Amador Bendayán
Encyclopedia
Amador Bendayán [ben-dah-IAN] (November 11, 1920 – August 8, 1989) was a Venezuela
n actor
and entertainer.
The son of Moroccan Jewish immigrants, Bendayán was born in Villa de Cura, Aragua
, and was raised and educated in Caracas
. He started his career in radio
in 1937 as an announcer
and comedian
.
Bendayán gained a huge popularity for his comedies El Bachiller y Bartolo (1949–59) and La Bodega de la Esquina (1950–1960), and when it went from radio to television
, his popularity –and his audience– continued to grow. He also appeared in several movies in Mexico
and Venezuela from 1947 through 1971 and worked in The Amador News, a satirical TV-news parody, in the mid-1960s.
In 1968, Bendayán was hired by Radio Caracas Televisión
to host Sábado Espectacular, a five-hour marathon variety show
which lasted through 1971. A year later he moved to Venevisión
, as the show was renamed Sábado Sensacional
.
Bendayán hosted his show until 1988, a few months before his death in Caracas, aged 68. Gilberto Correa
succeeded him as host of the show.
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...
n 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...
and entertainer.
The son of Moroccan Jewish immigrants, Bendayán was born in Villa de Cura, Aragua
Aragua (state)
Aragua State is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. It has plains and jungles and Caribbean beaches. The most popular are Cata and Choroni...
, and was raised and educated in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
. He started his career in radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
in 1937 as an announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
.
Bendayán gained a huge popularity for his comedies El Bachiller y Bartolo (1949–59) and La Bodega de la Esquina (1950–1960), and when it went from radio to television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, his popularity –and his audience– continued to grow. He also appeared in several movies in Mexico
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...
and Venezuela from 1947 through 1971 and worked in The Amador News, a satirical TV-news parody, in the mid-1960s.
In 1968, Bendayán was hired by Radio Caracas Televisión
RCTV
Radio Caracas Televisión Internacional is a Venezuelan cable television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, RCTV Internacional was inaugurated as Radio Caracas Televisión on 15 November...
to host Sábado Espectacular, a five-hour marathon variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
which lasted through 1971. A year later he moved to Venevisión
Venevisión
Venevisión is one of Venezuela's largest television networks and a Venezuelan cable and terrestrial television network, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros...
, as the show was renamed Sábado Sensacional
Sabado Sensacional
Súper Sábado Sensacional is a Spanish-language variety show created in Venezuela, and established on Radio Caracas Television in 1968. The show later moved to Venevisión network in 1971...
.
Bendayán hosted his show until 1988, a few months before his death in Caracas, aged 68. Gilberto Correa
Gilberto Correa
Gilberto Correa is a Venezuelan television personality known for hosting De Fiesta Con Venevision from 1969–1978 and Súper Sábado Sensacional from 1988-1996...
succeeded him as host of the show.
- Amador Bendayán was the founder and first president of Casa del Artista, a cultural center which is located in a boulevardBoulevardA Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
named after him, in an area next to the Santa Rosa church, a synagogueSynagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, and a mosqueMosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
.
Selected filmography
- Misión atómica (1947)
- Yo quiero una mujer así (1951)
- Seis meses de vida (1951)
- Yo y las mujeres (1959)
- Si yo fuera millonario [aka If I Were a Millionaire] (1962)
- El idolo (1963)
- Napoleoncito (1964)
- Escuela para solteras (1965)
- El Pícaro (1967)
- El Reportero [aka The Reporter] (1968)
- Departamento de soltero (1971)
- O.K. Cleopatra (1971)