Gustavo Carlos Zerbino Stajano (born May 16, 1953) is a Uruguayan businessman, motivational speaker, sports executive and former rugby union player.[1] He is known for being one of the 16 survivors of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 that crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972.
Gustavo Zerbino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of the Uruguayan Rugby Union | |
| In office 20 December 2007 – 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Pablo Ferrari |
| Succeeded by | Marcello Calandra |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gustavo Carlos Zerbino Stajano 16 May 1953 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | University of the Republic |
| Occupation |
|
Early life and education
editGustavo Zerbino was born in Montevideo on May 16, 1953, as the son of lawyer Jorge Zerbino Cavajani and his wife Susana Stajano Ferreiro.[2] He is one of the couple's nine children,[3] and a maternal descendant of Carlos Stajano, one of the founders of Carrasco Polo Club.[4] Raised in the Carrasco neighborhood, he attended Stella Maris College and played for its alumni rugby union team, Old Christians.[5]
In 1972, he enrolled at the University of the Republic to study medicine.[6] On October 13, at the age of 19, he was a passenger on Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 that crashed in the Andes and was one of those who survived 72 days in the mountains.[7]
Career
editAfter returning to Uruguay from the Andes, Zerbino continued studying medicine but ultimately did not graduate.[8] Instead, he earned a business administration degree from the University of the Republic.[9] He also continued playing rugby union, he was a member of the national team, and participated in the 1973 and 1977 South American Rugby championships, in which Uruguay finished as runner-up.[10]
Since 1980, he has been director of Cibeles S.A., his family's pharmaceutical company founded in 1975.[11] He also has served as president of the Chamber of Pharmaceutical and Related Specialties of Uruguay (CEFA).[12]
He is co-founder and vice president of Rugby sin Fronteras (Spanish for 'Rugby without Borders'), a foundation created in 2009 with the aim of promoting the values of this sport through awareness campaigns, events, conferences and sporting events.[13] In addition, as a sports executive and administrator, in December 2007 he was elected president of the Uruguayan Rugby Union,[14] and in 2009 was re-elected for a second two-year term.[15] In 2011 he was succeeded by Marcello Calandra.[16]
Personal life
editZerbino was married for thirteen years to Paqui Paysée, with whom he had four children, Gustavo, Sebastián, Lucas, and Martín, the latter was a member of the band Toco Para Vos.[17]
In 2000 he began a relationship with the Argentine María González whom he later married. Together they had two daughters, Luma —Gonzalez's maiden daughter, whom Zerbino adopted—, and Lupita.[18] They both divorced and in October 2019, María González died of breast cancer.[19]
Filmography
editZerbino was portrayed by actor David Kriegel in Frank Marshall's 1993 feature film Alive, and by Tomás Wolf in the 2023 feature film, Society of the Snow.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Alive: 20 Years Later | himself | video documentary |
| 2007 | Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains | himself | documentary |
| 2009 | Independent Lens' (Stranded: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors) | himself | TV series documentary |
| 2010 | I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash | himself | documentary aired on History Channel |
| 2023 | Society of the Snow | Rugby Coach | feature film |
References
edit- ^ "'En las situaciones difíciles me muevo como un pez en el agua' | elmundo.es". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ "Revista del Old Christians Club - July 2011". Revista del Old Christians Club: 41.
- ^ "Gustavo Zerbino: «Sigo subiendo a aviones. El cobarde muere todos los días; el valiente, una»". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 2021-04-13. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "El Club". Carrasco Polo Club (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "One of the survivors of the Andes tragedy will sell NFTs to support social causes in Uruguay". infobae (in European Spanish). 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "A 50 años de la tragedia de los Andes, Gustavo Zerbino recuerda los 72 días que sobrevivió en la montaña: "Yo tengo la mente apagada permanentemente"". LA NACION (in Spanish). 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ Palomino, Por Ester (2024-01-12). ""La sociedad de la nieve": Gustavo Zerbino, la maleta y un poderoso momento llevado a la película". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "Gustavo Zerbino, superviviente del avión que se estrelló en los Andes: «En cada despegue me persigno»". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ URRABURU, BENITO (2016-03-13). "Gustavo Zerbino: «Lo que sucedió en los Andes fue una historia de amor»". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ Hart-Vorobyoff, Geraldine (2019-07-19). "Gustavo Zerbino: Rugbista al 100% – Rugbiers" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ León, Mayte De. "Sin miedo a equivocarse". El Observador. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "SMU". SMU (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ Blardone, Por Soledad. "La gran cena anual de Rugby sin Fronteras". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ "Asumió Zerbino con directiva de consenso". EL PAIS. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "Zerbino se mantiene por dos años más". EL PAIS. 2009-12-31. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "Montevideo Portal | Movil". www.montevideo.com.uy. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "La cumbia dulce: Meri Deal y el suceso de Toco para vos". EL PAIS. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "Gustavo Zerbino, uno de los 16 sobrevivientes de la tragedia de los Andes: "Fuimos plenamente felices en la montaña sólo por vivir un poco más"". Revista Para Ti (in Spanish). 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ Cabeza, María (2022-09-21). "Tragedia de Los Andes: conmovedor relato de un sobreviviente que "murió dos veces" en la montaña". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "La lección vital de Gustavo Zerbino, superviviente en los Andes: "He vuelto 15 veces al lugar del accidente"". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
External links
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