Antonio Aguilar
Encyclopedia
José Pascual Antonio Aguilar Barraza (May 17, 1919 – June 19, 2007) most commonly known as Antonio Aguilar, nicknamed "El Charro de México", was a Mexican
film
actor
, singer, producer
and screenwriter
. During his career, he made over 150 albums, which sold 25 million copies, and made 167 movies. Aguilar was best known in cinema for his participation in films concerning the Mexican Revolution
, its heroes, and its folk songs or corridos. He won the Premio ACE for Best Actor for his eponymous role in Emiliano Zapata
. Aguilar was also awarded with the Special Golden Ariel
for his invaluable contribution and spreading of Mexican cinema.
He married actress-singer Flor Silvestre
after meeting her during the filming of a motion picture. Their sons, Antonio Aguilar Jr. and Pepe Aguilar
also entered into the film and music industry. Antonio Aguilar along with his family are known together as La Dinastía Aguilar, or "The Aguilar Dynasty".
Antonio de Jesús: Dueño de Perapple
, considered to have originated in Mexico, to international audiences.
Antonio Aguilar was the first Mexican performer to mix rodeo
s and concerts while touring his show in Latin America
and the United States
. He made 167 movies and has been compared to American actors like Roy Rogers
, Gene Autry
, and Ronald Reagan
.
In the 1950s, Aguilar was cast in a series of films centered on rural hero "Mauricio Rosales" in El rayo justiciero (1955), La barranca de muerte (1955), La sierra del terror (1956), La huella del chacal (1956), La pantera negra (1957), La guarida del buitre (1958), and Los muertos no hablan (1958). A total of seven low-budget ranchera films produced by Rosas Films S.A.
Aguilar gained cinematic notice when cast in Ismael Rodríguez's Tierra de hombres in 1956. Other collaborations with Rodríguez include La Cucaracha (1959) and Ánimas Trujano (1962), where he received starring roles. Amongst his best ranchera films are Yo... el aventurero
(1959), Caballo prieto azabache
(1968) El ojo de vidrio
(1969), and Valente Quintero
(1973). Aguilar appeared in American western films like 1969's The Undefeated
starring John Wayne
. He also made a memorable starring role alongside Flor Silvestre
in Triste recuerdo (1991).
For contributions to the recording industry, Antonio Aguilar Barraza was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 7056 Hollywood Boulevard
. He was similarly honored with his handprints and star on the Paseo de las Luminarias
in Mexico City
for his work in movies and in the recording industry.
s with some of his best known songs, including "Gabino Barrera", "Caballo Prieto Azabache", "Albur de Amor", and "Un Puño De Tierra". Antonio was also largely responsible for the renewed popularity of the tambora
music in the mid 1980s, when he single-handedly resuscitated the genre with the hit "Triste Recuerdo". To this day he has been the only Hispanic artist to sell out the Madison Square Garden
of New York City
for six consecutive nights on 1997.
(born Guillermina Jiménez Chagoya), and one of their children, José "Pepe" Aguilar
, is among Mexico's most popular modern singers. In addition to Pepe Aguilar, he had another child with Flor Silvestre who is the eldest, Antonio Aguilar, Jr. Aguilar's grandchildren include Emiliano, Aneliz, Leonardo, and Ángela are Pepe Aguilar's children. María José and Flor Susana are Antonio Aguilar Jr's. children.
.
Aguilar died on June 19, 2007 at 11:45 p.m. from pneumonia
. His coffin was carried through the streets of Zacatecas, the state capital, and was honored at a memorial service attended by hundreds at a church there.
His body was then taken to the hamlet of Tayahua, about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) to the south, where residents waited in the streets to bid Aguilar a final farewell before he was buried at his family's "El Soyate" ranch nearby, the government news agency Notimex reported.
Obituaries appeared in many newspapers, including Los Angeles Times (US), New York Times (US), Washington Post (US), The Guardian (UK) and The Independent (UK). News of Antonio’s death were reported in newspapers of many Spanish-speaking countries, including Guatemala (El Periodico), Honduras (La Tribuna), El Salvador (El Diario de Hoy), Nicaragua (El Nuevo Diario), Costa Rica (Diario Extra), Venezuela (Correo del Caroní), Peru (Crónica Viva), Colombia (El Tiempo), Ecuador (El Diario) and Chile (El Mercurio).
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, singer, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. During his career, he made over 150 albums, which sold 25 million copies, and made 167 movies. Aguilar was best known in cinema for his participation in films concerning the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, its heroes, and its folk songs or corridos. He won the Premio ACE for Best Actor for his eponymous role in Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata (film)
Emiliano Zapata is a 1970 Mexican film directed by Felipe Cazals.-Cast:* Armando Acosta* Antonio Aguilar as Emiliano Zapata* David Alejandro* Mário Almada-Awards:...
. Aguilar was also awarded with the Special Golden Ariel
Ariel Award
The Ariel is the Mexican Academy of Film Award. It has been awarded annually since 1947. The award recognizes excellence in motion picture making, such as acting, directing and screenwriting in Mexican cinema. It is considered the most prestigious award in the Mexican movie industry.- History :The...
for his invaluable contribution and spreading of Mexican cinema.
He married actress-singer Flor Silvestre
Flor Silvestre
Flor silvestre is a 1943 Mexican film, directed by Emilio Fernández and starring Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz. Is the first Mexican movie of Dolores del Río after her career in Silent and Golden Age's Hollywood films...
after meeting her during the filming of a motion picture. Their sons, Antonio Aguilar Jr. and Pepe Aguilar
Pepe Aguilar
José "Pepe" Aguilar Jiménez is a popular singer-songwriter of ranchera, mariachi and pop music. Pepe is the son of Mexican icon Antonio Aguilar and folkloric actress Flor Silvestre.-Career:...
also entered into the film and music industry. Antonio Aguilar along with his family are known together as La Dinastía Aguilar, or "The Aguilar Dynasty".
Antonio de Jesús: Dueño de Perapple
Acting career
Aguilar began his acting career in 1952 during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. He is credited with popularising la charreríaCharreada
The charreada or charrería is a competitive event similar to rodeo and was developed from animal husbandry practices used on the haciendas of Old Mexico. The sport has been described as "living history," or as an art form drawn the demands of working life...
, considered to have originated in Mexico, to international audiences.
Antonio Aguilar was the first Mexican performer to mix rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
s and concerts while touring his show in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He made 167 movies and has been compared to American actors like Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
, Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
, and Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
In the 1950s, Aguilar was cast in a series of films centered on rural hero "Mauricio Rosales" in El rayo justiciero (1955), La barranca de muerte (1955), La sierra del terror (1956), La huella del chacal (1956), La pantera negra (1957), La guarida del buitre (1958), and Los muertos no hablan (1958). A total of seven low-budget ranchera films produced by Rosas Films S.A.
Aguilar gained cinematic notice when cast in Ismael Rodríguez's Tierra de hombres in 1956. Other collaborations with Rodríguez include La Cucaracha (1959) and Ánimas Trujano (1962), where he received starring roles. Amongst his best ranchera films are Yo... el aventurero
Yo... el aventurero
Yo... el aventurero is a 1959 Mexican film directed by Jaime Salvador and starring Antonio Aguilar in the title role, Rosa de Castilla, Ángel Infante, and Amalia Mendoza...
(1959), Caballo prieto azabache
Caballo prieto azabache
Caballo prieto azabache , also known as La tumba de Villa , is a 1968 Mexican film. It was directed by René Cardona, and stars Antonio Aguilar as "Jesús Aguilar", Flor Silvestre as "Genoveva Larios", and Jaime Fernández as "Rodolfo Fierro". Supporting cast includes Jorge Russek and Guillermo Rivas....
(1968) El ojo de vidrio
El ojo de vidrio
El ojo de vidrio is a 1969 Mexican drama-epic film directed by René Cardona Jr., starring Antonio Aguilar, Flor Silvestre, Manuel Capetillo, Eleazar García, Alejandro Reyna, and Guillermo Rivas...
(1969), and Valente Quintero
Valente Quintero
Valente Quintero is a 1973 Mexican historical-drama film directed by Mario Hernández and written and produced by Antonio Aguilar who stars in the title role along with Saby Kamalich as his love-interest, and Narciso Busquets as the antagonist....
(1973). Aguilar appeared in American western films like 1969's The Undefeated
The Undefeated (1969 film)
The Undefeated is a 1969 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and John Wayne and starring John Wayne and Rock Hudson. The film portrays events surrounding the French Intervention in Mexico and is also loosely based on General J. O...
starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. He also made a memorable starring role alongside Flor Silvestre
Flor Silvestre (actress)
Flor Silvestre , is a Mexican actress, ranchera singer, and comic book superhero. She is regarded as one of the great "folklóricas" of Mexican cinema, Silvestre is also one of the principal cinematographic and musical stars of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema...
in Triste recuerdo (1991).
For contributions to the recording industry, Antonio Aguilar Barraza was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 7056 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
. He was similarly honored with his handprints and star on the Paseo de las Luminarias
Plaza de las Estrellas
Plaza de las Estrellas is a shopping center located in Mexico City. It was built in 1982. It is best known as the site of the Paseo de las Luminarias, the Mexican equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
for his work in movies and in the recording industry.
Musical career
Antonio Aguilar began his recording career in 1950, eventually making over 150 albums and selling more than 25 million records. He was known for his corridoCorrido
The corrido is a popular narrative song and poetry form, a ballad, of Mexico. The songs are often about oppression, history, daily life for peasants, and other socially important information. It is still a popular form today, and was widely popular during the Mexican Revolution and Nicaraguan...
s with some of his best known songs, including "Gabino Barrera", "Caballo Prieto Azabache", "Albur de Amor", and "Un Puño De Tierra". Antonio was also largely responsible for the renewed popularity of the tambora
Tambora
Tambora may refer to:* In music:**Tanpura, an instrument used in Indian classical music for continuous production of consonating reference notes **Tambora , an Afro-Caribbean percussion instrument...
music in the mid 1980s, when he single-handedly resuscitated the genre with the hit "Triste Recuerdo". To this day he has been the only Hispanic artist to sell out the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for six consecutive nights on 1997.
Family
Ángela and Jesús, Antonio's parents, had six other children: José Roque, Salvador (dec.), Guadalupe (dec.), Luis Tomás (dec.), Mariano (dec.) and Josefina. Aguilar was married to actress Flor SilvestreFlor Silvestre (actress)
Flor Silvestre , is a Mexican actress, ranchera singer, and comic book superhero. She is regarded as one of the great "folklóricas" of Mexican cinema, Silvestre is also one of the principal cinematographic and musical stars of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema...
(born Guillermina Jiménez Chagoya), and one of their children, José "Pepe" Aguilar
Pepe Aguilar
José "Pepe" Aguilar Jiménez is a popular singer-songwriter of ranchera, mariachi and pop music. Pepe is the son of Mexican icon Antonio Aguilar and folkloric actress Flor Silvestre.-Career:...
, is among Mexico's most popular modern singers. In addition to Pepe Aguilar, he had another child with Flor Silvestre who is the eldest, Antonio Aguilar, Jr. Aguilar's grandchildren include Emiliano, Aneliz, Leonardo, and Ángela are Pepe Aguilar's children. María José and Flor Susana are Antonio Aguilar Jr's. children.
Death
On June 18, 2007, Doctors announced that Antonio was no longer responding to treatment and was expected to pass away before the end of the night. On June 19, 2007, the doctor spoke out to the media that Aguilar was still alive, and his body was responding to the medication but was still in critical condition. While there, the family received visits from many famous people including Vicente FernándezVicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández Gómez is a Mexican singer, producer and actor. Known as Chente or El rey de la canción ranchera throughout the Latin world, Vicente Fernández, who started his career singing for tips on the street, has become a cultural icon, recording more than 50 albums and contributing to...
.
Aguilar died on June 19, 2007 at 11:45 p.m. from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. His coffin was carried through the streets of Zacatecas, the state capital, and was honored at a memorial service attended by hundreds at a church there.
His body was then taken to the hamlet of Tayahua, about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) to the south, where residents waited in the streets to bid Aguilar a final farewell before he was buried at his family's "El Soyate" ranch nearby, the government news agency Notimex reported.
Obituaries appeared in many newspapers, including Los Angeles Times (US), New York Times (US), Washington Post (US), The Guardian (UK) and The Independent (UK). News of Antonio’s death were reported in newspapers of many Spanish-speaking countries, including Guatemala (El Periodico), Honduras (La Tribuna), El Salvador (El Diario de Hoy), Nicaragua (El Nuevo Diario), Costa Rica (Diario Extra), Venezuela (Correo del Caroní), Peru (Crónica Viva), Colombia (El Tiempo), Ecuador (El Diario) and Chile (El Mercurio).
External links
- Antonio Aguilar's movies at TKcine
- Pepe Aguilar's website - Antonio Aguilar's son
- Obituary in the Houston ChronicleHouston ChronicleThe Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...