Today Leo Harlem turns 62, and for more than twenty of those years he has devoted himself to comedy, becoming one of the most recognizable figures on the Spanish stage. However, few people know that his journey into show business began entirely by chance, and before that Leonardo González Féliz, as he is actually named, held several jobs completely unrelated to acting.
A pivotal turn in his life occurred in 2002. That year, his friends secretly submitted a video of one of his amateur performances to the popular show ‘El club de la comedia.’ To everyone’s surprise, not only did he make it through the selection process, he finished fourth in the final of the Third Monologue Contest. At that moment, it was hard to imagine that the show which opened the stage to him would become his primary workplace for many years. Later, he would go on to appear in projects like ‘La hora de José Mota,’ and achieve film success with comedies such as ‘Villaviciosa de al lado’ and ‘La familia Benetón.’
Before his life took this dramatic turn, Leonardo lived a completely ordinary existence. He grew up in Valladolid, although he is originally from Matarrosa del Sil in the province of León. As a high school student, he helped his father in the family bakery, learning the basics of the trade. Later, he entered university, where he tried studying architecture first, then law. Harlem himself has admitted that he was a rather lazy student in his youth and didn’t focus much on his studies, always searching for his true path.
Eventually, he left university and found his path in a completely different field. From age 28 to 40, he worked primarily as a bartender at a Valladolid venue called “Harlem.” It was this very place that gave him the stage name by which the whole country came to know him. He would recall this experience as an invaluable school of life. Working from early evening till late at night, surrounded by partying crowds while he was on the job, taught him a lot and shaped his character.
He took his first steps as an amateur comedian thanks to his friend Mariano, owner of the bar “La Salamandra.” Seeing Leo’s talent, Mariano insisted that he try performing on stage. That’s how his first small gigs began—one of which was recorded on video and catapulted him to fame.
Despite his public profile, Leo Harlem carefully guards his private life. He prefers not to touch on politics, religion, or personal relationships in his routines, believing that humor should bring people together and ease tension rather than create it. The only known fact is that he has been in a long-term relationship with a woman named Nuria, whom he met back in his student days. The couple made a conscious decision not to have children. Harlem explained that this was due to the great responsibility involved and lack of time because of his busy work schedule.
