Braulio Castillo, whose brief but highly successful career in theater, film and soap operas ended after a brain injury in 1970, died of natural courses yesterday at 81 at the Santa Teresa Jornet Nursing Home in Cupey, the Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora reported. 

Castillo, born in 1933, received a degree in performing arts from the University of Puerto Rico. Throughout the 1950s he was a popular performer in Puerto Rican soap operas. He later relocated to Perú, where he performed the leading role in “Simplemente María,” a hugely popular soap opera that made him and Peruvian actress Saby Kamalich household names throughout Latin America. In Perú, Castillo was the first MC of the international children’s puppet show based on the Italian fictional character of  Topo Giglio. He then moved to Mexico during the 1960s, and performed in Mexican films such as “El Cielo y Tu” (“Heaven and You”) and the box office hit “Renzo el Gitano,” among others.

In 1970, at the age of 37, Castillo sustained a serious head injury while filming a scene for a movie. He survived, but the injury left him with lasting problems with concentration, speech and memory.

His two sons, Braulio Castillo Jr and Jorge Castillo, are also actors.

His casket will be at the Ateneo Puertorriqueño on Tuesday for fans to pay their respects.