Popular Spanish actor and director Fernando Fernán Gómez was born in Lima, Peru, while his mother, noted stage actress Carola Fernán Gómez, was on a South American tour. Since the birth was registered in Argentina, Fernán Gómez considered himself an Argentine citizen. He moved to Spain in 1924 and though he began acting on-stage in 1938, he didn't garner much notice until 1940. In 1943, Fernán Gómez entered films as an actor in Cristina Guzmán (1943) and went on to specialize in fast-paced comedies, though he would occasionally essay dramatic works such as Carlos Saura's Ana y los Lobos/Anna and the Wolves (1972) and Victor Erice's El Espiritu de la Colmena/The Spirit of the Beehive (1973). Fernán Gómez made his directorial debut with Manicomio/Asylum (1952), which he co-directed with Luis M. Delgado. In addition to feature films, Fernán Gómez has also acted and directed in the theater. In 1980, he was honored with a National Cinema Award.