Infante, Pedro: 1917-1957: Actor, Singer

Pedro Infante: 1917-1957: Actor, singer

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During his career Mexican screen idol Pedro Infante made more than 50 films and recorded hundreds of popular songs. His adoring fans nicknamed him the 'Idol of Guamuchil,' after the village he was born in, as well as the 'the King.' Though he made millions as an actor, rode an American Harley Davidson, and flew airplanes, to the Mexican public he always remained the kind-hearted carpenter from the pueblo. "Infante was a symbol of someone who had worked himself up from nothing," noted Fiesta Del Mariachi. Women wanted to marry him. Men wanted to befriend him. Children worshipped him. When he died at the age of 39, all of Mexico mourned. On the 25th anniversary of his death, they were still mourning as 10,000 people made the pilgrimage to his Mexico City gravesite. The Cine Mexicano website noted, "As the new century begins, Pedro Infante continues to be the most important figure of our cinema. It is hoped that 'the King' will continue to reign for many more years."

Came From Talented Family

Pedro Infante Cruz was born on November 18, 1917, in the port town of Guamuchil, part of the larger city of Mazatlán located in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. He was the second of nine sons born to Delfino Infante Garcma and Refugio Cruz. The couple also had six daughters. Two of Infante's brothers, Angel and José, also found fame as actors and singers. Infante's father, Delfino, was a professional musician but had trouble making ends meet. When Infante was in fourth grade he had to drop out of school to help support his family. He sold hardware, ran errands, and waited tables, however his most consistent job was as a carpenter. That is, until he fell in love with music. His father taught him the basics of music and with his carpentry skills he soon built his first guitar. He learned how to sing by imitating songs he heard on the radio.

Infante's first musical experience was with a group he formed called La Rabia. They played in local night clubs, performing rancheras and boleros—popular forms of Mexican music. In 1932 he joined the more famous Orquesta Estrella de Culiacán in Sinaloa's capital city. After a 1937 performance at a local festival, Infante's first wife, María Luisa León, insisted that he move to Mexico City to pursue his musical career. Within two years he had a contract to perform on a local radio show. Four years after that, in December of 1943, Infante recorded his first album, El soldado raso. He would go on to record more than 50 albums and hundreds of songs. He made the bolero musical form famous, earning the nickname King of the Bolero.

The Houston Chronicle noted that because he lacked formal training, "Infante's voice was unrefined, yet it was filled with emotion." The songs tugged at the heartstrings, telling tales of love found and lost, friendships built and broken, families together and apart. There wasn't a soul in Mexico who couldn't relate. The Houston Chronicle went on to say, "Infante's signature tunes included the exquisite heartbreaker 'Cien años,' a song about devotion from afar. The male protagonist sings about walking by an ex-love on the street. She looks right past him. He calls her name; she pretends not to hear. Her air of indifference hurts. Despite this indignity, he vows that, though 100 years may pass, he will never stop loving her, so intertwined were their lives." Some of his other popular songs include the bolero "Amorcito corazon," which was played repeatedly at his funeral by hundreds of mariachi bands as well as "La que se fue," and "Asi es la vida."

At a Glance . . .

Born Pedro Infante Cruz on November 18, 1917, in Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico; died on April 15, 1957, in Merida, Mexico; son of Delfino Infante Garcma and Refugio Cruz; married three times: María Luisa León, Lupita Torrentera, Irma Dorantes; children: 12 including the actors Pedro Infante Jr., Cruz Infante, and Irma Infante. Religion: Catholic.

Career: Singer, early 1930s-57; actor, 1939-57.

Awards: Aerial Award for Best Actor, Academy of Cinemagraphic Science and Art of Mexico, for La vida no vale nada, 1956; Best Actor, Berlin Festival, for Tizoc, 1957.

Became the Common Man's Star

The 1930s to the mid-1950s was the golden age of the Mexican film industry. Five major Mexican film studios pumped out thousands of films "[spreading] tales of machismo, glamour and rustic innocence to every corner of the Latino world," according to an article in The Buffalo News. Infante had arrived in Mexico City, the center of the country's film industry, at a perfect time to become a star. He had roles in two short films before appearing in his first feature as an extra in 1942. He appeared in three more films that year, including a starring role in Jesucita en Chihuahua. Over the next five years he starred in or had major roles in over a dozen more films including the 1946 comedy Los tres García and its sequel Vuelven los García released that same year. In 1947 the film that catapulted Infante to stardom and is still considered a must-see of Mexican cinema, Nostros los pobres, was released. In Nosotros los pobres Infante introduced the poor-but-proud character Pepe el Toro, struggling haphazardly through his urban life. The film combined musical comedy with gritty imagery and drama and was so popular that two sequels were made. The film is also a good illustration of Infante's acting style. Rather than lose himself in a role, he remained very connected to the audience. During songs he would often look straight at the camera and wink. His fans loved it. It also didn't hurt that he was dashingly handsome, often eliciting comparisons to Clark Gable.

Infante often portrayed the common man that everyone could relate to. "He was the good friend, the good son, the romantic in love, the caring father, the sexy singer, the 'macho' with a heart," noted a biography of Infante on the Lonestar website. Infante's rise from poor carpenter to cinema star was well-known and it seemed as if onscreen he were portraying himself—the good-hearted worker eager to succeed. He was so revered for these types of characters that movies were specifically written for him with just these sorts of roles in the lead. They proved to be a sure-thing at the box office and continued to draw fans nearly fifty years after his death. They also helped propel Infante to superstardom, making him the most famous Mexican in recent history. Though many of his films were limited to strictly popular success, several also garnered critical acclaim. In 1947 Infante received the nomination for best actor from the Academy of Cinemagraphic Science and Art of Mexico for his role in Cuando lloran los valientes. He was again nominated in 1948 for Los tres huastecos and in 1953 Un rincón cerca del cielo. He finally won the prestigious award in 1956 for his portrayal of Pablo in La vida no vale nada. In all Infante appeared in 59 films, including Tizoc a color film made just before his death for which he received the Best Actor nod at the Berlin Festival in 1957.

Like many stars, Infante was larger-than-life off screen as well as on. He was known as quite the ladies man and by some accounts fathered over a dozen children. Three of them, Pedro Infante Jr., Cruz Infante, and Irma Infante, followed their father's footsteps into acting. He divorced María Luisa, his first wife from Sinaloa and married Lupita Torrentera with whom he had two children. When that relationship ended, he married Irma Dorantes, a fellow actor with whom he also had children. However, being a firmly Catholic country, his divorce from María Luisa was never legal and following his death, his marriage to Irma was challenged, most likely in the course of the division of his estate. Though he made a lot of money during his career, his parents, 14 brothers and sisters, three wives, and many children, relied on him. "His bills were exorbitant," noted Virtualorbe. "During the 1950s he was signing over 50 checks a month for his relatives' personal expenses." Nonetheless, Infante found funding for his two hobbies—his Harley Davidson motorcycle and flying. He often said it was his first wife who made him an actor when she insisted he leave Sinaloa for Mexico City, but that it was God who had made him a pilot. That is questionable as he was not a very good pilot. He flew recklessly and had two accidents by 1949, one quite serious. He had crashed his plane and suffered head injuries that nearly killed him. Mexico prayed during a tricky three-hour operation and finally breathed a sigh of relief when Infante came out of it okay.

His Death Mourned, His Legacy Launched

On April 15, 1957, Infante wasn't so lucky. According to Fiesta Del Mariachi, "Infante woke up early and rode his Harley Davidson motorcycle to the airport." It would be his last ride. Shortly after he crashed his plane near the city of Merida in the Mexican state of Yucatan. At quarter past eleven in the morning, the famed Mexican radio station XEW announced that Pedro Infante was dead. He was 39 and at the peak of his career. He had several more films in the works including possible appearances in American films opposite John Wayne, Joan Crawford, and Marlon Brando. Mexico was devastated. The government declared a national day of mourning. Throughout Latin America and in the Mexican-American communities in the United States, radio and television stations preempted regular programming to play day-long homages to Infante. His death was as traumatic for Mexico as the death of Princess Diana would be for Great Britain decades later. Thousands visited his body, laying a blanket of flowers and shedding a sad river of tears.

Infante left behind a very large legacy including his many films, hundreds of recordings, and large family. Each has helped keep Infante's memory and spirit alive. Compilation albums of his work continue to be released and are readily available in most major record stores. His films are in regular rotation on stations throughout Mexico and Latin America as well as on Spanish-language networks in the United States. One of his descendents living in the tequila-making state of Jalisco, Mexico, created a tequila called "Pedro Infante." Four films have been made about his life, one as recently as 1998. In 2001 acclaimed Mexican-American author Denise Chavez introduced Infante to a whole new legion of America fans when she published her novel Loving Pedro Infante. However, for Mexicans, Infante's memory need not be constantly rekindled. In Mexico, he will always remain an idol and a king, someone far more than a mere actor or singer. "For [us], Infante represented all that a Mexican should be," commented Cine Mexicano. "A respectful son, an unconditional friend, a romantic lover, and a man of his word."

Selected works

Films

Jesusita en Chihuahua, 1942.

Cuando habla el corazón, 1943.

Escándalo de estrellas, 1944.

Cuando lloran los valientes, 1945.

Los tres García, 1946.

Vuelen los García, 1946.

Nosotros los pobres, 1947.

Los tres huastecos, 1948.

Ustedes los ricos, 1948.

Sobre las olas, 1950.

A toda máquina, 1951.

Un rincón cerca del cielo, 1952.

Ahora soy rico, 1952.

Dos tipos de cuidado, 1952.

Pepe El Toro, 1952.

La vida no vale nada, 1954.

Escuela de música, 1955.

Tizoc, 1956.

Singles

"El Soldado raso," 1943.

"Noche plateada," 1944.

"Ramito de azahar," 1945.

"Vieja Chismoas," 1946.

"Maldita sea mi suerte," 1947.

"La Barca de Oro," 1948.

"Amorcito Corazon," 1949.

"Cuartro caminos," 1950.

"El Lavadero," 1950.

"La que se fue," 1950.

"Ahora soy rico," 1952.

"Corazon, Corazon," 1952.

"Tu recuerdo y yo," 1952.

"Cien años," 1953.

"Las tres hermanas," 1955.

"Pos Cui-cui-ri," 1956.

Sources

Periodicals

Buffalo News, February 22, 1996, p. B5.

Houston Chronicle, April 18, 1999, p. 18.

On-line

"A Tribute to Pedro Infante," Fiesta Del Mariachi, www.fiestaweb.org/Biographies/Pedro.cfm (June 19, 2003).

"Pedro Infante," Cine Mexicano, http://cineexi cano.mty.itesm.mx/estrellas/infante.html (June 19, 2003).

"Pedro Infante," Lonestar, http://lonestar.utsa.edu/rlwilson/PedroInfante.html (June 19, 2003).

"Pedro Infante," Virtualorbe, www.virtualorbe.com /PedroInfante/pinfante/biografia.html, (June 19, 2003).

—Candace LaBalle