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Pedro Infante
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
José Pedro Infante Cruz (November 18, 1917 – April 15, 1957), better known as Pedro Infante, was a Mexican actor and singer. He is generally regarded as the greatest idol in the history of Mexican cinema and remains popular today. He appeared in about 60 films from 1939 on, and recorded over 350 songs from 1943 on.
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Infante was born in the city of Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Migrating to the small, nearby town of Guamúchil (hence his nickname "Ídolo de Guamúchil") with his family, Infante worked as a carpenter at a very young age. His father, the musician Delfino Infante García, fostered his keen interest in music, which inspired him to make his own guitar, a task that took him two years.
In 1937, Pedro Infante sang for the first time in public at a local festival in Sinaloa. His first wife, María Luisa León, convinced him to move to Mexico City, where he acted for the radio Station XEB, and performed the music of Alberto Cervantes, José Alfredo Jiménez, Cuco Sánchez, Tomás Méndez, Rubén Fuentes, Salvador Flores, and others in concert halls. His first record, "El Soldado Razo", was recorded on November 19, 1943, on the Peerless label. Infante first appeared as an extra in the movie "En un burro tres baturros", and his career started with the film "La Feria de Las Flores" (1943).
Some of his most popular films are "Los Tres García", "Nosotros los Pobres", "ATM (A Toda Máquina)", "Dos Tipos de Cuidado", "Pablo y Carolina", "Escuela de Vagabundos", "Tizoc".
During one of his many tours of South America, he was the first foreigner ever to be awarded the Medalla de Oro Simón Bolívar (Gold Medal of Simón Bolívar) from the President of Venezuela. During this time he also conducted more tours of the United States, this time concentrating on California. When Jorge Negrete died in 1953, the throne they shared as Mexico's most popular actors was left solely to Infante, who led the funeral procession on his famous Harley-Davidson motorcycle as a uniformed member of Mexico's highway patrol. In July 1956, the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas of Mexico presented Pedro Infante with the Ariel Award for his motion picture La Vida No Vale Nada.
Pedro Infante's songs ranged from waltzes, cha-cha-chas, and canciones rancheras to boleros, which he made popular with mariachi and ranchera singers. Some of his most popular songs include "La Que Se Fue,""Flor Sin Retoño," "Yo No Fui"," Tu Y Las Nubes", " Nocturnal" and "Cien Años" as well as "Tu Enamorado" and "Tu Recuerdo Y Yo" plus the ever romantic "Corazon". Others include "El Durazno," "Dulce Patria," "Maldita Sea Mi Suerte," "Así Es La Vida," "Mañana Rosalía," "Cartas a Eufemia," and " Angelitos Negros". Infante was often accompanied by the great musical ensembles of that time, such as El Mariachi Vargas de Tecatitlán, La Orquesta de Pedro García, La Orquesta de Noe Fajardo, Trio Calaveras, Andrés Huesca y sus Costeños, and Antonio Bisbiesca.
Pedro Infante was a keen pilot and flew as often as his time permitted. In 1947, he was involved in the first of three airplane accidents. In 1949, he suffered serious injuries in his second plane crash near Zitácuaro, Michoacán. After surgery and several months of rehabilitation, he was able to resume his acting career.
On April 15, 1957, Infante was killed piloting his plane when it crashed near Mérida in Yucatán. The day was declared a national day of mourning in Mexico. When his coffin arrived in Mexico City, thousands of fans waited at the airport and his body was placed at the National Association of Actors and Composers in the Jorge Negrete Theater. There, his fans and family bid farewell with mariachis playing his famous bolero "Amorcito Corazón."