He directed works such as Silencio: locos trabajando in which Mexican acting legends such as Héctor Suárez, Fernando Luján, Martha Navarro and Susana Alexander also participated.

He directed the theater production Ensalada de locos with Manuel "El Loco" Valdés, Héctor Lechuga and Alejandro Suárez, as well as The accidental death of an anarchist (La muerte accidental de un anarquista) 1983 which was one of the most important works of his career, a production that he also appeared in.

He has also stood out as a scriptwriter and playwright, together with Alfonso Arau,[6] Francisco Córdova and Emilio Carballido he co-wrote the original plot and screenplay for El aguila descalza[7] in 1969.

Working together with Arau , Alfonso de la Cabada and the caricaturist Eduardo del Río "Rius", and the comic book Los supermachos for the film Calzonzin Inspector in 1973.

In April 1994 Ortega was elected General Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Union of Cinema Production Workers, a four-year position that would last only 10 months.