Mexico City (Mexico), 1911 – 1993

Afrânio Mendes Catani

Mario Moreno Reyes is an unknown name. However, his stage name, Cantinflas, gave him international recognition as the most popular Mexican comedian. His long film career, which began in 1937, allowed him to work exclusively with a director (Miguel M. Delgado), a dialogist and screenwriter (Jaime Salvador), and have several of his films photographed by the master Gabriel Figueroa, along with a contract with Columbia Pictures, which produced his work in Mexico.

Among his more than fifty films, in which he typically portrayed common men, notable parodies of classic stories stand out, such as Los tres mosqueteros (1942), Romeo y Julieta (1943), and the secret agent James Bond in Agente XU 777 (1963). He occasionally filmed in Hollywood, achieving great success with Around the World in 80 Days (1956), where he starred alongside David Niven. He also played the title role in Pepe (1960), directed by American George Sidney. He was also the author of the stories for several of his films.