Pedro Infante
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Pedro Infante (December 17, 1917 – died April 15, 1957) was a popular Mexican actor and singer in the 1940s and 1950s.
He was born as Pedro Infante Cruz in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. He appeared in about 60 films from 1939 on, and recorded about 350 songs from 1943 on.
Moving to the small, nearby town of Guamúchil (whence his nickname "Ídolo de Guamúchil") with his family. Infante worked as a carpenter from a young age. Infante's father, musician Delfino Infante García, fostered his keen interest in music, which inspired him to make his own guitar, a labour that took two years. In 1937, Pedro Infante sang for the first time in public at a local festival in Sinaloa. His first wife, María Luisa León, convinced him to move to Mexico City, where he acted for the radio Station XEB, and performed the music of Alberto Cervantes, José Alfredo Jiménez, Cuco Sánchez, Tomás Méndez, Rubén Fuentes, Salvador Flores, and others in concert halls. His first record, "El Soldado Razo", was recorded on November 19, 1943, on the Peerless label. Infante first appeared as an extra in the movie "En un burro tres baturros", and his career started with the film "La Feria de Las Flores" (1943).
During one of his many tours of South America, he was the first foreigner ever to be awarded the Medalla de Oro Simón Bolívar (Gold Medal of Simón Bolivar) from the President of Venezuela. During this time he also conducted more tours of the United States, this time concentrating on California. When Jorge Negrete died in 1953, the throne they shared as Mexico's most popular actors was left solely to Infante, who led the funeral procession on his famous Harley Davidson motorcycle as a uniformed member of Mexico's highway patrol. In July 1956, the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas of Mexico presented Pedro Infante with the Ariel Award for his motion picture La Vida No Vale Nada.
Pedro Infante was a keen pilot and flew as often as his time permitted. In 1947, he was involved in the first of three airplane accidents. In 1949, he suffered serious injuries in his second plane crash near Zitácuaro, Michoacán. After surgery and several months of rehabilitation, he was able to resume his acting career, however. On April 15, 1957, Infante was killed piloting his plane when it crashed near Mérida in Yucatán. The day was declared a national day of mourning in Mexico. When his coffin arrived in Mexico City, thousands of fans waited at the airport. His body was placed at the National Association of Actors and Composers in the Jorge Negrete Theater. There, his fans and family bid farewell with mariachis playing his famous bolero, "Amorcito Corazón."
Pedro Infante's songs ranged from waltzes, cha-cha-chas, and canciones rancheras to boleros, which he made popular with mariachi and ranchera singers. Some of his most popular songs include "La Que Se Fue," "El Durazno," "Dulce Patria," "Maldita Sea Mi Suerte," "Así Es La Vida," "Mañana Rosalía," "Cartas a Eufemia," and "Flor Sin Retoño." Infante was often accompanied by the great musical ensembles of that time, such as El Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, El Orquesta de Pedro García, El Orquesta de Noe Fajardo, Trio Claveras, Andrés Huesca y sus Costeños, and Antonio Bisbiesca.