Santo(1917-1984)
- Actor
- Producer
Legendary masked Mexican wrestler / actor who achieved icon status via
his highly colorful wrestling career and starring appearances in nearly
60 motion pictures. Born Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta on September 23rd, 1917
in Hidalgo, Mexico, he was the fifth of seven children and the family
moved to Mexico City in the 1920s where Rodolfo became keenly
interested in several sports including baseball, gridiron and
eventually wrestling. Wrestling took off in the early 1930s in Mexico
after several promoters had witnessed events in Texas, and in Mexico
the sport eventually became known as "Luche Libre", literally "free
fight," Mexico's version of professional wrestling. Rodolfo's first
wrestling appearance was alleged to have been at Arena Peralvillo
Cozumel on June 28th, 1934, and he soon became an active figure on the
Mexican wrestling circuit under various names including "El Hombre
Rojo", "Rudy Guzman", "El Demonio Negro" and "El Murcielago II". After
initially competing as a "rudo" ( bad or "heel" wrestler ), Rodolfo
became a "técnico" (good or "babyface" wrestler) and that's the way he
remained for the next fifty years.
In 1942, his manager, Don Jesus Lomeli, was assembling a team of masked
silver wrestlers, and wanted Rodolfo to join the ensemble. He was given
the choice of three stage names, "El Diablo" (The Devil), "El Santo"
(The Saint) or "El Angel" (The Angel). Rodolfo chose "El Santo" and
first wrestled under that name at Arena Mexico on June 26th, 1942.
During the 1950s, a Mexican artist named Jose Guadalupe Cruz seized
upon Santo's popularity with the local populace and began a "fumetti"
style "Santo" comic book that was to run for over 35 years and had
Santo fighting villains both real and supernatural!
Santo had resisted previous advances to appear in serials or motion
pictures, however he finally reneged and his first film appearance's
were in the ultra low budget Santo vs. the Zombies (1962),
Santo vs. the Evil Brain (1961)
and
Santo vs. Infernal Men (1961),
all shot in Cuba just prior to Fidel Castro seizing power! The Mexican
fans flocked to see Santo in his role as a crime fighting super hero on
the cinema screen, and his movie career literally exploded overnight!
Over the next three decades Santo starred in dozens of films, often
teaming to fight evil with fellow masked wrestler the
Alejandro Cruz (aka "Blue Demon).
Santo's most popular films include
Santo vs. the Vampire Women (1962),
Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1970)
and
Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dr. Frankenstein (1974).
However, their was a change of power in Mexican government in 1976, and
the new administration frowned upon the masked wrestler genre, and film
funding was canceled which effectively spelled the demise of the genre.
Santo's final film appearance was in The Fury of the Karate Experts (1982) filmed in Florida, and Santo officially retired from
wrestling/acting on July 26th, 1982 (at the age of 65!). After nearly
fifty years years of never being seen without his trademark mask, Santo
appeared on the Mexican TV talk show "Contrapunto" on January 26th
1984, and without warning, he unmasked and revealed his face. Sadly,
Santo passed away from a heart attack less than two weeks later on
February 5th, 1984. The Mexican people were shattered by the death of
their idol, and his funeral was attended by tens of thousands of fans,
plus many wrestling identities, and Santo was finally laid to rest at a
mausoleum in Mexico City wearing his beloved silver mask.
Santo had married twice during his life. Firstly to Maria de los
Angeles Rodriguez Montano and then secondly to Eva Enriquetta Vallejo
Vadager, and he fathered eleven children. More than an actor or
wrestler, he was a much loved and venerated cultural icon to the
Mexican people and beyond.
his highly colorful wrestling career and starring appearances in nearly
60 motion pictures. Born Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta on September 23rd, 1917
in Hidalgo, Mexico, he was the fifth of seven children and the family
moved to Mexico City in the 1920s where Rodolfo became keenly
interested in several sports including baseball, gridiron and
eventually wrestling. Wrestling took off in the early 1930s in Mexico
after several promoters had witnessed events in Texas, and in Mexico
the sport eventually became known as "Luche Libre", literally "free
fight," Mexico's version of professional wrestling. Rodolfo's first
wrestling appearance was alleged to have been at Arena Peralvillo
Cozumel on June 28th, 1934, and he soon became an active figure on the
Mexican wrestling circuit under various names including "El Hombre
Rojo", "Rudy Guzman", "El Demonio Negro" and "El Murcielago II". After
initially competing as a "rudo" ( bad or "heel" wrestler ), Rodolfo
became a "técnico" (good or "babyface" wrestler) and that's the way he
remained for the next fifty years.
In 1942, his manager, Don Jesus Lomeli, was assembling a team of masked
silver wrestlers, and wanted Rodolfo to join the ensemble. He was given
the choice of three stage names, "El Diablo" (The Devil), "El Santo"
(The Saint) or "El Angel" (The Angel). Rodolfo chose "El Santo" and
first wrestled under that name at Arena Mexico on June 26th, 1942.
During the 1950s, a Mexican artist named Jose Guadalupe Cruz seized
upon Santo's popularity with the local populace and began a "fumetti"
style "Santo" comic book that was to run for over 35 years and had
Santo fighting villains both real and supernatural!
Santo had resisted previous advances to appear in serials or motion
pictures, however he finally reneged and his first film appearance's
were in the ultra low budget Santo vs. the Zombies (1962),
Santo vs. the Evil Brain (1961)
and
Santo vs. Infernal Men (1961),
all shot in Cuba just prior to Fidel Castro seizing power! The Mexican
fans flocked to see Santo in his role as a crime fighting super hero on
the cinema screen, and his movie career literally exploded overnight!
Over the next three decades Santo starred in dozens of films, often
teaming to fight evil with fellow masked wrestler the
Alejandro Cruz (aka "Blue Demon).
Santo's most popular films include
Santo vs. the Vampire Women (1962),
Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1970)
and
Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dr. Frankenstein (1974).
However, their was a change of power in Mexican government in 1976, and
the new administration frowned upon the masked wrestler genre, and film
funding was canceled which effectively spelled the demise of the genre.
Santo's final film appearance was in The Fury of the Karate Experts (1982) filmed in Florida, and Santo officially retired from
wrestling/acting on July 26th, 1982 (at the age of 65!). After nearly
fifty years years of never being seen without his trademark mask, Santo
appeared on the Mexican TV talk show "Contrapunto" on January 26th
1984, and without warning, he unmasked and revealed his face. Sadly,
Santo passed away from a heart attack less than two weeks later on
February 5th, 1984. The Mexican people were shattered by the death of
their idol, and his funeral was attended by tens of thousands of fans,
plus many wrestling identities, and Santo was finally laid to rest at a
mausoleum in Mexico City wearing his beloved silver mask.
Santo had married twice during his life. Firstly to Maria de los
Angeles Rodriguez Montano and then secondly to Eva Enriquetta Vallejo
Vadager, and he fathered eleven children. More than an actor or
wrestler, he was a much loved and venerated cultural icon to the
Mexican people and beyond.