Carlos Diehz (born March 18, 1971) is a Mexican actor and architect. He is best known for his breakout role as Cardinal BenÃÂtez in the 2024 film Conclave.
Carlos Diehz was born in 18 March, 1971 in Mexico City and spent much of his early life interested in the arts, including drawing, painting, and singing. Despite an interest in acting during high school, he hesitated to pursue it due to shyness. He worked as an architect for over 30 years, relocating to Canada in 2009, where he settled in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Diehz starred in two student short films, The Vegan Vampire and It Gets Dark Too Early. Diehz's breakthrough role came in Conclave, a papal thriller by Edward Berger. The global casting search, led by Nina Gold, culminated in Diehz being cast as Cardinal Benitez after a series of auditions in 2022. Cardinal BenÃÂtez, the character that he portrayed in the film was originally a Filipino in the novel the film was based on, and was changed to a Mexican in the film adaptation to better reflect Diehz. During production, he received mentorship from co-stars such as Ralph Fiennes and John Lithgow, who offered advice on acting techniques and managing stage fright.
Diehz is married and lives in Vancouver. In 2020, Diehz enrolled in online acting workshops during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially considering acting as a hobby, he committed to acting seriously after advice from his instructors. Diehz continues to work in architecture alongside his acting career.