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Nando Parrado Featured Survivor & Hero of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571; NYT Best-Selling Author; Portrayed in Oscar-Nominated Film "Society of the Snow" and "Alive"
Nando Parrado is the hero of the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 rescue. Parrado's story has been referred to as the greatest survival story of all time as he recounts the extraordinary tale of how he and 15 of his teammates survived for 72 brutal days after their plane crashed into the frozen Andes Mountains over 50 years ago.
The most recent cinematic retelling of their story is the Netflix film, Society of the Snow, which has introduced a new generation to Nando's heroic journey. The film was spearheaded by Oscar-nominated director J.A. Bayona and has received international attention along with winning numerous awards including 12 Goyas.
For over three decades, Parrado has moved global audiences through sharing his story of survival, resilience, and determination in the Andes. While it is almost certain no one has experienced surviving a plane crash at cruising altitude, Parrado believes every listener can strongly relate as we all have our own Andes to conquer.
His story has continued to remain in the limelight - first being told in Pier Paul Read’s 1973 publication of Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors. In 1993, Ethan Hawke portrayed Parrado in the movie Alive. Parrado soon debuted as #10 on The New York Times bestseller list as a first time author with Miracle in the Andes in 2006. The riveting story was retold in The History Channel documentary I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash in 2010 as well as in a 2023 ABC 20/20 episode Prisoners of the Snow.
Nando and his family reside in Uruguay where he is enjoying early retirement after a successful career in television and entrepreneurship running real estate developments, an ad agency, and a chain of hardware stores. He is now focusing on family and his many hobbies which include boating, historic race cars, and travel.