Mario moreno reyes cantinflas biography

The entry, “Cantinflas, the Mexican comedian, in the Middle American Gallery, ,” catches one’s eye in the Museum’s photographic catalog. Appearing almost as an afterthought, this annotation and its accompanying photographs document a visit to the Museum by the world’s most famous Spanish-speaking, big screen comedian. Who was Cantinflas, and why did he visit our Museum? Cantinflas was the stage name of Mario Moreno Reyes.

Although virtually unknown in the United States, Moreno’s fame and continuing popularity as a comedian is without peer in Latin America. Born in in Mexico City, Moreno came of age in the s—the golden age of Mexican cinema—and helped define the era. His most famous theater and film persona was that of the Mexican everyman—the pelado (literally “peeled” or “naked”)—a precariously employed slum dweller who was often recently transplanted to the city from the countryside. From the s through the s Mexico had undergone a period of intense economic, political, and industrial upheaval. This had created a large impoverished underclass, one that served as both the inspiration and audience for Cantinflas’ character.

Although the character of the pelado had a long history in Mexican entertainment, Moreno’s signature persona, Cantinflas, gained enormous popularity as the underdog who triumphed through wit or trickery over more powerful opponents. His forte was the comic use of language, the ability to talk constantly without saying anything. Using disconnected phrases that appeared to express deep thinking, Cantinflas would go round and round on a theme without ever explaining it. A typical tactic was to strike up a conversation— whether with a creditor he owed money, an authority figure he was trying to evade, or an attractive woman he wished to woo—and then make it sound so complicated that no one understood what they were talking about and did not realize when they were being manipulated or hum

Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes was born on August 12, in Mexico City. The son of a humble mailman and the sixth of twelve children, he suffered great poverty during his childhood. Better known as Cantinflas, he was an extraordinary Mexican actor and comedian. At the beginning of his career he attempted becoming a doctor and a professional boxer, but he ultimately became part of the entertainment world as a dancer. In he became part of the circus circuit in Mexico City, where he met his wife Valentina Ivanova Zubareff of Russian origin, who he married on October 27, They remained together until her death in

He became greatly popular by interpreting his character Cantinflas; soon he was recognized for his talent, tenderness, charm and optimism. His character dressed as a poor man with pants that never stayed up, worn out t-shirt, a dirty rag on his shoulder and scraggy moustache. Through his interpretation he always tried to educate the public on a healthy lifestyle and criticized the powerful and cheapskates in defense of the working class. This character represented Mexico’s national identity.

The origin of his nickname is lost among legends, there is a version stating that he invented it himself in order to prevent his parents from knowing he was working in entertainment, a profession they considered disgraceful. There is another version, explained by the critic and writer Carlos Monsivais, stating that during a presentation, stage fright took over him and made Mario Moreno forget his original monologue. He reacted by saying anything that came to mind in a “brilliant incoherence”. Someone from the public, annoyed at his senseless phrases, shouted: “en la cantina inflas”, meaning “you drink at the bar”, thus baptizing his character.

His special feature resided in the comic way he used language, complicating conversations to the point of intelligible. Cantinfla’s character liked to clo