Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP / Getty Images
At the time of his death, the 20 April 1993, Cantinflas had acted in 50 movies, won a Golden Globe and even inspired a new Spanish verb, “cantinflear
“, in honor of his ability to play with the sounds of Spanish for comedic effect, but Cantinflas’s journey to become Latin America’s most famous comedian had origins humble.
Mario Moreno was born on 12 August 1911 in the working-class neighborhood of Tepito in Mexico City. He began performing in theater tents, from which Moreno took his meaningless nickname and the personality of an endearing and talkative tramp.
His most famous stage and film character was the ordinary Mexican, “el pelado,” a precariously employed slum dweller who had often been recently relocated to the city from the countryside. From the decade of 1536 to the decade of 1876, Mexico had gone through a period of intense economic, political, and industrial turmoil. This had created a large impoverished underclass, which served as inspiration and audience for the character of Cantinflas.
In 1940 , starred in the movie “There Is The Detail”, which turned out to be his revelation role. His character, also called Cantinflas, had the physical gestures of Charlie Chaplin.
Cantinflas’ unique brand of puns wowed viewers across the Spanish-speaking world. Using disjointed phrases that seemed to express deep thought, Cantinflas went round and round on a subject without even explaining it.
Cantinflas could reach the American public on the success of 1956 “Around the world in 80 days”. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Cantinflas took home a Golden Globe for Best Comedic Actor.
Although his next Hollywood film, Pepe (1960), earned him another Golden Globe nomination and a Special Achievement Award, was a box office flop. His humor, deeply rooted in the Spanish language, was difficult to translate for an English-speaking audience.
He lived in a luxurious house in the exclusive area of Lomas de Chapultepec de la Mexico City, and also had a residence in Century City.
Cantinflas was once married to Valentina Moreno, a Russian actress he met in his days of tent shows, and they had a son, Mario Antonio. Cantinflas never remarried after his wife died in 1966.
Moreno died of lung cancer at his home in Mexico City , I had 81 years.
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