Biography
Enrique Irazoqui (5 July 1944 – 16 September 2020) was a Spanish actor, professor of literature and computer chess expert. Born in Barcelona to a Spanish father and an Italian Jewish mother, he was an economics student and antifascist activist when, aged 19, he was cast by Pier Paolo Pasolini as Jesus Christ in the 1964 film The Gospel According to St. Matthew.
Irazoqui appeared in a small number of other films, including Noche de vino tinto (1966) and Dante no es únicamente severo (1966), and returned to the screen late in life as St John the Baptist in The New Gospel (2020). He worked as a professor of literature after studying in the United States and served as arbiter for the 2002 Brains in Bahrain chess match between Vladimir Kramnik and Deep Fritz. In 2011 he received honorary citizenship of Matera, Italy.
