Don Francisco (television host)
Encyclopedia
Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld (born on December 28, 1940 in Talca
, Chile
), better known by his stage name
, Don
Francisco, is a Chilean television personality, and a popular television personality on the Univision
network reaching Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States
. He is best known for hosting the variety shows Sábado Gigante
and Don Francisco Presenta
.
to study to be a tailor
, but he spent most of the time watching TV. Back in Chile, where TV was just beginning, "Don Francisco" started a TV show in 1962, and he named it Sábados Gigantes. In it, he adapted many of the formulas he had seen in American TV to the Chilean public. The show became an instant hit that has lasted over 40 years. In 1986, the show began to be produced in Miami, Florida
, with the same formula used in Chile, with the slightly different name of Sábado Gigante
. "Don Francisco" immediately became a household name among Hispanic
families across the United States, and in the following six years Kreutzberger developed a three hour long variety show
, including contests, comedy, interviews and a traveling camera section. Many argue that the talent on his shows were scouted from another show called "Jugaremos en Familia" hosted by Memo Flores in Los Angeles, California. The traveling camera, or Cámara Viajera (originally La Película Extranjera, The Foreign Movie), has taken "Don Francisco" to over 185 countries worldwide, many of them more than once. Kreutzberger in his show has interviewed many celebrities, including Roberto Durán
, Cristina Saralegui
, Sussan Taunton
, Charytín
and many others. In addition, his show has launched the careers of famous entertainers, such as Lili Estefan, Sissi and numerous more.
In September 1991, Kreutzberger introduced a new show on Wednesday at 10 pm on Univision called "Noches de Gigantes". It ran until September 1992.
In 1992, Kreutzberger was sued by one of his models for sexual harassment
, but the suit was settled out of court.
Nowadays, Kreutzberger has stopped flying back and forth between Miami and Chile each week to tape both the Chilean and the international shows and his daughter Vivian is becoming quite popular as the host of the Chilean show. Apparently, having to travel so much between Miami and his home country, plus having to travel to worldwide locations to tape La Cámara Viajera, was becoming too strenuous for him.
Kreutzberger has also hosted a season of the Chilean version of ¿Quién merece ser millonario?
, based on the original British format of the international Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
franchise, and Deal or No Deal
.
In 2002, Kreutzberger's show completed 40 years, and its host said he has no plans to retire before the day he dies.
On April Fool's Day, 2003, a rumor that Kreutzberger had died surfaced around the New York and New Jersey
area. The rumor proved false, but sent many of his fans into a panic until it was revealed as an April Fool's joke.
Currently, Kreutzberger hosts two weekly shows on Univision
: his normal stint of Sábado Gigante on Saturdays, and Don Francisco Presenta (Don Francisco Presents), a more serious interview-only show on a par with Cristina Saralegui
's offering, on Wednesdays.
He also promotes and hosts the Teletón
, a televised benefit for disabled Chilean children; there have been 22 telethons over 30 years. He is also the Hispanic spokesperson for the US Muscular Dystrophy Association
, in which he also appears in a pre-recorded piece on the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon, to appeal to Hispanics to donate.
location.
In 2010, the U.S. Social Security Administration
enlisted Don Francisco to appear in a series of public service announcement
s to reach out to American Hispanics about the benefits of Social Security.
Talca
Talca is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region . As of the 2002 census, the city had a population of 193,755....
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
), better known by his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Francisco, is a Chilean television personality, and a popular television personality on the Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
network reaching Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is best known for hosting the variety shows Sábado Gigante
Sábado Gigante
Sábado Gigante is a Spanish-language television show that is Univision's longest-running program and the longest-running variety TV show in the world. Sábado Gigante is an eclectic and frenetic mix of various contests, human-interest stories, and live entertainment...
and Don Francisco Presenta
Don Francisco Presenta
Don Francisco Presenta is a Spanish-language talk/reality show produced by Univision, and is hosted by Don Francisco. Univision originally aired Don Francisco Presenta on Wednesday nights at 10pm central, from October 11, 2001 to November 3, 2010. Since November 10, 2010, it is seen Monday nights...
.
Biography
"Don Francisco" was born to Erick Kreutzberger and Anna Blumenfeld Neufeld, German-Jewish immigrants who fled to Chile to escape Nazi persecution. As a youth, he traveled to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to study to be a tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
, but he spent most of the time watching TV. Back in Chile, where TV was just beginning, "Don Francisco" started a TV show in 1962, and he named it Sábados Gigantes. In it, he adapted many of the formulas he had seen in American TV to the Chilean public. The show became an instant hit that has lasted over 40 years. In 1986, the show began to be produced in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, with the same formula used in Chile, with the slightly different name of Sábado Gigante
Sábado Gigante
Sábado Gigante is a Spanish-language television show that is Univision's longest-running program and the longest-running variety TV show in the world. Sábado Gigante is an eclectic and frenetic mix of various contests, human-interest stories, and live entertainment...
. "Don Francisco" immediately became a household name among Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
families across the United States, and in the following six years Kreutzberger developed a three hour long 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...
, including contests, comedy, interviews and a traveling camera section. Many argue that the talent on his shows were scouted from another show called "Jugaremos en Familia" hosted by Memo Flores in Los Angeles, California. The traveling camera, or Cámara Viajera (originally La Película Extranjera, The Foreign Movie), has taken "Don Francisco" to over 185 countries worldwide, many of them more than once. Kreutzberger in his show has interviewed many celebrities, including Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....
, Cristina Saralegui
Cristina Saralegui
Cristina Saralegui is a Cuban American journalist, actress and talk show host of the Spanish-language eponymous show, Cristina. She also has her own fashion line of accessories and comforters for bed and bath....
, Sussan Taunton
Sussan Taunton
-Biography:Sussan is a Chilean actress, studied acting at the Centro de Educación Artística of Televisa for over 3 years. She came to Mexico seeking for an opportunity in 1988 and became an instant hit, having notable roles in the most important soap operas of Televisa...
, Charytín
Charytin
Charytín Goyco , better known in the show business plainly as Charytín, is a singer, television presenter and actress from the Dominican Republic...
and many others. In addition, his show has launched the careers of famous entertainers, such as Lili Estefan, Sissi and numerous more.
In September 1991, Kreutzberger introduced a new show on Wednesday at 10 pm on Univision called "Noches de Gigantes". It ran until September 1992.
In 1992, Kreutzberger was sued by one of his models for sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
, but the suit was settled out of court.
Nowadays, Kreutzberger has stopped flying back and forth between Miami and Chile each week to tape both the Chilean and the international shows and his daughter Vivian is becoming quite popular as the host of the Chilean show. Apparently, having to travel so much between Miami and his home country, plus having to travel to worldwide locations to tape La Cámara Viajera, was becoming too strenuous for him.
Kreutzberger has also hosted a season of the Chilean version of ¿Quién merece ser millonario?
¿Quién merece ser millonario?
¿Quién merece ser millonario? is a Chilean game show based on the original British format of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show is hosted by Sergio Lagos...
, based on the original British format of the international Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
franchise, and Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (Chile)
Deal or No Deal was originally broadcast in Chile by Canal 13 and hosted by Don Francisco. The original version, called Trato Hecho, began with 400 participants on the show, and it follows a similar format to the Netherlands' original Miljoenenjacht format...
.
In 2002, Kreutzberger's show completed 40 years, and its host said he has no plans to retire before the day he dies.
On April Fool's Day, 2003, a rumor that Kreutzberger had died surfaced around the New York and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
area. The rumor proved false, but sent many of his fans into a panic until it was revealed as an April Fool's joke.
Currently, Kreutzberger hosts two weekly shows on Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
: his normal stint of Sábado Gigante on Saturdays, and Don Francisco Presenta (Don Francisco Presents), a more serious interview-only show on a par with Cristina Saralegui
Cristina Saralegui
Cristina Saralegui is a Cuban American journalist, actress and talk show host of the Spanish-language eponymous show, Cristina. She also has her own fashion line of accessories and comforters for bed and bath....
's offering, on Wednesdays.
He also promotes and hosts the Teletón
Teletón (Chile)
Teletón is a charity event held in Chile on a year basis ever since 1978, mostly within the first week December, unless a political election is being held in the country...
, a televised benefit for disabled Chilean children; there have been 22 telethons over 30 years. He is also the Hispanic spokesperson for the US Muscular Dystrophy Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association
The Muscular Dystrophy Association is an American organization which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals and the general public...
, in which he also appears in a pre-recorded piece on the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon, to appeal to Hispanics to donate.
Celebrity advertising
Don Francisco has been in commercials for La Curaçao Department Stores. He was even present for the opening of La Curaçao's South Gate, CaliforniaSouth Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
location.
In 2010, the U.S. Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
enlisted Don Francisco to appear in a series of public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s to reach out to American Hispanics about the benefits of Social Security.