Tito Guízar

Biography

Federico Arturo Guízar Tolentino (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtito ˈɣisaɾ]; 8 April 1908 – 24 December 1999), known professionally as Tito Guízar, was a Mexican singer and actor. Along with Dolores del Río, Ramón Novarro and Lupe Vélez, as well as José Mojica, Guízar was among the few Mexicans who made history in the early years of Hollywood.

Career

In a career that spanned over seven decades, Guízar trained early as an opera singer and traveled to New York City in 1929 to record the songs of Agustín Lara.
In addition, Guízar performed both operatic and Mexican popular songs at Carnegie Hall, but he succeeded with his arrangements of popular Mexican and Spanish melodies such as Cielito Lindo, La Cucaracha (The Cockroach), Granada, and You Belong to My Heart (English version of Solamente una Vez). In 1936, his song "Allá en el Rancho Grande" ("There on the Big Ranch") launched the singing charro in Mexico after appearing in the film of the same name, succeeding as well in the United States.
Guízar made numerous television appearances, toured in most of Latin American countries, recorded a significant number of songs, and had his own radio show in Los Angeles, Tito Guízar y su Guitarra (Tito Guízar and his Guitar).

Films

He also appeared in dozens of films, including The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938), Tropic Holiday (1938), St. Louis Blues (1939), The Llano Kid (1939), Brazil (1944), and The Gay Ranchero (1948), playing with such stars as Evelyn Keyes, Dorothy Lamour, Ray Milland, Ann Miller, Martha Raye, Roy Rogers, Mae West and Keenan Wynn. In the 1990s, he continued starring in series in Mexican television.

Death

Guizar died of respiratory failure (of natural causes) on December 24, 1999, in San Antonio, Texas. He was survived by his three children, Nina, Lillya, and Tito Jr.