día que murió Pedro Infante* (1982), which brought him acting awards that year[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/). The Library of Congress authority record dates Felipe Cazals's thriller *Bajo la metralla* to 1982, while IMDb, Apple TV and SensaCine list 1983; the discrepancy is unresolved[9](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr00038173.html) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0958784/). In it he played an urban guerrilla and won the Ariel, Mexico's film academy award, for Best Actor[5](https://laotraplana.mx/humberto-zurita-un-actor-lagunero-que-abrio-senderos-2/) • [3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/).
Later film work includes *Propiedad ajena* (2008), as Coronel Grossman, and *Bajo la sal* (2008), as comandante Trujillo[1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/). Behind the camera he directed the film *Jazabel* (1993) and the telenovela *La chacala* (1998)[10](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/actores/actor-698692/biografia/) • [1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/). Theater has run through his whole career: ZUBA produced stage works including *El Protagonista* by the Argentine dramatist Luis Agustoni, and in recent years he has toured and starred in *¡Papito querido!*, in which he plays a woman on stage[5](https://laotraplana.mx/humberto-zurita-un-actor-lagunero-que-abrio-senderos-2/) • [11](https://www.excelsior.com.mx/funcion/humberto-zurita-solo-se-vive-una-vez/1636693).
## Producing and the partnership with Christian Bach
Zurita married the Argentine actress [Christian Bach](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-bach) in 1986 after they co-starred in *De pura sangre*; they had two sons, Sebastián and Emiliano[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/) • [1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/). Together with his brother, the producer Gerardo Zurita, they founded the production company ZUBA[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/). Sources disagree on when: Apple TV places its formation in 1981, La Razón dates production under the Zuba banner to the mid-1990s starting with *Bajo un mismo rostro* (1995), and MundoNow suggests around 1999[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/humberto-zurita/umc.cpc.17mvsfets2y4xb8o150acjj5z) • [1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/). What is consistent is the catalog: ZUBA produced telenovelas including *Bajo un mismo rostro* (1995), *Cañaveral de pasiones* (1996), *La chacala*, *Azul tequila* (1998 or 1999, depending on the source), *El candidato* (1999), *La calle de las novias* (2000) and *Agua y aceite* (2002), plus stage productions[1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/) • [3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/) • [10](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/actores/actor-698692/biografia/).
Christian Bach died in February 2019; Zurita continued working, and their sons have gone into business and production careers of their own[2](https://www.nacion.com/viva/television/entrevista-con-el-actor-humberto-zurita-con-los/ML5URH63VJGYFAPCKHOHCVHTLI/story/) • [12](https://diariocorreo.pe/espectaculos/humberto-zurita-actor-y-productor-hay-clasicos-en-las-telenovelas-que-son-dificiles-de-superar-entrevista-noticia/).
## Later career and the streaming era
In 1997 Zurita left Televisa for TV Azteca, working as both actor and producer for about four years before moving to the United States[7](https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/espectaculos/2022/09/27/quien-es-humberto-zurita-el-actor-productor-y-yerno-de-sylvia-pasquel/) • [12](https://diariocorreo.pe/espectaculos/humberto-zurita-actor-y-productor-hay-clasicos-en-las-telenovelas-que-son-dificiles-de-superar-entrevista-noticia/). From 2003 he worked with Telemundo on *Ladrón de corazones* (2003), *Los plateados* (2005) and *Marina* (2007)[1](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/).
His defining later role is Epifanio Vargas, the Sinaloa drug lord of *La reina del sur*, which he played in both the 2011 and 2019 seasons; the series was streaming on Netflix when he discussed it in a 2023 interview[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/) • [12](https://diariocorreo.pe/espectaculos/humberto-zurita-actor-y-productor-hay-clasicos-en-las-telenovelas-que-son-dificiles-de-superar-entrevista-noticia/). He also starred as the drug trafficker Benedictino García in Telemundo's *La querida del centauro* (2016), played the title role of Carlos Camacho in the Fox series *El Capitán Camacho* on Fox App, and joined *100 días para enamorarnos* (2020) as Ramiro Rivera[6](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/humberto-zurita/umc.cpc.17mvsfets2y4xb8o150acjj5z) • [2](https://www.nacion.com/viva/television/entrevista-con-el-actor-humberto-zurita-con-los/ML5URH63VJGYFAPCKHOHCVHTLI/story/) • [3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/).
**Recent work.** *¡Papito querido!* ran at the Teatro San Rafael in Mexico City with a run through 10 March, and he toured it to Lima in May, playing the teatro del Colegio San Agustín on 20 and 21 May; at the time he was also set to film a series in Colombia between April and June[11](https://www.excelsior.com.mx/funcion/humberto-zurita-solo-se-vive-una-vez/1636693) • [12](https://diariocorreo.pe/espectaculos/humberto-zurita-actor-y-productor-hay-clasicos-en-las-telenovelas-que-son-dificiles-de-superar-entrevista-noticia/).
## By the numbers
As of a September 2022 profile, Zurita counted 68 years of age and 44 active in entertainment, with a ledger of 39 films (7 as producer), 39 telenovelas (12 as producer and one as director), 7 series, three of them made in Italy, and 37 stage works (19 as producer)[7](https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/espectaculos/2022/09/27/quien-es-humberto-zurita-el-actor-productor-y-yerno-de-sylvia-pasquel/). La Nación's interview around 2019 put the overall total above 100 projects across television, film and theater as actor, producer and director[2](https://www.nacion.com/viva/television/entrevista-con-el-actor-humberto-zurita-con-los/ML5URH63VJGYFAPCKHOHCVHTLI/story/). The figures show that he has carried producing credits across film, telenovela and stage work.
## Awards and recognition
Zurita's awards cluster around his 1980s peak. The 1984 Ariel for Best Actor recognized *Bajo la metralla*, the same year he took Diosas de Plata male revelation and TVyNovelas Best Villain for *El maleficio*; in 1985 he won an ACE award for *El maleficio* and the Diosas de Plata for Best Actor for *El día que murió Pedro Infante*[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/). TVyNovelas named him Best Lead Actor for *De pura sangre* (1986), *Encadenados* (1989), *Al filo de la muerte* (1992) and *El vuelo del águila* (1995)[3](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/). In aggregate El Financiero counts 5 TVyNovelas as actor, 2 as producer, 2 Diosas de Plata, 1 Ariel, 2 ACE awards and 1 ACPT theater award[7](https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/espectaculos/2022/09/27/quien-es-humberto-zurita-el-actor-productor-y-yerno-de-sylvia-pasquel/). [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) additionally records a 2009 Silver Goddess nomination for Best Actor and a 2015 nomination for Best Supporting Actor[13](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/humberto-zurita/bio/3030564008/).
## References
1. [Llegará Humberto Zurita a los 59 años, previo a dirigir obra teatral — La Razón de México](https://www.razon.com.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/01/llegara-humberto-zurita-a-los-59-anos-previo-a-dirigir-obra-teatral/)
2. [Entrevista con el actor Humberto Zurita — La Nación (Costa Rica)](https://www.nacion.com/viva/television/entrevista-con-el-actor-humberto-zurita-con-los/ML5URH63VJGYFAPCKHOHCVHTLI/story/)
3. [Humberto Zurita — Biografía — MundoNow](https://www.mundonow.com/humberto-zurita-biografia/)
4. [Humberto Zurita (I) — IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0958784/)
5. [Humberto Zurita, un actor lagunero que abrió senderos — La Otra Plana](https://laotraplana.mx/humberto-zurita-un-actor-lagunero-que-abrio-senderos-2/)
6. [Humberto Zurita — Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/humberto-zurita/umc.cpc.17mvsfets2y4xb8o150acjj5z)
7. [¿Quién es Humberto Zurita, el actor, productor y 'yerno' de Sylvia Pasquel? — El Financiero](https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/espectaculos/2022/09/27/quien-es-humberto-zurita-el-actor-productor-y-yerno-de-sylvia-pasquel/)
8. [Humberto Zurita — Sistema de Información Cultural, Secretaría de Cultura (Mexico)](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=cineasta&table_id=670)
9. [Zurita, Humberto, 1954- — Library of Congress Name Authority Record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr00038173.html)
10. [Humberto Zurita: Su biografía — SensaCine México](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/actores/actor-698692/biografia/)
11. [Humberto Zurita: sólo se vive una vez — Excélsior](https://www.excelsior.com.mx/funcion/humberto-zurita-solo-se-vive-una-vez/1636693)
12. [Humberto Zurita, actor y productor: entrevista — Correo](https://diariocorreo.pe/espectaculos/humberto-zurita-actor-y-productor-hay-clasicos-en-las-telenovelas-que-son-dificiles-de-superar-entrevista-noticia/)
13. [Humberto Zurita Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards — TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/humberto-zurita/bio/3030564008/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of Latin America and Iberia › Mexican screen actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license