THE Life & Career of Actor

                                                                                    (7/4/1931 - 6/2/1977)

Photo Courtesy of José Luis Alvarez Fermosel

Dear Madam:

I've received your mail, dated on 26 July 2001. Thank you.

I met Stephen Boyd in Almería (Andalucía, South of Spain): something like the "Cantimpalo" (1) western kingdom. I worked then (1968) for the Spanish news agency EFE, as a very young reporter. They sent me to Almería to interview Stephen Boyd, among some other North American actors and actresses --I think that Stephen was born in Belfast, Ireland--, who were acting in a film entitled "Shalako". A western, of course. A bottom budget Spanish-USA film.

Stephen and I had one day a very early breakfast, besides the blue sea, in a beautiful beach close to Almería, named "Agua Dulce" (Sweet Water). He was a fantastic person and had an excellent sense of humor. At the end of the interview, we already were friends. He talked to me about his entire life, or almost. I remember that, in one particular moment, with a bit of emotion in his blue eyes, told me that he was coming from a very poor family composed by father, mother and... eleven brothers! They lived in a house... with only one bathroom! Can you imagine? Thirteen people in one house, not very big, and with only one bathroom! (Excuse me if I sound eschatologic)

--Do you remember the most unforgettable moment of your life?, I asked him. We were walking. He was smoking a Cuban cigar. The sea was sparkling in the distance.

--Yes --he said--: the most unforgettable moment of my life was when I become an actor, began to make some money and, therefore, I was able to buy a great, big, enormous house to my family... With many bathrooms!

When I came back to Madrid, where my central offices were, I wrote a good story, I think.

Time certainly goes by. Some years later I met Stephen Boyd in London. We used to walk the streets of the West End eating fish and chips and talking about Spain. He was always gentle, humble and humouristic.

Later on, we had the chance of having some whiskies at The River Cafe, in Brooklyn, New York. (This is told in my book "¡A comer con gusto! con el Caballero Español". There's a picture of both of us, together, in the book in question).

Time went by... Once I was traveling by car from Hendaya (France) to Madrid. The radio was on. Suddenly, the speaker said: "We regret to inform that the great actor Stephen Boyd has died this very morning. His death was due to a myocardial infarction". He was 49, if I'm not wrong.

I hope to have been helpful to you. I'm at your orders.

High regards.

José Luis Alvarez Fermosel

(1) "Cantimpalo" is the named of a Spanish highly seasoned pork sausage. When Italian movies maker Sergio Leone started to film the so called "Spaghetti" westerns, Spain, in coproduction with several North American companies, counterattacked with its "Cantimpalo" westerns.