Ramon Valdes: From the Shadows to Stardom - A Tribute to the Legendary Mexican Actor

2023-09-03 08:04:03

MEXICO CITY, September 2 (EL UNIVERSAL).- Ramon Valdes he lived in the shadow of two of his brothers: Germán Valdés “Tin Tan” and Manuel “El Loco” Valdés. Both were stars at various times: “Tin Tan” as “El Pachuco” in the golden age of Mexican cinema, and “El Loco”, in series from the sixties and seventies, but stardom also fell to “Moncho”, as his brothers called him.

Ramón Esteban Gómez Valdés y Castillo was born in Mexico City on September 2, 1923. The son of Rafael Gómez Valdés Angelini and Guadalupe Castillo, Ramón had a difficult childhood as one of nine children, but upon entering the artistic world, his life changed.

The first to knock on the doors of the show was Germán, who did not hesitate to take his brothers to the big screen, not in vain there are many tapes where we see Ramón Valdés in secondary roles, most of these had “Tin Tan” as their protagonist.

“The King of the Neighborhood”, “Tender Pumpkins”, “The Mark of the Skunk”, “Sinbad the Dizzy”, “The Unruly”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Tramp” and “The Madness of Tin Tan” are some of the films where “Moncho” had minor participations, although he also acted in others such as “El inocento”, “La vida no vale nada” and “El campeón del barrio”.

Success came a little late in the life of Ramón Valdés. It was in 1968 when he was called by Roberto Gómez Bolaños “Chespirito” to join his new project called “Los supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada”, alongside Rubén Aguirre and María Antonieta de las Nieves.

When “El Chavo del Ocho” was born it was clear that Ramón would have a role in the cast and that was how “Don Ramón” was born, the unemployed and lazy father of “La Chilindrina”, a man who raises his daughter alone and always owe rent.

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The role of “Don Ramón” was very loved by the public and not to mention the cast, as he established a great friendship with “Chespirito” and with María de los Ángeles Fernández who gave life to “Doña Clotilde”.

The seventies were the golden age for Ramón Valdés and the project of which he was a part for several years, until, after the departure of Carlos Villagrán at the end of the 1970s, he was followed by “Moncho”, who began working in the circus and, in the 1980s, on television together to Villagran.

Despite playing other roles, “Don Ramón” became the great character in his histrionic career and he lived his last years, until died at age 63 on August 9, 1988 because of his prostate cancer.

Teresa Garcia Amaro