An actor who appeared in a Netflix series died Sunday after collapsing at a beach in Spain.
Julian Ortega, who appeared in the Spanish-language series “Elite,” suffered a cardiac arrest, TMZ reported.
The 41-year-old collapsed on the shore of Zahora Beach in Barbate, on Spain’s Atlantic coast, the U.S. Sun reported.
It was initially reported that the actor drowned, but local authorities confirmed that he was on the shore when stricken.
“Lifeguards attempted to revive him for half an hour before he was pronounced dead on scene,” according to the TMZ report.
The tragedy unfolded as patrons of the nearby La Calima beach bar looked on, the Sun reported.
Ortega earned a degree in gestural interpretation from the RESAD, the Royal Higher College of Performing Arts according to an obituary published by the Spanish actors’ union.
RESAD describes itself on its website as “the oldest Spanish theatre training center and one of the most prestigious in the world.”
“Our deepest condolences to his family and friends from the Union of Actors and Actresses. Rest in peace,” the union’s notice concluded.
“Julian’s mother, Gloria Munoz, and father, Jose Antonio Ortega, are both actors, as well,” the U.S. Sun reported.
He was best known in the U.S. for the series “Elite,” in which he appeared in six episodes in 2018, Deadline reported. He also appeared on the Amazon Prime crime drama “Caronte.”
He appeared in numerous national series and films in his home country, Spain.
Ortega played the manager of La Cabana restaurant in the first season of “Elite,” which ran from 2018 through 2024.
“‘Elite’ follows a group of working-class teens who enroll in a prestigious private high school and clash with the established elite,” according to Variety.
In 2019, the show won “killer series” at the MTV MIAW Latin American awards.
