Updated November 26, 2016 18:37:30
It was as a young radical that Fidel Castro debuted on the international stage, inspiring his supporters and overthrowing the Cuban government.
The year was 1959 and within weeks the bearded, cigar-smoking rebel had become Cuba's leader, a title he held onto for the rest of his life.
To many, Castro — who died aged 90 — was a romantic revolutionary, a persuasive and moving speaker who had the affection of his people.
His longevity and the stability of his tenure as the top figure in Cuban politics withstood the fall of the Soviet empire and the unravelling of Communist doctrine in China.
He dominated far-left politics in the second half of the 20th century, establishing his power over Cuban society with the help of the Soviet Union, and assisting like-minded regimes and figures in neighbouring countries.
Castro thumbed his nose at US sanctions, survived a reported 638 assassination attempts and ultimately departed the world stage on his own terms.
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Photo: Fidel Castro chats with Nelson Mandela after addressing the South African Parliament on September 4, 1998. (Mike Hutchings: Reuters) -
Photo: Fidel Castro, left, raises his brother's hand, Cuba's President Raul Castro, as they sing the anthem of international socialism during the sixth Communist Party Congress in Havana, Cuba, April 19, 2011. (AP: Javier Galeano) -
Photo: Fidel Castro, he young anti-Batista guerrilla leader, centre, is seen with his brother Raul Castro, left, and Camilo Cienfuegos, right, while operating in the Mountains of Eastern Cuba, March 14, 1957. (AP: Andrew St George) -
Photo: Fidel Castro points during his lengthy speech before the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, October 12, 1979. (AP: Marty Lederhandler) -
Photo: Fidel Castro waves to the people in Havana on January 8, 1959. -
Photo: Then Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro at the International Book Fair in Havana in February, 2006. (Reuters: Claudia Daut) -
Photo: Former Cuban president Fidel Castro addresses the audience at the National Assembly in Havana on August 7, 2010. (Reuters: Enrique De La Osa) -
Photo: Fidel Castro addresses the audience at the Karl Marx theatre in Havana, July 2005. (Claudia Daut: Reuters) -
Photo: Fidel Castro meets Pope Benedict XVI in Havana on March 28, 2012. (Reuters: Osservatore Romano) -
Photo: Fidel Castro shakes hands with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Havana, Cuba, on November 15, 2016. (AP: Alex Castro)
A divisive figure at home and abroad, many Cubans opposed his regime while others supported the socialist policies of his government.
He was a charismatic, hands-on politician, with a history of violent, forceful politicking.
In 1977, American journalist Barbara Walters travelled to Cuba to interview the figure of fascination and fear for cold-war America.
After the interview, at 1:00am, he made grilled cheese sandwiches and said he would shave his beard if America lifted its embargo.
"He was very charismatic, very charming and funny," recalled Walters on the eve of her retirement in January 2014.
Born into a privileged, wealthy family
Born Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz near Birán, Cuba on August 13, 1926, he was the third of six children.
His father Angel was a successful sugar planter and his mother Lina was, at the time of Fidel's birth, the maid of Angel's first wife.
Angel formally recognised his son when Fidel was 17.
He was educated by Jesuits and lived a privileged life amid Cuba's poverty and first developed his political ideology while studying law at the University of Havana in the 1940s.
By the time he graduated in 1950, Mr Castro had been heavily involved in revolutionary movements, opposing right-wing governments — and not just in Cuba.
In 1947, outraged by social injustice, Castro travelled to the Dominican Republic in an attempt to overthrow the dictator Rafael Trujillo.
The coup failed before it even started but the flame of reform within Castro was lit and he turned his attention to right-wing Cuban ruler Fulgencio Batista.
Batista had assumed control of Cuba in 1933 through a military coup, and ruled for 11 years before stepping down.
By then, Castro had joined the Partido Ortodoxo, a political party targeting corruption in Cuba.
After Batista resumed his position in 1952, Mr Castro began a lengthy rebellion against him, which led to jail, exile, and ultimately, Mr Castro's 49-year rule of Cuba.
In July 1953 Castro was arrested after a failed attempt to wrest power from Batista and later that year was sentenced to 15 years jail.
Building a movement
While in jail, Mr Castro and his fellow revolutionaries, including his brother Raul, built the 26th of July Movement, which would eventually overthrow the Batista government.
Under pressure, Batista granted Mr Castro amnesty and released him from prison in 1955.
Mr Castro travelled to Mexico, where he met Argentinian Marxist Che Guevara and spent time raising funds and building opposition to Batista.
He returned to Cuba in 1956 to conduct a guerrilla war against the Batista government, and in 1959, his 26th July Movement successfully assumed power of the country after Batista was forced to flee.
Mr Castro then became prime minister, establishing a Maxist-Leninist regime and leading to the exile of thousands of Cubans.
While the United States initially acknowledged his government's legitimacy, Mr Castro's covert military and economic relations with the then Soviet Union led to a breakdown of relations.
He continued to accept both military and economic aid from the Soviet Union, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war in 1961 in what became known as the Bay of Pigs invasion.
This nail-biting event was followed by the imposition of a trade embargo by the US government and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 in which the US established a military blockade of Cuba.
Numerous assassination attempts
Knowing of Castro's fascination with scuba diving, the CIA planned to assassinate the leader by hiding explosives in a giant, brightly coloured mollusc.
Another plan involved planting a skin-irritating fungus in his wetsuit and exploding cigars were also a risk.
"If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal," Mr Castro once said.
Castro responded to the US embargo by further linking Cuba and the Soviet Union, and by supporting political movements which opposed US policies.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba was left without a strong ally, and economically devastated.
But the dictatorial Castro retained control of the country and remained popular with Cubans who received free health care and education.
Under his rule, literacy rose to 98 per cent, 10,000 new schools were opened and infant mortality decreased.
He was elected Cuban president in 1976 and continued in this role until health problems overwhelmed him.
Known to be incredibly private about his personal life, Mr Castro was reported to have married twice and have numerous children.
In 2006, he underwent surgery for intestinal bleeding and was forced to hand power to his brother Raul while recuperating.
He ultimately relinquished the position of president to Raul Castro in 2008, at the age of 81.
After retiring, Mr Castro wrote political columns for the official press in Cuba and was the subject of numerous false death rumours.
He was awarded China's Confucius Peace Prize in 2014 for his "important contributions" to world peace.
He also gave up smoking the cigars, ironically just as the US signalled the end of their trade embargo with Cuba, which has stymied cigar fans for 52 years.
First posted November 26, 2016 17:22:20
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