Capulina
Encyclopedia
Gaspar Henaine Pérez was a Mexican
comic
actor and singer, who became famous when he partnered with Marco Antonio Campos as the comedy team Viruta y Capulina
. Together, they were very successful in film, television and theater. From then on, he was best known as Capulina. Henaine is also nicknamed "The King of White Humor" because of his innocent, clean humor without obscene or inappropriate jokes.
to a Lebanese father and a Mexican mother who were prosperous merchants. When Capulina was six years old, he and his family moved to Mexico City
. In 1940 at age 14, Capulina began his acting career. He was a singer as a teenager, singing for "Los Excéntricos del Ritmo". Later, he formed part of "Los Trincas".
, thanks to their physical resemblance to them, with time they developed their own characteristic comedy style. Many rumors surfaced when the two co-workers stopped making movies together; some suggested that Viruta felt underpaid, but Capulina attributed the separation to a feud between the two which had been caused by lack of movie jobs towards the end of their working relationship. Although he admitted to both he and Viruta feeling some animosity against each other during their last six movies together, Capulina also felt deep sorrow when Viruta died. A sufferer of three previous heart attack
s, Viruta died after his fourth heart attack.
s. One of his most famous movies was 1972's El Santo Versus Capulina, where he co-starred with Mexican wrestling
legend El Santo.
Capulina was also a theatrical
actor and stand-up comedian. He toured with his act until 1997, when he retired, claiming that he was feeling too old to go on.
and a gastric ulcer on September 30, 2011.
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...
comic
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
actor and singer, who became famous when he partnered with Marco Antonio Campos as the comedy team Viruta y Capulina
Viruta y Capulina
Marco Antonio Campos and Gaspar Henaine performed together as Viruta y Capulina, a Mexican comedy duo in film that first appeared in the movie Se los Chupó la bruja, in 1958....
. Together, they were very successful in film, television and theater. From then on, he was best known as Capulina. Henaine is also nicknamed "The King of White Humor" because of his innocent, clean humor without obscene or inappropriate jokes.
Early life
Capulina was born in Chignahuapan in the Sierra Norte de PueblaSierra Norte de Puebla
The Sierra Norte de Puebla – known simply as the Sierra Norte by locals – is a mountain range that makes up the southern end of the Sierra Madre Oriental in central Mexico.-Mountain range:...
to a Lebanese father and a Mexican mother who were prosperous merchants. When Capulina was six years old, he and his family moved 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...
. In 1940 at age 14, Capulina began his acting career. He was a singer as a teenager, singing for "Los Excéntricos del Ritmo". Later, he formed part of "Los Trincas".
Viruta and Capulina
Capulina became famous across Latin America alongside his longtime professional partner, Marco Antonio "Viruta" Campos Contreras. In 1951 they started filming together, the two comedians made 26 movies. At first they started imitating the style in comedy of Laurel and HardyLaurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
, thanks to their physical resemblance to them, with time they developed their own characteristic comedy style. Many rumors surfaced when the two co-workers stopped making movies together; some suggested that Viruta felt underpaid, but Capulina attributed the separation to a feud between the two which had been caused by lack of movie jobs towards the end of their working relationship. Although he admitted to both he and Viruta feeling some animosity against each other during their last six movies together, Capulina also felt deep sorrow when Viruta died. A sufferer of three previous heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
s, Viruta died after his fourth heart attack.
Later work
Capulina went on to make a total of 84 movies, 58 of them after separating from Viruta. He also has recorded 12 music albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. One of his most famous movies was 1972's El Santo Versus Capulina, where he co-starred with Mexican wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
legend El Santo.
Capulina was also a theatrical
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
actor and stand-up comedian. He toured with his act until 1997, when he retired, claiming that he was feeling too old to go on.
Death
Henaine died of complications with pneumoniaPneumonia
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...
and a gastric ulcer on September 30, 2011.