Editing Cantinflas

{{Short description|Mexican actor and filmmaker (1911–1993)}}
{{hatnote group|
{{for|the film|Cantinflas (film)}}
{{redirect|Mario Moreno|other people with the name|Mario Moreno (disambiguation)}}
}}
{{family name hatnote|Moreno|Reyes|lang=Spanish}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Cantinflas
| image              = Mario Moreno - Cantinflas-2.jpg
| caption            = Cantinflas in 1964
| other_names        = Mario Moreno
| birth_name         = Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1911|08|12|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Colonia Santa María la Ribera|Santa María la Redonda]], Mexico City, Mexico
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1993|04|20|1911|08|12|df=y}}
| death_place        = Mexico City, Mexico
| burial_place       = Panteón Español, Mexico City, Mexico
| education          = Instituto Politecnico Nacional [[Chapingo Autonomous University]] (Agronomy, few months)
| occupation         = Comedian, actor, screenwriter, film producer, singer
| years_active       = 1937–1993
| spouse             = {{marriage|Valentina Ivanova Zubareff|1936|1966|reason=died}}
| children           = Mario Arturo Moreno
| website            = 
| party              = [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]]
}}
'''Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes''' (12 August 1911 – 20 April 1993), known by the [[stage name]] '''Cantinflas''' ({{IPA|es|kanˈtiɱflas}}), was a Mexican comedian, actor, and [[filmmaker]]. He is considered to have been the most widely accomplished Mexican comedian and is well known throughout Latin America and Spain.

His humor, loaded with Mexican linguistic features of intonation, vocabulary, and syntax, is beloved in all the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America and in Spain. His abilities gave rise to a range of expressions based on his stage name, including: ''cantinflear'', ''cantinflada'', ''cantinflesco'', ''cantifleando'' and ''cantinflero''.

He often portrayed impoverished farmers or peasants of ''[[pelado]]'' origin.<ref>"The peladito is the creature who came from the carpas with a face stained with flour or white paint, dressed in rags, the pants below the waist and covered with patches, the belt replaced by an old tie, the peaked cap representing a hat, the ruffled underwear that shows at any provocation, the torn shirt, and gabardine across his left shoulder." – Cantiflas</ref> The character allowed Cantinflas to establish a long, successful film career that included a foray into [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]. [[Charlie Chaplin]] once commented that he was the best comedian alive,<ref>{{cite book|last=Candelaria|first=Cordelia|author2=Arturo J. Aldama|author3=Peter J. Garcia|title=Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture: Volume I, A-L|publisher=Greenwood|year=2004|isbn=0-313-33210-X|page=103|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=STjcB_f7CVcC&pg=PA103}}</ref> and Moreno has been referred to as the "Charlie Chaplin of Mexico".<ref name="amg">[https://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=B84036 Cantinflas biography by Allmovie] Retrieved 24 January 2006. {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>{{better source needed |date=May 2024}} 

To audiences in most of the world, he is best remembered as co-starring with [[David Niven]] in the [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-winning film ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'', for which Moreno won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=- Cantinflas |url=https://goldenglobes.com/person/cantinflas/ |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=Golden Globes |language=en-US}}</ref>

As a pioneer of the cinema of Mexico, Moreno helped usher in its [[Golden age of the cinema of Mexico|golden era]]. In addition to being a business leader, he also became involved in Mexico's complex labor politics. His reputation as a spokesperson for the working class gave his actions authenticity and became important in the early struggle against ''[[Charro (Mexican politics)|charrismo]]'', the ruling [[Institutional Revolutionary Party|PRI]]'s practice of co-opting and controlling trade unions.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

Moreover, his character Cantinflas, whose identity became enmeshed with his own, was examined by media critics, philosophers, and linguists, who saw him variously as a danger to Mexican society, a bourgeois puppet, a verbal innovator, and a [[picaresque]] underdog.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

== Early and personal life ==
Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes was born in [[Santa María la Redonda]] neighborhood of [[Mexico City]], then grew up in [[Tepito]]. He was one of eight children born to Pedro Moreno Esquivel, an impoverished mail carrier, and María de la Soledad Reyes Guízar (from [[Cotija, Michoacán]]). Moreno's mother, Soledad Reyes, came from an affluent family, but was disinherited when she married Pedro Moreno. The others were Pedro, José ("Pepe"), Eduardo, Esperanza, Catalina, Enrique, and Roberto.<ref name="yahoo bio">Yahoo [https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800014289/bio Cantinflas biography]. Retrieved 9 February 2006.</ref>

He made it through difficult situations with the quick wit and street smarts that he would later apply in his films. His comic personality led him to a circus tent show, and from there to legitimate theatre and film.

He married Valentina Ivanova Zubareff, of Russian ethnicity, on 27 October 1936 and remained with her until her death in January 1966. A son was born to Moreno in 1961 by another woman;<ref name="stavans37">[[Ilan Stavans]]. ''The riddle of Cantinflas: Essays on Hispanic popular culture'', 1st ed. {{ISBN|0-8263-1860-6}}. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico. 1998, p. 37.</ref> the child was adopted by Valentina Ivanova and was named Mario Arturo Moreno Ivanova, causing some references to erroneously refer to him as "Cantinflas' adopted son".<ref name="variety bio">[https://variety.com/1993/scene/people-news/cantinflas-106186/ Biography from ''Vanity Magazine''] Retrieved 29 January 2006.</ref> Moreno Ivanova died on 15 May 2017, of a presumed heart attack.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sughey Baños|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/espectaculos/farandula/2017/05/15/mario-moreno-ivanova-dejo-todo-en-orden-viuda|title=Mario Moreno Ivanova dejó todo en orden: viuda|language=es|publisher=Eluniversal.com.mx|date=15 May 2017|access-date=17 August 2017}}</ref>

Moreno served as president of one of the Mexican actors' guilds known as ''Asociación Nacional de Actores'' (ANDA, "National Association of Actors") and as first secretary general of the independent filmworkers' union ''[[Union of Cinema Production Workers|Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Producción Cinematográfica]]'' (STPC).{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} Following his retirement, he devoted his life to helping others through charity and humanitarian organizations, especially those dedicated to helping children. His contributions to the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and orphanages made him a folk hero in Mexico.{{Citation needed|date=September 2015}}

He was a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]], initiated at Chilam Balam Lodge.<ref>{{cite web|author=Diario Masónico|url=http://www.diariomasonico.com/masones-famosos/solicitud-de-ingreso-en-la-masoneria-de-mario-moreno-cantinflas|title=Solicitud de ingreso en la masonerĂ&shy;a de Mario Moreno "Cantinflas"|publisher=Diariomasonico.com|date=12 August 2017|access-date=17 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/cantinflas/cantinflas.html|title=Cantinflas|publisher=Freemasonry.bcy.ca|access-date=17 August 2017}}</ref>

In 1961, Cantinflas appeared with U.S. Vice President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] at shopping centers and supermarkets in San Antonio, Texas, to support the successful [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee to the United States House of Representatives for [[Texas's 20th congressional district]], [[Henry B. Gonzalez]], who defeated his [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] challenger, [[John W. Goode]]. Gonzalez was the first Hispanic elected to the [[Texas State Senate]] and as a U.S. congressman from Texas.<ref>Gilbert Garcia, "Castro unlike O'Rourke has much to lose," ''[[San Antonio Express-News]]'', 31 March 2017, p. A2.</ref>

== Origin of name ==
As a young man, Cantinflas performed a variety of acts in travelling tents, and it was here that he acquired the nickname "Cantinflas". According to one obituary, "Cantinflas" is a meaningless name invented to prevent his parents from knowing he was in the entertainment business, which they considered a shameful occupation. Cantinflas confirmed this in 1992 in his last television interview.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH0hxwpk-vA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/MH0hxwpk-vA| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Mario Moreno "Cantinflas" (1992) Su Ultima Entrevista Por Television |date=June 2013 |language=es|publisher=YouTube|access-date=14 February 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Entertainment career ==
Before starting his professional life in entertainment, he explored a number of possible careers, such as medicine and professional boxing, before joining the entertainment world as a dancer. By 1930 he was involved in Mexico City's ''[[carpa]]'' (travelling tent) circuit, performing in succession with the Ofelia, Sotelo of [[Azcapotzalco]], and finally the Valentina ''carpa'', where he met his future wife. At first he tried to imitate [[Al Jolson]]'s use of blackface, but later separated himself to form his own identity as an impoverished slum dweller with baggy pants, a rope for a belt, and a distinctive mustache.<ref name="lyt">[http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexico/cantinflas.htm Cantinflas article by the ''Los Angeles Times''] Retrieved 24 January 2006</ref> In the tents, he danced, performed acrobatics, and performed roles related to several different professions.

=== Film career ===
[[File:Manuel Medel and Cantinflas, circa 1938.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Cantinflas (left) with [[Manuel Medel]], {{circa|1938}}]]
In the mid-1930s, Cantinflas met publicist and producer Santiago Reachi and subsequently partnered with him to form their own film production venture. Reachi produced, directed, and distributed, while Cantinflas acted. Cantinflas made his film debut in 1936 with ''No te engañes corazón'' (''[[Don't Fool Yourself Dear]]'') before meeting Reachi, but the film received little attention. Reachi established Posa Films in 1939 with two partners: Cantinflas and Fernandez. Before this, Reachi produced short films that allowed him to develop the Cantinflas character, but it was in 1940 that he finally became a movie star, after shooting ''[[Ahí está el detalle]]'' ("There's the rub", literally "There lies the detail"), with [[Sofía Álvarez (actress, born 1913)|Sofía Álvarez]], [[Joaquín Pardavé]], [[Sara García]], and [[Dolores Camarillo]]. The phrase that gave that movie its name became a "Cantinflas" (or catchphrase) for the remainder of his career. The film was a breakthrough in Latin America and was later recognized by ''[[Somos (magazine)|Somos]]'' magazine as the 10th greatest film produced largely in Mexico.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://cinemexicano.mty.itesm.mx/pelicula1.html|title=Las 100 mejores películas del cine mexicano|journal=Somo Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208075046/http://cinemexicano.mty.itesm.mx/pelicula1.html |archive-date=8 February 2010 |access-date=28 January 2006}}</ref>

In 1941, Moreno first played the role of a police officer on film in ''[[El gendarme desconocido]]'' ("The Unknown Police Officer" a play on words on "[[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier|The Unknown Soldier]]). By this time, he had sufficiently distinguished the ''peladito'' character from the 1920s-era ''pelado'', and his character flowed comfortably from the disenfranchised, marginalized, underclassman to the empowered public servant. The rhetoric of ''cantinflismo'' facilitated this fluidity.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} He would reprise the role of Agent 777 and be honored by police forces throughout Latin America for his positive portrayal of law enforcement.

''Ni sangre, ni arena'' ("Neither Blood, nor Sand" a play on words on the bullfighter/gladiator phrase ''[[Blood and Sand (1941 film)|Blood and Sand]]''), the 1941 bullfighting film, broke box-office records for Mexican-made films throughout Spanish-speaking countries. In 1942, Moreno teamed up with Reachi, [[Miguel M. Delgado]], and Jaime Salvador to produce a series of parodies, including [[The Circus (1943 film)|El Circo]], an interpretation of Chaplin's ''[[The Circus (silent film)|The Circus]]''.

The 1940s and 1950s were Cantinflas' heyday. In 1941, Reachi, the Producer rejected Mexican Studios companies and instead paid [[Columbia Pictures]] to produce the films in its Studios in Hollywood.<ref name="lyt" /> By this time, Cantinflas' popularity was such that he was able to lend his prestige to the cause of Mexican labor, representing the National Association of Actors in talks with Mexican President [[Manuel Ávila Camacho]]. The talks did not go well, however, and, in the resulting scandal, Moreno took his act back to the theatre.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

== Theater ==
On 30 August 1953, Cantinflas began performing his theatrical work ''Yo Colón'' ("I, Columbus") in the ''[[Teatro de los Insurgentes]]'', the same theatre that had earlier been embroiled in a controversy over a [[Diego Rivera]] mural incorporating Cantinflas and the [[Our Lady of Guadalupe|Virgin of Guadalupe]]. Critics, including the very conservative political party [[National Action Party (Mexico)|PAN]] and archbishop [[Luis María Martínez]], called the mural blasphemous, and it was eventually painted without the image of the Virgin.

''Yo Colón'' placed Cantinflas in the character of [[Christopher Columbus]], who, while continually "discovering America", made comedic historical and contemporary observations from fresh perspectives. For the first few months, he persuaded the King and Queen of Spain to fund his voyage so that he could let his wife "drive" so she could make a wrong turn and discover Mexico instead, allowing him to also discover [[Jorge Negrete]] so that the Queen – an ardent fan – could meet him. When Negrete died just before Christmas of 1953, he changed it first to [[Pedro Infante]] until his death four years later, and then finally to [[Javier Solis]] until his death in 1966.

== Hollywood and beyond ==
[[File:Cantinflas walk of fame.PNG|upright|thumb|Cantinflas' star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in [[Los Angeles]]]]
In 1956, ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'', Cantinflas' American debut, earned him a [[Golden Globe]] for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a musical or comedy]].<ref name="nyt">[http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=84036&mod=awards Film awards for Cantinflas] Retrieved 29 January 2006.</ref> ''Variety'' magazine said in 1956 that his Chaplinesque quality made a big contribution to the success of the film.<ref name="var2">[https://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=Variety100&reviewid=VE1117488072&content=jump&jump=review&category=1935&cs=1 ''Variety magazine'' review of film] Retrieved 29 January 2006</ref> The film ultimately made an unadjusted $42 million at the box office<ref name="boxoffice">[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=80days56.htm Box office figures from Box Office Mojo] Retrieved 31 January 2006</ref> (over $678 million in 2018 dollars). While [[David Niven]] was billed as the lead in English-speaking nations, Cantinflas was billed as the lead elsewhere. As a result of the film, Cantinflas became the world's highest-paid actor.<ref name="dallasobs">{{cite news|url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2000-10-19/arts.html|title=The Power and No Story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060415172111/http://dallasobserver.com/issues/2000-10-19/arts.html |archive-date=15 April 2006 |access-date=27 January 2006|newspaper=[[Dallas Observer]]|last=Biederman|first=Christine|date=19 October 2000}}</ref>
[[File: Movieland Wax Museum Postcard (52384164816).jpg|thumb| A postcard of Cantinflas as ''[[Pepe (1960 film)|Pepe]]'']]
Moreno's second Hollywood feature, ''[[Pepe (1960 film)|Pepe]]'', attempted to replicate the success of his first. The film had cameo appearances by [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Judy Garland]], [[Maurice Chevalier]], [[Shirley Jones]], [[Ricardo Montalbán]], [[James Coburn]], [[Debbie Reynolds]], [[César Romero]], and other stars. His humor, deeply rooted in the Spanish language, did not translate well for the American audience and the movie's reception was a failure. He still earned a Golden Globe nomination for his part. Later in a 1992 American interview, Moreno cited the language barrier as the biggest impediment to his making it big in the United States.<ref name="interview">[http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/10.12.05/cantinflas-0541.html Article on theatre re-enactment of Cantinflas' humor] Retrieved 30 January 2006</ref>

After returning to Mexico, Cantinflas starred in the comic drama ''[[El bolero de Raquel]]'' (1957), the first Cantinflas film to be distributed to the United States by Columbia Pictures. The film was followed by more Cantinflas-Reachi-Columbia productions: ''[[El analfabeto]]'' (1961), ''[[El padrecito]]'' (1963), and ''[[Su excelencia]]'' (1967). After ''Su excelencia'', Cantinflas began to appear in a series of very low-budget comedies directed by [[Miguel M. Delgado]], which were produced by his own company "Cantinflas Films". These films lasted until ''El Barrendero'', in 1982.
[[File:Lic. Francisco E. García Estrada.jpg|thumb|Francisco E. García  mexican Ambassador of the Republic Dominican and Cantinflas]] 
Like [[Charlie Chaplin]], Cantinflas was a social satirist. He played ''el pelado'', an impoverished Everyman, with hopes to succeed. With mutual admiration, Cantinflas was influenced by Chaplin's earlier films and ideology. ''El Circo'' (the circus) was a "shadow" of Chaplin's silent film, ''[[The Circus (silent film)|The Circus]]'' and ''Si yo fuera diputado'' ("If I Were a Congressman") had many similarities with the 1940 film, ''[[The Great Dictator]]''. Cantinflas' films, to this day, still generate revenue for Columbia Pictures. In 2000, Columbia reported in an estimated US$4 million in foreign distribution from the films.<ref name="lyt" />

== Death ==
A lifelong smoker, Cantinflas died of lung cancer on 20 April 1993 in Mexico City. Thousands appeared on a rainy day for his funeral. The ceremony was a national event, lasting three days. He was honored by many heads of state and the United States Senate, which held a moment of silence for him. His ashes lay at the crypt of the Moreno Reyes family, in the ''Panteón Español'' ("Spanish Cemetery") in [[Mexico City]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.proceso.com.mx/cultura/2011/8/12/recuerdan-cantinflas-en-el-panteon-espanol-90700.html|title=Recuerdan a 'Cantinflas' en el Panteón Español|access-date=2022-05-26|language=es |trans-title=Cantinflas remembered at the Spanish Cemetery}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.quien.com/espectaculos/2011/08/12/recuerdan-a-cantinflas-en-panteon-espanol|title= Recuerdan a Cantinflas en Panteón Español |date= 12 August 2011 |access-date=2022-05-26|language=es |trans-title=Cantinflas remembered at the Spanish Cemetery}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://laopinion.com/2018/08/08/profanan-la-tumba-de-cantinflas-en-la-ciudad-de-mexico/|title=Profanan la tumba de "Cantinflas" en la Ciudad de México|date=8 August 2018 |access-date=2022-05-26|language=es |trans-title=Cantinflas tomb defiled}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/espectaculos/2021/12/10/carmen-salinas-panteon-espanol-el-lugar-donde-reposaran-los-restos-de-la-querida-actriz-361339.html|title=Carmen Salinas: Spanish Cemetery, beloved actress final resting place|access-date=2022-05-26|date=2021-12-10}}</ref>

A 20-year legal battle followed between Mario Moreno Ivanova, Cantinflas' son and heir to his estate, and the actor's blood nephew Eduardo Moreno Laparade over the control of 34 films made by Cantinflas. The nephew claimed his uncle gave him a written notice, Moreno Ivanova argued that he was the direct heir of Cantinflas and that the rights belonged to him. In 2014, Eduardo Moreno Laparade won the rights at the Mexican Supreme Court to 39 films and the name.<ref>{{cite web|language=es|url=https://peopleenespanol.com/article/tras-21-anos-de-pleito-el-sobrino-de-cantinflas-gana-juicio-por-los-derechos-del-actor|title=Tras 21 años de pleito, el sobrino de Cantinflas gana juicio por los derechos del actor}}</ref> 
At the same time, there was another legal battle between [[Columbia Pictures]] and Moreno Ivanova over control of these films. Columbia claimed that it had bought the rights to the 34 films four decades earlier, although the court noted several discrepancies in the papers. Moreno Ivanova wanted the rights to the films to remain his, and more generally Mexico's, as a national treasure. On 2 June 2001 the eight-year battle was resolved with Columbia retaining ownership over the 34 disputed films.<ref name="legal">{{cite web|title=Columbia gains ownership of films|url=http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/coa/memdispo.nsf/0/c5504f8da687fc8888256f4300022bfb/$FILE/02-56222.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218195640/http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/coa/memdispo.nsf/0/c5504f8da687fc8888256f4300022bfb/%24FILE/02-56222.pdf|archive-date=18 December 2008|access-date=28 January 2006}}</ref>

== Career ==
[[File:MariaTereza4.jpg|thumb|Meeting with Mexican president [[Miguel Alemán Valdés]], seated from left to right: [[Jorge Negrete]], the president Miguel Alemán Valdés, Cantinflas and {{ill|María Tereza Montoya|es}}]]
Among the things that endeared him to his public was his comic use of language in his films; his characters (all of which were really variations of the main "Cantinflas" persona but cast in different social roles and circumstances) would strike up a normal conversation and then complicate it to the point where no one understood what they were talking about. The Cantinflas character was particularly adept at obfuscating the conversation when he owed somebody money, was courting an attractive young woman, or was trying to talk his way out of trouble with authorities, whom he managed to humiliate without their even being able to tell. This manner of talking became known as ''Cantinflear'', and it became common parlance for Spanish speakers to say "''¡estás cantinfleando!''" (loosely translated as you're pulling a "Cantinflas!" or you're "Cantinflassing!") whenever someone became hard to understand in conversation. The [[Real Academia Española]] officially included the verb, ''cantinflear'', ''cantinflas'' and ''cantinflada''<ref name="DRAE">[http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?LEMA=cantinflear&TIPO_HTML=2&FORMATO=ampliado Cantinflear at the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy] Retrieved 21 January 2006</ref> in its dictionary in 1992.

In the visual arts, Mexican artists such as [[Rufino Tamayo]] and [[Diego Rivera]] painted Cantinflas as a symbol of the Mexican everyman.

Cantinflas' style and the content of his films have led scholars to conclude that he influenced the many ''teatros'' that spread the message of the [[Chicano Movement]] during the 1960s-1970s in the United States, the most important of which was [[Teatro Campesino|El Teatro Campesino]]. The ''teatro'' movement was an important part of the cultural renaissance that was the social counterpart of the political movement for the civil rights of Mexican Americans. Cantinflas' use of social themes and style is seen as a precursor to [[Chicano]] theater.<ref name="chicano teatro">D'Souza, Karen. ''Mercury News'' [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/performing_arts/12776491.htm "Remembering Cantinflas"]</ref>

A cartoon series, the ''[[Amigo and Friends|Cantinflas Show]]'', was made in 1972 starring an animated Cantinflas. The show was targeted for children and was intended to be educational.<ref name="show">[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808677057/info Yahoo entry on the ''Cantinflas Show''] Retrieved 24 January 2006</ref> The first animated version animated by [[Santiago Moro]] and his brother [[Jose Luis Moro]] for Televisa in the early 1970s (Cantinflas Show) which educated children by meeting such notable people as [[Chopin]], [[Louis Pasteur]], [[Albert Einstein]] and [[William Shakespeare]]'s [[Romeo and Juliet]] as well learning how important water and oil is and educational parodies of some of his famous movies like ''Su Excelencia'' [La Carta with incidental music from [[Aaron Copland]]'s ''[[El Salón México]]''] In the second version his character was known as "''Little Amigo''" and concentrated on a wide range of subjects intended to educate children, from the origin of soccer to the reasons behind the [[International Date Line]]. The second animated series animated in 1979 and dubbed in English in 1982 was a joint venture between [[Televisa]] and [[Hanna-Barbera]] and Mario Moreno voiced "Little Amigo"/Cantinflas in the Spanish version and [[Don Messick]] voiced "Little Amigo" and [[John Stephenson (actor)|John Stephenson]] as the narrator in the English version. Both The Cantinflas Show and Amigos and Friends aired in the mid 1990s on [[Univision]] and Televisa re aired The Cantinflas Show in the mid 1990s.

Although Cantinflas never achieved the same success in the United States as in Mexico, he was honored with a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6438 [[Hollywood Boulevard]] on October 10, 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/cantinflas|title=Hollywood Walk of Fame – Cantinflas|website=walkoffame.com|publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce|access-date=11 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901054405/http://www.walkoffame.com/cantinflas|archive-date=1 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> He earned two Golden Globe nominations (winning one) for best actor and the [[Mexican Academy of Film]] Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref name="amg" /><ref name="barnes">[http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/Biography.asp?ctr=582398 Biography from Barnes & Noble] Retrieved 25 January 2006.</ref> His handprints have been imbedded onto the [[Plaza de las Estrellas|Paseo de las Luminarias]] for his work in motion pictures.

The Mario Moreno "Cantinflas" Award is handed out annually for entertainers who "represent the Latino community with the same humor and distinction as the legendary Mario Moreno "Cantinflas" and who, like Cantinflas, utilizes his power to help those most in need".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ernieg.com/bio.html|title=Mario Moreno "Cantinflas" Award |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060223053943/http://www.ernieg.com/bio.html |archive-date=23 February 2006 |access-date=29 January 2006|work=ErnieG}}</ref>

On August 12, 2018, the [[Google Doodle]] paid homage to Cantinflas on his 107th birth anniversary.<ref name="doodle">{{cite web|url=https://doodles.google/doodle/mario-moreno-cantinflas-107th-birthday/|title=Mario Moreno "Cantinflas'" 107th Birthday|date=2018-08-12|work=Google|access-date=2018-08-12}}</ref>

=== Characterizations ===
Moreno's life is the subject of the biographical film ''[[Cantinflas (film)|Cantinflas]]'' (2014, directed by Sebastian del Amo). It stars [[Óscar Jaenada]], who portrays a young Mario Moreno attempting to gain respect and make a living as an actor, and award-winning actor [[Michael Imperioli]] as [[Mike Todd]], an American film-producer struggling to film his masterpiece.
The film is centered in Moreno's personal life, and in the development of Todd's Golden Globe Award-winning 1956 film ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]''.

== Critical response ==
[[File:Homenaje a Mario Moreno "Cantinflas".jpg|thumb|Cantinflas depicted in 1952 by the Chilean muralist {{ill|Fernando Marcos Miranda|fr}}.]]
Cantinflas is sometimes seen as a Mexican [[Groucho Marx]] character, one who uses his skill with words to puncture the pretensions of the wealthy and powerful, the police and the government, with the difference that he strongly supported democracy. Historian and author of ''Cantinflas and the Chaos of Mexican Modernity'', writes, "Cantinflas symbolized the underdog who triumphed through trickery over more powerful opponents" and presents Cantinflas as a self-image of a transitional Mexico. [[Gregorio Luke]], executive director of the [[Museum of Latin American Art]] said, "To understand Cantinflas is to understand what happened in Mexico during the last century".<ref name="lyt" /><ref name="jhu.edu">[http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/the_americas/v059/59.1bliss.html Cantinflas and the Chaos of Mexican Modernity]. Retrieved 1 February 2006</ref>

Monsiváis interprets Moreno's portrayals in terms of the importance of the spoken word in the context of Mexico's "reigning illiteracy" (70% in 1930). Particularly in the film ''[[El analfabeto]]'', (''The Illiterate''), "Cantinflas is the illiterate who takes control of the language by whatever means he can".<ref name="Monsiváis3">Monsiváis, p. 52</ref>

The writer [[Salvador Novo]] interpreted the role of Moreno's character entirely in terms of ''Cantinflismo'': "''En condensarlos: en entregar a la saludable carcajada del pueblo la esencia demagógica de su vacuo confusionismo, estriba el mérito y se asegura la gloria de este hijo cazurro de la ciudad ladina y burlona de México, que es 'Cantinflas'''". ("In condensing them [the leaders of the world and of Mexico], in returning to the healthy laughter of the people the demagogic essence of their empty confusion, merit is sustained and glory is ensured for the self-contained son of the Spanish-speaking mocker of Mexico, who Cantinflas portrays.")<ref name="Novo2">Novo, p. 47</ref>

In his biography of the comic, scholar of Mexican culture Jeffrey M. Pilcher views Cantinflas as a metaphor for "the chaos of Mexican modernity", a modernity that was just out of reach for the majority of Mexicans: "His nonsense language eloquently expressed the contradictions of modernity as 'the palpitating moment of everything that wants to be that which it cannot be'."<ref name="Pilcher1">Pilcher, p. xxii</ref> Likewise, "Social hierarchies, speech patterns, ethnic identities, and masculine forms of behavior all crumbled before his chaotic humor, to be reformulated in revolutionary new ways."<ref name="Pilcher2">Pilcher, p. xviii</ref>

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 640px;"
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Cinema of the United States]]'''
|-
! Year !! Director !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1956 || Michael Anderson || ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' || [[Jean Passepartout|Passepartout]] ||
|-
| 1960 || George Sidney || ''[[Pepe (1960 film)|Pepe]]'' || Pepe ||
|-
| 1969 || Norman Foster || ''[[The Great Sex War]]'' || General Marcos ||
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 640px;"
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Cinema of Mexico]]'''
|-
! Year !! Director !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1937 || Miguel Contreras Torres || ''[[Don't Fool Yourself Dear|Don't Fool Yourself, Dear]]'' || Canti ||
|-
| 1937 || Arcady Boytler || ''[[Such Is My Country]]'' || El Tejón ||
|-
| 1937 || Arcady Boytler || ''[[Heads or Tails (1937 film)|Heads or Tails]]'' || Polito Sol ||
|-
| 1939 || Chano Urueta || ''[[The Sign of Death]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1939 || Fernando Rivera || ''Siempre listo en las tinieblas'' || Chencho Albondigon || Short
|-
| 1939 || Fernando Rivera || ''Jengibre contra Dinamita'' || Cantinflas || Short
|-
| 1940 || Juan Bustillo Oro || ''[[You're Missing the Point]]'' || Cantinflas / "Leonardo del Paso" ||
|-
| 1940 || Carlos Toussaint || ''Cantinflas y su prima'' || Cantinflas || Short
|-
| 1940 || Fernando Rivera || ''Cantinflas ruletero'' || Cantinflas || Short
|-
| 1940 || Fernando Rivera || ''Cantinflas boxeador'' || Cantinflas || Short
|-
| 1941 || Alejandro Galindo || ''[[Neither Blood Nor Sand]]'' || El Chato / Manuel Márquez "Manolete" ||
|-
| 1941 || [[Miguel M. Delgado]] || ''[[The Unknown Policeman]]'' || El Chato / Badge Number 777 / The King of Diamonds ||
|-
| 1942 || Carlos Villatoro || ''[[Carnival in the Tropics]]'' || Himself || Cameo
|-
| 1942 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Three Musketeers (1942 film)|The Three Musketeers]]'' || Cantinflas / D'Artagnan ||
|-
| 1943 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Circus (1943 film)|The Circus]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1943 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1943 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' || Cantinflas / Romeo de Montesco / Abelardo Del Monte ||
|-
| 1944 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Gran Hotel (film)|Gran Hotel]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1945 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[A Day with the Devil]]'' || Cantinflas / Juan Pérez ||
|-
| 1946 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[I Am a Fugitive]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1947 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Fly Away, Young Man!]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1948 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Genius (1948 film)|The Genius]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1949 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Magician (1949 film)|The Magician]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1950 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Doorman (1950 film)|The Doorman]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1951 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[El Siete Machos]]'' || Margarito / El Siete Machos ||
|-
| 1952 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[If I Were a Congressman]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1952 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Atomic Fireman]]'' || Cantinflas / Badge Number 777 ||
|-
| 1953 || Raúl Medina || ''Bella, la salvaje'' || ||
|-
| 1953 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Photographer (1953 film)|The Photographer]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1954 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[A Tailored Gentleman]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1955 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Drop the Curtain]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1957 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[El bolero de Raquel]]'' || Cantinflas ||
|-
| 1958 || Tulio Demicheli || ''Ama a tu prójimo'' || Luis ||
|-
| 1959 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Sube y baja]]'' || Cantinflas / Falso Jorge Maciel ||
|-
| 1961 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Illiterate One]]'' || Inocencio Prieto y Calvo ||
|-
| 1962 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[The Extra (1962 film)|The Extra]]'' || Rogaciano ||
|-
| 1963 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Immediate Delivery]]'' || Feliciano Calloso / XU 777 ||
|-
| 1964 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[El padrecito]]'' || Sebastián ||
|-
| 1965 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[El señor doctor]]'' || Salvador Medina ||
|-
| 1967 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Su excelencia]]'' || Lopitos ||
|-
| 1968 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Por mis pistolas]]'' || Fidencio Barrenillo ||
|-
| 1969 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Un Quijote sin mancha]]'' || Justo Leal, Aventado ||
|-
| 1971 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[El profe]]'' || Sócrates García ||
|-
| 1973 || [[Roberto Gavaldón]] || ''[[Don Quijote cabalga de nuevo]]'' || [[Sancho Panza]] ||
|-
| 1973 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[Conserje en condominio]]'' || Úrsulo ||
|-
| 1976 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[El ministro y yo]]'' || Mateo Melgarejo ||
|-
| 1978 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[El patrullero 777]]'' || Diógenes Bravo / Badge Number 777 ||
|-
| 1982 || Miguel M. Delgado || ''[[El barrendero]]'' || Napoleón ||
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Award
!Category
!Film
!Outcome
|-
|1952
|rowspan="2"|[[Ariel Awards]]<ref name="Ariel – Ganadores y nominados – Mario Moreno">{{cite web|title=Ariel – Ganadores y nominados – Mario Moreno|url=http://www.academiamexicanadecine.org.mx/ver_ariel.asp?tipo=ariel&idPersona=4283|work=academiamexicanadecine.org.mx|access-date=29 August 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024001528/http://www.academiamexicanadecine.org.mx/ver_ariel.asp?tipo=ariel&idPersona=4283|archive-date=24 October 2014}}</ref>
|Special Ariel
| style="background:lightgrey;" rowspan="2"|
|{{won}}
|-
|1987
|Golden Ariel
|{{won}}
|-
|[[14th Golden Globe Awards|1957]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Golden Globe Awards]]<ref name="Golden Globe Awards Official Website – Cantinflas">{{cite web|title=Golden Globe Awards Official Website – Cantinflas|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/?param=/member/28518|work=goldenglobes.org|access-date=29 August 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017201748/http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/?param=%2Fmember%2F28518|archive-date=17 October 2013}}</ref>
|rowspan="2"|Best Performance by an Actor<br />in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
|''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|[[18th Golden Globe Awards|1961]]
|rowspan=2|''[[Pepe (1960 film)|Pepe]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|1961
|[[Laurel Awards]]
|Top Male Comedy Performance
|{{nom}}
|-
|1962
|Menorah Awards<ref name="Historia documental del cine mexicano: 1961-1963">{{cite book|last=García Riera|first=Emilio|title=Historia documental del cine mexicano: 1961–1963|year=1992|publisher=Universidad de Guadalajara|isbn=9789688955406|page=141}}</ref>
|Best Comic Actor
|''[[El analfabeto]]''
|{{won}}
|}

== See also ==
*[[Chespirito]]
*[[Mononymous persons#Gallery|Mononymous person]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
*Garcia Riera, Emilio, 1970. ''Historia documental del cine mexicano'', vol. II.
*Leñero, Vicente. ''Historia del Teatro de los Insurgentes''.
*Monsiváis, Carlos, 1999. Cantinflas and Tin Tan: Mexico's Greatest Comedians. In Hershfield, Joanne, and Maciel, David R. (Eds.), ''Mexico's Cinema: A Century of Film and Filmmakers'', pp.&nbsp;49–79. Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources, Inc. {{ISBN|0-8420-2681-9}}
*Morales, Miguel Ángel, 1996. ''Cantinflas: Amo de las carpas''. México: Editorial Clío, Libros y Videos, S. A. de C. V. {{ISBN|968-6932-58-5}}
*Novo, Salvador, 1967. ''Nueva grandeza mexicana''. México: Ediciones Era.
*Pilcher, Jeffrey M., 2001. ''Cantinflas and the chaos of Mexican modernity''. Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources. {{ISBN|0-8420-2769-6}}
*Smith, Ronald L. (Ed.), (1992). ''Who's Who in Comedy'' pp.&nbsp;88–89. New York: Facts on File. {{ISBN|0-8160-2338-7}}
*[[Ilan Stavans|Stavans, Ilan]], 1998. ''The Riddle of Cantinflas: Essays on Hispanic popular culture''. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. {{ISBN|0-8263-1860-6}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Cantinflas}}
* {{Official website|https://www.iamcantinflas.com/}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110925092425/http://cinemexicano.mty.itesm.mx/estrellas/cantinflas.html Cantinflas] at the [[cinema of Mexico]] site of the [[ITESM]] {{in lang|es}} (archived 25 September 2011)
* [http://cantinflas.net/ Cantinflas] Fan site {{in lang|es}}
* [https://www.facebook.com/CantinflasMovie Cantinflas Movie] – official Facebook page of the 2014 Biopic Movie Cantinflas {{in lang|es}}
* [https://archive.today/20131216214027/http://cantinflasmovie.com/ Cantinflas Movie] Official Page of the 2014 Biopic Movie Cantinflas {{in lang|es}} (archived 16 December 2013)
* [https://doodles.google/doodle/mario-moreno-cantinflas-107th-birthday/ Cantinflas 107th Birthday] at [[Google Doodles]]

{{Golden Globe Award Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Mexican comedians]]
[[Category:Ariel Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:Comedians from Mexico City]]
[[Category:Comedy franchises]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in Mexico]]
[[Category:Golden Age of Mexican cinema]]
[[Category:Golden Ariel Award winners]]
[[Category:Hanna-Barbera people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Mexico City]]
[[Category:Mexican Freemasons]]
[[Category:Mexican male comedians]]
[[Category:Mexican male film actors]]
[[Category:Mexican male voice actors]]
[[Category:Mexican Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:People from Cuernavaca]]
[[Category:People from Morelos]]