"He fell as gently as a tree falls."  (The Little Prince.  Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

 Rene Pedraza del Prado was born in Miami, Florida on January 27th, 1961. His mother, Pura del Prado, was an illustrious Cuban Poet Laureate.  His father Jorge Pedraza was in the airline industry. On his mother's side Rene is descended from the Armands, a theatre troupe which performed throughout Southern France and Spain at the turn of the century. His father's work took the family to Los Angeles in 1971, and when he was ten years old he began acting there in local children's theater groups.  He would carry the passion for theater with him for the rest of his life. 

As a precocious teen Rene majored in Acting at the New World Center for The Arts, in Miami, Florida under the direction of his professor, Teresa Maria Rojas, Prometeo.  Her primary focus was Stanislavsky's famed "method" approach which Rene used with other schools of thought in developing characters for his theatrical, film and television work. His first feature appearance was in Invasion U.S.A. (1985). This led to various appearances in episodic television such as Miami Vice (1980s) and Wiseguy (1980s).  Under the direction of Tony Richardson, alongside Jessica Lange and Tommy Lee Jones, 1994's "Bluesky" was a watershed professional experience for Rene.  The film garnered Jessica Lange a long-deserved Best Actress win.

After hurricane Andrew and his father's death in 1992, Rene moved to Durham, North Carolina for a self-imposed exile from life in Miami and acting.  He began to concentrate on his writing.   It was in Durham in 1994 where he met his life's love, partner and friend Buzz, a deep relationship that endured for almost 30 years.  He passed away in the home they had made for each other in Potomac, Maryland; a beautiful, unique space they shared with a menagerie of friends and family for 20 years. He left behind his beloved pets, Cheech and Bogey.  His soul now mingles with those already gone, Rebar, Moses, Sunny Boy and Babou.  Nestor, Ingrid, Joe and Mike. Natalie and Byron. Malcolm.  Jill, Michael, Betty, David and all the rest.

 When his mother passed away in 1996, Rene took her body to be interred in Santiago, Cuba. His translation of his mother's poem, The Island, was included in Oscar and Lori Hijuelos' anthology of bilingual translations of Cuba's major poetic voices by Simon & Schuster in 2006 under the name: Burnt Sugar. A comedic actress in her youth, she studied journalism and drama at the University of Havana and also participated in clandestine activities as a revolutionary during Cuba's struggles against the dictator Fulgencio Batista. Persecuted for her involvement with student revolutionary groups and hunted by Batista's state police, she escaped to Mexico City to live with Castro's sister.

Rene accomplished a life-long ambition by graduating from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 2018, with a Bachelor of Arts focusing on Cuban Woman Artists.  Since that time, Rene devoted himself to teaching youths of all ages. Rene particularly enjoyed teaching languages, the arts and theater to his students; he excelled in sharing his passion and inspiration with them.

Rene traveled the world extensively, including during his  time as a Yeoman in the U.S. Navy.  He shot videos and movies.  He was an epic gardener, writer, poet, painter and friend. His frequent published comments to the New York Times were legendary.  Rene made us all laugh, sang to us and danced with joy. He had a kind and generous spirit.  His was a well-lived life. Rene was truly loved, and by those who knew him he will be greatly missed.  

"Making things more beautiful and good. And hopefully, seeing more of the likes of people who genuinely love me, warts and all. All those I consider among my most prized human connections in this brief transit we call life. You.  

All my love, kiddos. Your presences are everything to me."

René Pedraza del Prado

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/rene-pedraza-del-prado/obituary/

Copy