He was known for his work in film, telenovelas, and other television series, including the Mexican sitcom, El Chavo del Ocho.
[1] After early schooling, he began studying theater in 1949 at the Instituto Andrés Soler of the National Association of Actors (ANDA).
[1] Stavans made his acting debut, at the age of 20, in the Spanish-language stage productions of "Las cinco preciosidades francesas" and "Prueba de fuego" by American playwright Arthur Miller.
His notable roles included Once Upon a Scoundrel (1973), a James Bond film, Licence to Kill (1989); Original Sin (2001), in which he played opposite Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas; Morirse está en hebreo [es] (2007), and The Story of Pancho Villa.
[3] He was survived by his three children: Ilan Stavans, an essayist and professor at Columbia University in the United States, Darien, and Liora Stavchansky.