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1-14 of 14
- Actor
- Producer
Legendary masked Mexican wrestler / actor who achieved icon status via his highly colorful wrestling career and starring appearances in nearly 60 motion pictures. Born Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta on September 23rd, 1917 in Hidalgo, Mexico, he was the fifth of seven children and the family moved to Mexico City in the 1920s where Rodolfo became keenly interested in several sports including baseball, gridiron and eventually wrestling. Wrestling took off in the early 1930s in Mexico after several promoters had witnessed events in Texas, and in Mexico the sport eventually became known as "Luche Libre", literally "free fight," Mexico's version of professional wrestling. Rodolfo's first wrestling appearance was alleged to have been at Arena Peralvillo Cozumel on June 28th, 1934, and he soon became an active figure on the Mexican wrestling circuit under various names including "El Hombre Rojo", "Rudy Guzman", "El Demonio Negro" and "El Murcielago II". After initially competing as a "rudo" ( bad or "heel" wrestler ), Rodolfo became a "técnico" (good or "babyface" wrestler) and that's the way he remained for the next fifty years.
In 1942, his manager, Don Jesus Lomeli, was assembling a team of masked silver wrestlers, and wanted Rodolfo to join the ensemble. He was given the choice of three stage names, "El Diablo" (The Devil), "El Santo" (The Saint) or "El Angel" (The Angel). Rodolfo chose "El Santo" and first wrestled under that name at Arena Mexico on June 26th, 1942. During the 1950s, a Mexican artist named Jose Guadalupe Cruz seized upon Santo's popularity with the local populace and began a "fumetti" style "Santo" comic book that was to run for over 35 years and had Santo fighting villains both real and supernatural!
Santo had resisted previous advances to appear in serials or motion pictures, however he finally reneged and his first film appearance's were in the ultra low budget Santo vs. the Zombies (1962), Santo vs. the Evil Brain (1961) and Santo vs. Infernal Men (1961), all shot in Cuba just prior to Fidel Castro seizing power! The Mexican fans flocked to see Santo in his role as a crime fighting super hero on the cinema screen, and his movie career literally exploded overnight! Over the next three decades Santo starred in dozens of films, often teaming to fight evil with fellow masked wrestler the Alejandro Cruz (aka "Blue Demon). Santo's most popular films include Santo vs. the Vampire Women (1962), Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1970) and Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dr. Frankenstein (1974).
However, their was a change of power in Mexican government in 1976, and the new administration frowned upon the masked wrestler genre, and film funding was canceled which effectively spelled the demise of the genre.
Santo's final film appearance was in The Fury of the Karate Experts (1982) filmed in Florida, and Santo officially retired from wrestling/acting on July 26th, 1982 (at the age of 65!). After nearly fifty years years of never being seen without his trademark mask, Santo appeared on the Mexican TV talk show "Contrapunto" on January 26th 1984, and without warning, he unmasked and revealed his face. Sadly, Santo passed away from a heart attack less than two weeks later on February 5th, 1984. The Mexican people were shattered by the death of their idol, and his funeral was attended by tens of thousands of fans, plus many wrestling identities, and Santo was finally laid to rest at a mausoleum in Mexico City wearing his beloved silver mask.
Santo had married twice during his life. Firstly to Maria de los Angeles Rodriguez Montano and then secondly to Eva Enriquetta Vallejo Vadager, and he fathered eleven children. More than an actor or wrestler, he was a much loved and venerated cultural icon to the Mexican people and beyond.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Alfonso Zayas was born on 30 June 1941 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He was an actor and producer, known for Trasplante a la Mexicana (1990), La presidenta municipal (1975) and El sexo me divierte (1988). He died on 8 July 2021 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.- Jorge Poza was born on 26 June 1977 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He is an actor, known for Alma de hierro (2008), The Spring (2001) and Ringo, la pelea de su vida (2019). He has been married to Mayrín Villanueva since 1997. They have two children.
- Javier Poza was born on 20 January 1973 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He is an actor, known for Mira Quién Baila (2010), Hora marcada (1988) and Club de Cuervos (2015).
- Actress
- Producer
Blanca Lidia Muñoz was born on 3 August 1929 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. She is an actress and producer, known for La huella de un asesino (1991), La Alacrana (1986) and Tres veces mojado (1989).- Belén Balmori was born on 31 December 1953 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. She was an actress, known for Hora marcada (1988), Reaching for a star (1990) and Selva blanca (1989). She died on 2 September 2023 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
- Sound Department
- Music Department
- Actor
Galdino R. Samperio was born on 25 June 1915 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He was an actor, known for Cry of the Bewitched (1957), The Exterminating Angel (1962) and Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida (1970). He was married to Carmen Rosales Chávez. He died on 2 August 1971 in Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico.- José Ortega was born in 1918 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He was an actor, known for Three and a Half Musketeers (1957), Las aventuras de Pito Pérez (1957) and The King of the Neighborhood (1950). He was married to Lila Zumalacárregui Oropeza. He died on 30 March 1958 in Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Benjamín Romero Salinas was born on 10 August 1986 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. Benjamín is a director and writer, known for Mäkä Hmu Hai (2021), El Héroe Clandestino and Repugnancia (2022).- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Script and Continuity Department
- Producer
Armando Arenas was born on 18 March 1996 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He is an assistant director and producer, known for Deja que el agua corra (2021), Curandero and El vestido del nahual.- Ricardo Garibay was born on 18 January 1923 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He was a writer and actor, known for Valentín de la Sierra (1968), The Taste of the Savage (1971) and El alazán y el rosillo (1966). He died on 4 May 1999 in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
- Editorial Department
- Additional Crew
Rafael Leal was born on 29 February 1928 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He is known for Santo vs. Frankenstein's Daughter (1972), The Vengeance of the Vampire Women (1970) and Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1970).- Francisco Islas was born on 3 December 1973 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He is an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! (1999), Eastern Championship Wrestling (1993) and ECW Wrestling TNN (1999). He has been married to Maria Ramirez since 19 March 1995. They have two children.
- Raúl Castell was born on 23 April 1893 in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. He was an actor, known for The Tragic Circus (1939), The Paper Man (1963) and Don Simón de Lira (1946). He was married to María del Pilar Moreno Rodríguez and Maria Luisa Salas. He died on 25 May 1976 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.