About
Cantinflas, born Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes in Mexico City in 1911, rose from the carpa tent shows to create the iconic pelado character—a poor but quick-witted everyman. His rapid-fire, nonsensical speech was so distinctive that the verb cantinflear was added to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy in 1992. He achieved massive success in Latin America with films like Ahí está el detalle (1940) and Ni sangre, ni arena (1941). In 1956, he played Passepartout in Around the World in 80 Days, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He founded La Casa del Actor, a retirement home for performers, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died in 1993 and was interred in the Rotonda de las Personas Ilustres.
* 1911-08-12 — † 1993-04-20
Major works
- Ahí está el detalle (1940)film
- Ni sangre, ni arena (1941)film
- Around the World in 80 Days (1956)film
- Pepe (1960)film
Key milestones
- 1992The verb cantinflear is added to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- 1956Plays Passepartout in Around the World in 80 Days, which wins the Academy Award for Best Picture.
- 1988Receives a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences.
Themes
ComedyMexican popular cultureLanguage and nonsensePhilanthropyClassic cinema
Sources: id.loc.gov · britannica.com