Hernando Casanova began his career as a singer in the Club del Clan (1966), where he was part of the first generation of Colombian rock, and later made his acting debut with a brief role in the soap opera "Cartas a Beatriz" (1969).

Later, he reached the peak of success with his character Eutimio Pastrana Polanía in the series "Don Chinche" (1982) by Pepe Sánchez.

His portrayal of the Huilense culture made him one of the most representative and influential figures in Colombian television history.

[10][11] Among his other notable roles are Salomón in "Embrujo Verde" (1977), the lead role in "Farzán" (1983), presenter in "El tiempo es oro, su pueblo gana" (1986), Wilson Rodríguez in "El pasado no perdona" (1991), Yardines Murillo in "Perro Amor" (1998), and Vicente Secretario in "Amor a mil" (2001).

In 2015, his children started the production of a documentary feature film about his life titled El Culebro: La historia de mi papá.

Additionally, "El Culebro: La exhibición," an exhibition of photographs, video clips, awards, and costumes of Casanova's characters, took place at the Huila House in Bogotá.

[19] At the age of eleven, he would escape from school to join the circus or participate in RCN's Ondas del Huila radio show, where he sang in the evenings.

He also participated in a radio show called El Mundo infantil where he dramatized stories based on real events.

[20] Hernando Casanova never took drama classes, but he was an avid consumer of cinema and was convinced that much could be learned about the craft in movie theaters.