Manolo Cardona

Manuel "Manolo" Julián Cardona Molano is a Colombian actor who has established a broad career across television and feature films. He is widely recognized for his performances in notable television productions such as the Netflix series Who Killed Sara? and the highly rated drama series El Cartel de los Sapos.

Cardona was born in Popayán, Cauca, Colombia. At seven years old, his family gave him the nickname "Manolo," which he eventually adopted as his stage name. He grew up in a family with three brothers and one sister; his mother worked as a psychologist, merchant, and astrologer, while his father served as a politician and mayor of Popayán. At eighteen, Cardona relocated to Cali, Colombia, to study finance and international relations before moving to Spain to complete an education in film.

His career in entertainment began in modeling after his older brother introduced him to an agency. By fourteen, Cardona appeared in his first television commercial, subsequently modeling for print, television, and runway campaigns across Colombia. In 1995, he launched his acting career on the Colombian television series Padres e hijos, performing on the show for three years. He secured his first leading role in the 1998 telenovela Carolina Barrantes, followed by a starring role in ¿Por qué diablos? in 1999 and an appearance in Amor a mil in 2001.

Cardona expanded his international presence in 2002 by signing a contract with Telemundo and Argos Comunicación. He made his Mexican telenovela debut in 2003 as Gustavo Velazco in Ladrón de Corazones, hosted Telemundo's Spanish-language adaptation of Temptation Island, and acted in Gitanas. His feature film debut came in 2005 with Rosario Tijeras, an adaptation of Jorge Franco's novel that received a Goya Award nomination for best foreign film. That same year, he starred in La mujer de mi hermano, which saw a United States release in 2006, and completed filming Madrid-Mexico.

Cardona continued to take on major roles across film and television, returning to Telemundo to star in Marina. In 2008, he appeared in the film Beverly Hills Chihuahua and played a central role in Caracol TV's El Cartel de los Sapos, a record-breaking series that also led to a film adaptation. He went on to star as a gay painter in the award-winning drama Undertow, which earned the World Cinema Drama Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. His subsequent credits include the series Tiempo final, the movie La Ultima Muerte, and the Spanish series Sin tetas no hay paraíso.

In addition to acting, Cardona co-directed and produced the 2009 short film Risas Inocentes through his company 11:11 Films, which later established a partnership deal with Viacom International Studios. On television, he portrayed the main character Alex Guzmán in Netflix's Who Killed Sara? Outside of his screen work, Cardona is involved in charitable efforts focusing on children's well-being and education, and he was honored with a Latin Pride Award in 2007.