COLOMBIA: Popular Mexican actor known as "Chespirito' attends Colombian book fair to present his memoir and delights crowds

Record ID: 586255

  • Title: COLOMBIA: Popular Mexican actor known as "Chespirito' attends Colombian book fair to present his memoir and delights crowds
  • Date: 3rd May 2007
  • Summary: CHESPIRITO AND HIS WIFE SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS AND WOMAN WITH HER SON WALKS BEHIND HIM FOR A PICTURE
  • Embargoed: 18th May 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Colombia
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA4Y2JQHQQ8IE2QNVC8WM49IKVY
  • Story Text: Tens of thousands of Colombians attended the annual book fair in Bogota on Sunday (April 29) where Mexican actor Roberto Gomez Bolaños, better known as Chespirito, presented his new book, "Sin Querer Queriendo."
    Wearing hats and t-shirts dedicated to 'El Chavo,' about 800 kids of all ages crowded into an auditorium to see Bolaños who entertained the children with his wife Florinda Mesa at his side.
    One little boy from the audience went on stage to entertain the entertainer, dancing in his best imitation of El Chavo's signature dance.
    As Bolaños addressed the children, he told them about his own life and experiences.
    "I used to like engineering a lot because I thought that the job would consist in create innovative mechanisms, toys, but no, I liked to write for television and radio even more," he said. "And I dedicated my time to writing. I thought that I would write for life but what I studied in engineering helped me a lot."
    To the delight of his fans, he repeated some of his trademark, bumbling expressions in which he mixes sayings.
    "As the old and popular saying says, the luck of an ugly girl, wakes up earlier," he said as the crowd laughed.
    The 78-year-old Chespirito also answered questions from the audience and signed autographs.
    Fans like Fernando Perez were delighted.
    "He (Roberto Gomez Bolaños) is an idol to me," he said. "He has always been my idol from a long time ago, and that's what I'm trying to teach to my son, the Chespirito culture."
    The beloved 78-year-old 'Chespirito,' the star of El Chavo del Ocho and El Chapulin Colorado, is a household name throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
    "Sin Querer Queriendo" is his memoir.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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