Rubén Aguirre
Encyclopedia
Rubén Aguirre (born June 15, 1933) is a Mexican
actor. He is best remembered for his characterization of in the Televisa
's television show El Chavo del Ocho. Aguirre also participated in another well known television show of the era, El Chapulín Colorado
, albeit less frequently.
, Coahuila
. He began his acting career in Monterrey
, Nuevo León
, working with a character (a famous clown) named Pipo.
He went on to Mexico City
, where he worked on several television scripts with Chespirito, creator and main star of both El Chavo and El Chapulín Colorado. Chespirito noticed the tall, skinny figure of Aguirre (therefore, the last name "Jirafales", derived from "jirafa", giraffe in Spanish) and asked him to play Professor Jirafales, to which Aguirre agreed. Aguirre was a personal friend of journalist Carlos Villagrán
, who later played Quico in the same show and also acted in El Chapulín Colorado. During a party at Aguirre's house, he "discovered" Villagrán, recommending him for the role of "Quico".
Aguirre gained much fame across Latin America
when both El Chavo and El Chapulín Colorado became major international hits. The group of actors that comprised the casts of both shows toured often, and sometimes they would venture out on their own. Aguirre was not the exception, visiting such places as Puerto Rico
, Venezuela
and Brazil
many times.
Chespirito owns the rights to El Chavo del Ocho, El Chapulín Colorado and both shows' character names in Mexico, so after his participation in both shows was over, Aguirre moved to Argentina
and opened a circus there. Since Chespirito does not have copyrights in Argentina, Aguirre was able to name his circus El circo del Profesor Jirafales.
Aguirre returned to Mexico in 2003 and started working as an announcer at game shows. He returned after gaining an unspecified amount of weight, as a result of a medical mistreatment that he suffered in South America involving cortisone, which has led to several media outlets to rumor about his health.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
actor. He is best remembered for his characterization of in the Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
's television show El Chavo del Ocho. Aguirre also participated in another well known television show of the era, El Chapulín Colorado
El Chapulín Colorado
El Chapulín Colorado is a television series, created and played by Roberto Gómez Bolaños, also known as Chespirito, a successful Mexican comedian and TV show producer, which parodied superhero shows...
, albeit less frequently.
Life and work
Rubén Aguirre was born in SaltilloSaltillo
Saltillo is the capital city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. The city is located about 400 km south of the U.S. state of Texas, and 90 km west of Monterrey, Nuevo León....
, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
. He began his acting career in Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, working with a character (a famous clown) named Pipo.
He went on to 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...
, where he worked on several television scripts with Chespirito, creator and main star of both El Chavo and El Chapulín Colorado. Chespirito noticed the tall, skinny figure of Aguirre (therefore, the last name "Jirafales", derived from "jirafa", giraffe in Spanish) and asked him to play Professor Jirafales, to which Aguirre agreed. Aguirre was a personal friend of journalist Carlos Villagrán
Carlos Villagrán
Carlos Villagrán Eslava is a Mexican comedy actor and former journalist. Villagrán combined both acting and writing at first; he became known for a character named Quico.-Life and work:...
, who later played Quico in the same show and also acted in El Chapulín Colorado. During a party at Aguirre's house, he "discovered" Villagrán, recommending him for the role of "Quico".
Aguirre gained much fame across 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...
when both El Chavo and El Chapulín Colorado became major international hits. The group of actors that comprised the casts of both shows toured often, and sometimes they would venture out on their own. Aguirre was not the exception, visiting such places as Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
many times.
Chespirito owns the rights to El Chavo del Ocho, El Chapulín Colorado and both shows' character names in Mexico, so after his participation in both shows was over, Aguirre moved to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and opened a circus there. Since Chespirito does not have copyrights in Argentina, Aguirre was able to name his circus El circo del Profesor Jirafales.
Aguirre returned to Mexico in 2003 and started working as an announcer at game shows. He returned after gaining an unspecified amount of weight, as a result of a medical mistreatment that he suffered in South America involving cortisone, which has led to several media outlets to rumor about his health.