Roberto Gomez Bolaños, Influential Mexican TV Writer

Roberto Gomez Bolaà ±os, Influential Mexican TV Writer Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os (February 21, 1929–November 28, 2014) was a Mexican writer and actor known around the world for his characters â€Å"El Chavo del Ocho† and â€Å"El Chapulà ­n Colorado,† among many others. He was involved in Mexican television for more than 40 years, and generations of children all over the Spanish-speaking world grew up watching his programs. He was affectionately known as Chespirito. Fast Facts: Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os Known For: More than 40 years of writing, acting, and producing for Mexican televisionBorn: February 21, 1929 in Mexico CityParents: Francisco Gà ³mez Linares and Elsa Bolaà ±os-CachoDied: November 28, 2014 in Cancun, Mexico.Television Programs: El Chavo del Ocho and El Chapulà ­n ColoradoSpouse(s): Graciela Fernndez (1968–1989), Florinda Meza (2004–to his death)Children: Roberto, Graciela, Marcela, Paulina, Teresa, Cecilia Early Life Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os was born into a middle-class family in Mexico City on February 21, 1929. He was the second of the three children of Francisco Gà ³mez Linares, a noted painter and illustrator, and Elsa Bolaà ±os-Cacho, a bilingual secretary. He was obsessed with soccer and boxing as a child and did have some success with boxing as an adolescent, but he was too small to turn professional. Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os studied engineering at the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico but never worked in the field. He began writing for an advertising agency at the age of 22, but soon he was writing screenplays and scripts for radio, television shows, and movies. Between 1960 and 1965, Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os wrote for the two top shows on Mexican television, â€Å"Comicos y Canciones† (Comics and Songs) and â€Å"El Estudio de Pedro Vargas† (Pedro Vargas’ Study). It was about this time that he earned the admiring nickname â€Å"Chespirito† from the director Agustà ­n P. Delgado; it is a version of â€Å"Shakespearito,† or â€Å"Little Shakespeare.† Writing and Acting In 1968, Chespirito signed a contract with the newly formed network TIM- Television Independiente de Mexico. Among the terms of his contract was a half-hour slot on Saturday afternoons over which he had complete autonomy- he could do with it whatever he wanted. The brief, hilarious sketches he wrote and produced were so popular that the network switched his time to Monday night and gave him a whole hour. It was during this show, simply called â€Å"Chespirito,† that his two most beloved characters, â€Å"El Chavo del Ocho† (â€Å"The Boy From No. Eight†) and â€Å"El Chapulà ­n Colorado† (The Crimson Grasshopper) made their debut. The Chavo and the Chapulà ­n These two characters were so popular with the viewing public that the network gave them each their own weekly half-hour series; although slapstick and low-budget, the programs had an affectionate center and were wildly popular among adults and children. First produced by Televisa in 1971, El Chavo del Ocho is about a freckle-faced 8-year-old orphan boy, played by Chespirito well into his 60s, who lives in a wooden barrel and gets into adventures with his group of friends. Chavo, a truth-bearing simpleton who dreams of tasty sandwiches, and the other characters in the series, Don Ramon, Quico,  and other people from the neighborhood, are iconic, beloved, and classic characters of Mexican television. El Chapulà ­n Colorado, or the Crimson Grasshopper, was first televised in 1970 and is about is a cocky but dimwitted superhero who foils the bad guys through sheer luck and honesty. His weapon of choice is a squeaky toy version of Thors Hammer, called chipote chillà ³n or loud bang, and he took â€Å"chiquitolina† pills that shrank him to about eight inches tall. The program opened with the words More agile than a turtle, stronger than a mouse, nobler than a lettuce, his coat of arms is a heart, it’s the Crimson Grasshopper! American cartoonist Matt Groening created his Bumblebee Man, a character in the animated show The Simpsons, as an affectionate version of El Chapulà ­n Colorado.   These two shows were immensely popular, and by 1973 they were being transmitted to all of Latin America. In Mexico, it is estimated that 50 to 60 percent of all televisions in the country were tuned into the shows when they aired. Chespirito kept the Monday night time slot and for 25 years, most of Mexico watched his programs. Although the shows ended in the 1990s, reruns are still shown regularly all over Latin America. Other Projects A tireless worker, Chespirito also appeared in more than 20 movies and hundreds of stage performances. When he took the cast of â€Å"Chespirito† on a tour of stadiums to reprise their famous roles on stage, the shows sold out, including two consecutive dates at the Santiago stadium, which seats 80,000 people. He wrote several soap operas, movie scripts, and books, including a book of poetry. Although he started out writing music as a hobby, Chespirito was a gifted composer and wrote the theme songs for many Mexican telenovelas- including Alguna Vez Tendremos Alas (We will have wings some day) and La Dueà ±a (The Owner). In his later years, he became more politically active, campaigning for certain candidates and vocally opposing an initiative to legalize abortion in Mexico. Chespirito received countless awards. In 2003 he was awarded the keys to the city of Cicero, Illinois. Mexico even released a series of postage stamps in his honor. He joined Twitter in 2011 to stay in touch with his fans. At the time of his death, he had more than six million followers. Marriage and Family Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os married Graciela Fernndez in 1968 and together they had six children (Roberto, Graciela, Marcela, Paulina, Teresa, and Cecilia). They divorced in 1989. In 2004 he married actress Florinda Meza, who played Doà ±a Florida on El Chavo del Ocho. Death and Legacy Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os died of heart failure at his home in Cancun, Mexico on November 28, 2014. His movies, soap operas, plays, and books all found great success, but it is for his hundreds of television programs that Chespirito is best remembered. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto wrote of him, Mexico has lost an icon whose work transcended generations and borders. Chespirito will always be known as a pioneer of Latin American television and one of the most creative writers and actors ever to work in the field.   Sources Lopez, Elias E. Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os, Mexico’s Comedic Artist ‘Chespirito,’ Dies at 85. The New York Times, 28 November 2014.Miranda, Carolina A. Roberto Gomez Bolaà ±os Dies at 85; Mexican Comedian Known as Chespirito. The Los Angeles Times, 28 November 2014.Rott, Nathan. Mexican TV Icon Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os Dies at 85. All Things Considered, 2014.