Charo
169281
225545064
2008-07-14T06:37:00Z
Nihil novi
4062893
/* Television work */
{{otheruses4|the musician|the municipality|Charo (municipality)}}
{{Infobox actor
| name = Charo
| image = Charo black dress.jpg
| caption = Charo, August 2004
| birthname = María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza
| birthdate = {{Birth date and age|1951|3|13}}
| birthplace = [[Murcia]], [[Spain]]
| spouse = [[Xavier Cugat]] (1966-1978)<br>[[Kjell Rasten]] (1978-)
| yearsactive = 1968 - present
| occupation = actress, singer
| website = http://www.charo.com
}}
'''María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza Rasten''' (born [[March 13]], [[1951]], though other sources state 1941), better known as '''Charo''', is a Spanish and American<!--- U.S. citizen ---> [[singer]], [[dancer]], [[comedian]], [[actress]] and classical [[guitarist]]. She is known for her flamboyant stage presence, provocative outfits, and her trademark phrase ("cuchi-cuchi").
==Date of birth==
Charo was born in [[Murcia]], [[Spain]]. Official documents in Spain and the United States indicate she was born in 1941, but Charo insists she actually was born in 1951, a claim that has been upheld in court.
The performer has said in past interviews that her parents allowed her to falsify her age to appear to be older after marrying 66-year-old band leader [[Xavier Cugat]] when she was 15.<ref name="beck">John Beck. "Ageless persona: Vegas headliner Charo thrills fans at Sonoma County Fair: Cuchi-cuchi time at the fair," ''The Press Democrat'' (Santa Rosa, CA), August 1, 2002, page B1.</ref> Further complicating the question is the fact that contemporary press reports gave her age at marriage as 21,<ref name="raffetto66">Francis Raffetto. "Las Vegas Opens Caesar's Palace," ''After Dark'' column, ''The Dallas Morning News'', August 8, 1966, page A14.</ref><ref name="trend">Paul Steiner. "Jackie followed trend of May-December," ''The Dallas Morning News'', October 27, 1968, page E9.</ref> an April 1966 column on the wedding plans stated she was 20 and Cugat was 60,<ref name="wilson0466">Earl Wilson. "It happened last night" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 18, 1966, page D18.</ref> and columns less than two years before the marriage refer to her as Cugat's "18-year-old protegée"—which, if she was falsifying her age, would have made her actually 13 at the time.<ref name="wilson091664">Earl Wilson. "It happened last night" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', September 16, 1964, section 4, page 16.</ref>
In October 1977,<ref>Jura Koncius. "Personalities" (column), ''The Washington Post'', August 16, 1978, page D2.</ref> — the same year in which Charo filed for divorce from Cugat and became an American citizen — a United States court upheld the 1951 birth year as official, with the performer providing a sworn statement from her parents in support of her claim.<ref name="dmn-powell">Larry Powell (column). "Exact age for Charo leaves plenty of wiggle room," ''The Dallas Morning News'', February 7, 1999, page 38A.</ref> Commenting on the disputes over her age, she has said that the public's disbelief could prove advantageous: "But if people really believe I'm older, that's fine. Don't be surprised if I come out with my own cosmetics, a new energy bar and maybe some vitamins."<ref name="beck">Ibid.</ref>
==Biography==
===Early life===
Charo is the daughter of a lawyer, who reportedly fled to [[Casablanca]] during [[Francisco Franco]]'s dictatorship while her homemaker mother stayed behind in Murcia raising their children. She studied classical and flamenco guitar while residing in Murcia, and can claim [[Andrés Segovia]] as her guitar teacher (Segovia taught general music classes as community service in schools around Murcia). She took guitar lessons from him and other teachers from the age of nine on. As a result of her training and skill she has been named "Best Flamenco Guitarist" in ''[[Guitar Player Magazine|Guitar Player Magazine's]]'' readers' poll twice. One of Charo's regrets is that because of her flamboyant stage presence, she has been overlooked as a serious guitar player.
When Charo was quite young, she was "discovered" by famous [[bandleader]] [[Xavier Cugat]], whom she later wed on [[August 7]], [[1966]]. Cugat was 66 and had married four times before then, though contemporary reports sometimes listed fewer marriages; an April 1966 column by Earl Wilson on the couple's wedding plans announced, "Sixty-year-old Xavier Cugat and his 20-year-old Spanish girl friend and singing star Charo hope to get married in San Cugat, Spain, in a few days -- if Cugat can convince church authorities his two divorces should not be counted against him since he wasn't married in church."<ref name="wilson0466">Ibid.</ref> <!-- Rita Montaner, Carmen Castillo, Lorraine Allen, Abbe Lane --> The couple were the first to have their nuptials in [[Caesars Palace]] in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]].
Some fan magazines say that she learned [[English language|English]] from [[Buddy Hackett]].
In a February 2005 interview with the [[Los Angeles]]-based Spanish-language newspaper ''[[La Opinión]]'', Charo claimed that her marriage to Cugat had been merely a "business contract," a way for him to legally bring her over to the United States, where he was based.<ref name="laopinion">[http://www.laopinion.com/print.html?rkey=00050215152722648163 "Fin del ‘cuchi cuchi’, principio del arte,"] ''La Opinión Digital'', [[17 February]] [[2005]] {{es icon}}</ref> She moved to 257th street in [[The Bronx]], [[New York City]] along with her mother and aunt, and was regularly featured in shows with Cugat's orchestra in New York and Las Vegas, as well as in overseas engagements in Latin America and Europe. She claims he was confident in her eventual success from early on, and that she gave him a [[Rolls-Royce (car)|Rolls-Royce]] as a parting gift once she came of legal age.
===Career===
Charo's first US TV appearance was on [[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]] in the mid-1960s. She later appeared on ''[[Laugh-In]]'' in [[1968]]. She would appear on short chatfests of a few minutes near the end of the show with [[Dan Rowan]] and [[Dick Martin]]. Her almost complete lack of fluency in the English language was played as a comic focus, and she would have the two hosts practically on the floor laughing at her mangled English. This is also the time that the "cuchi cuchi' line passed into the public arena.
====The 1970s====
She was headlining Vegas shows by 1971, and reportedly being paid as much as [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Ray Charles]] or [[Dean Martin]]. In [[1977]], she became a [[naturalized citizen]] of the United States; that same year, she filed for divorce from Cugat, a petition that was granted April 14, 1978.<ref name="divorce">Roger Piantadosi. "Personalities" (column), ''The Washington Post'', April 15, 1978, page C3.</ref> On [[August 11]], [[1978]] she married, as her second husband, Kjell Rasten, a producer, in [[Lake Tahoe|South Lake Tahoe, California]], in a civil ceremony attended by 30 guests.<ref name="rasten">Ellen Goldman and Joseph P. Mastrangelo. "Personalities" (column), ''The Washington Post'', August 15, 1978, page C1.</ref> Rasten soon became his wife's manager, and the couple has one child, a son, Shel (born 1982), who is the drummer for the metal band Treazen.<ref>http://www.garageband.com/artist/treazen</ref>
Throughout the 1970s, she was a highly visible personality, appearing 8 times on ''[[The Love Boat]]'', as well as on variety and talk shows such as ''[[Donny & Marie]]'',<ref name="cc-dandm">''Donny & Marie'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices," ''The Dallas Morning News'', 1976-02-27, C7 (with [[George Gobel]]); 12-03-1976, B11 (with [[Carl Reiner]]); 1977-12-02, A16 (with [[Milton Berle]] and [[the Sylvers]])</ref> ''[[Tony Orlando and Dawn]]'',<ref name="cc-tod">''Tony Orlando and Dawn'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices," ''The Dallas Morning News'', 1974-07-10, page C7 (with [[Lloyd Bridges]]); 1975-03-05, page D4 (with [[Tony Randall]]); 1976-01-28, page C9 (with [[Freddy Fender]]).</ref> ''[[The Captain and Tennille]]'',<ref name="cc-candt">''The Captain and Tennille'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices," ''The Dallas Morning News'', 1977-03-07, page B7 (with [[John Byner]], [[Ben Vereen]], [[Manfred Mann]] and the Earth Band, and [[LeVar Burton]]).</ref> ''[[John Davidson|The John Davidson Show]]'', ''[[Mike Douglas|The Mike Douglas Show]]'', which she guest-hosted at least once,<ref name="md-host">Rena Pederson (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', December 3, 1976, page B11; refers to Charo as "the dizzy Spanish sexpot-songstress."</ref> and even the infamously short-lived ''[[The Brady Bunch#Spin-offs and sequels|Brady Bunch]]'' variety spinoff.<ref>''The Brady Bunch Hour'' broadcast listing, "Channel Choices," ''The Dallas Morning News'', March 21, 1977, page A18 (with the [[Hudson Brothers]], [[Alice B. Davis]], and [[Rip Taylor]]</ref>
In [[1975 in television|1975]], ''Dallas Morning News'' critic Harry Bowman wrote that the Nickelodeod "penciled in ... a half-hour comedy starring the uninhibited wife of Xavier Cugat" and commented, "This is probably the worst idea of the season."<ref name="uninhibited">Harry Bowman. "New season guessing" ("Broadcast Beat" column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 22, 1975, page A12.</ref> By October of that year, the performer was promoting a special slated for November,<ref name="wilson101375">Earl Wilson. "Hackett 'Teaching' Charo" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', October 13, 1975, page D5.</ref> but the special did not actually appear until May, 1976.<ref name="bowman2">Harry Bowman. ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 27, 1976, page C5.</ref><ref name="sizzler">UPI. "Charo special looms as family sizzler," ''The Dallas Morning News'', May 24, 1976, page B7.</ref> A TV listing for August 24, 1976, shows what appears to be an unsold pilot airing on ABC at 8:30 pm [[Central Standard Time|CST]]: "''Charo and the Sergeant'' - Situation comedy starring Charo Cugat. Charo's first U.S. job is to be a dancer at an off-limits night club, and her conservative Marine Corps husband finds out."<ref name="cc-pilot">"Channel Choices," ''The Dallas Morning News'', August 24, 1976, page B5.</ref>
By the late 1970s, Charo was being mentioned as an example of how overexposure could damage a celebrity; one such article quoted Steve Levitt's "[[Q score]]" research to show the performer's popularity declined slightly even as her familiarity increased:
{{Cquote|Before she gained national fame on talk shows in 1975, bosomy Latin starlet Charo was 'recognized' by 57 per cent of Levitt's national television sample - and had a 'popularity quotient' of 9 per cent. Today, known by 80 per cent, a figure as high as Clint Eastwood's 80 per cent, Charo's popularity is 8 per cent. 'If she was known by 100 per cent of the world, chances are her popularity might go down to 7 or 6 per cent,' Levitt says coolly. That paradox makes some performers think twice when invitations to talk shows come in.|30 px|quoted in|"The TV Talk Shows," ''Washington Post'', July 14, 1977 (''Style'', B1)}}
====Post-1970s====
During much of the late 1950s to late 1970s Charo had limited visibility as she moved to Hawaii, and opened and performed at her own dinner theater while she and Rasten raised their son. In the 2000s, she returned to television in commercials for [[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]] wireless phone service and [[GEICO|GEICO insurance]], as well as guest appearances on [[Hollywood Squares]], a season-three stint on the celebreality series ''[[The Surreal Life]]'', as a one off guest in [[Fox Network]]'s "[[That '70s Show]]" and appearances in [[VH1]]'s "[[I Love the '70s: Volume 2|I Love the '70s]]" retrospectives. Most recently, on [[May 11]], [[2008]]. she made a guest appearance on the Latin-themed VH1 reality show "Viva Hollywood".
She now has a regular touring show in addition to appearances in [[Branson, Missouri]], and [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] (which at one time were choreographed by [[Comedy Central]] actor/dancer [[Jade Esteban Estrada]]). She also donates her talents to [[Jerry Lewis]]'s [[Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon|annual MDA telethon]].
Charo appeared as the Celebrity Showtime entertainer aboard Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas on its [[January 4]] & [[January 13]], [[2008]] sailings. She will be a Celebrity Grand Marshal of the [[San Francisco Pride|San Francisco LGBT Pride]] Parade on Sunday, [[June 29]], [[2008]]. She will be accompanied by hordes of Charo look-alikes on a pink float.
Charo also returned to the Dance music scene in June 2008 with the single "Espana Cani." The single was released through Universal Wave Records<ref>[http://perfectbeat.com/product_info.php?products_id=16933 From Perfect Beat]</ref>.
==Discography==
*''Cuchi-Cuchi'' ([[1977]])
*''Olé Olé'' ([[1978]])
*''[[¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?|Mamacita, ¿dónde está Santa Claus?'' (''Mommy, Where's Santa Claus?]])'', [[1978]], single)
*''Bailando con Charo'' (''Dancing with Charo'', [[1981]])
*''Guitar Passion'' ([[1994]])
*''Blame It on the Macarena'' ([[1996]])
*''Gusto'' (''Pleasure'', [[1997]])
*''Charo and Guitar'' ([[2005]])
Her first four albums were made with the [[Salsoul Orchestra]].
==Filmography==
*''[[Don Juan Tenorio]]'' ([[1952]]) (unconfirmed)
*''Tiger by the Tail'' ([[1968]])
*''Elvis: That's the Way It Is'' ([[1970]]) (documentary)
*''[[The Concorde: Airport '79]]'' ([[1979]])
*''[[Moon Over Parador]]'' ([[1988]])
*''[[Thumbelina (film)|Thumbelina]]'' ([[1994]]) (voice)
==Television work==
{{incomplete-list}}
{{unref|section|date=April 2008}}
*''[[The Hollywood Squares]]'' (semi-regular panelist from [[1972]]-[[1978]])
*''The Charo Show'' ([[1976]]) (unsold pilot for variety series)
*''[[Chico and the Man]]'' (cast member from [[1977]]-[[1978]])
*''[[The Love Boat]]'' (guest starred in 8 episodes, [[1977]]-[[1984]])
*''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]'' (guest appearance in [[1985]])
*''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special]]'' (guest star [[1988]])
*''[[That '70s Show]]'' (special guest star: "[[Red Sees Red]]" [[2000]])
*''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'' (unaired interview, but was quickly glimpsed on Episode 60: "Lawsuit" [[1998]])
*''[[The Brak Show]]'' (special guest star [[2001]])
*''[[The Surreal Life]]'' (cast member in [[2004]])
*''[[So NoTORIous]]'' (episode 5, season 1 in [[2006]])
*''[[I Love the '70s Volume II|I Love the 70s Volume 2]]'' (appearances in [[2006]])
*''[[Chappelle's Show]]'' (appearance in [[2006]])
*''Sprint Cellular Phones'' featuring the catch phrase "I thought you said bring home Charo"
*''Geico Auto Insurance Commercial'' (Acts out the Geico customer's experience [[2007]])
*''[[Viva Hollywood!]]'' New reality show on VH1 [[May 11]], [[2008]])
*''[[Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'' (special appearance [[April 17]], [[2008]])
*''[[Olivia Mayo is Life]]'' (special appearance [[November 20]], [[1992]])
==See also==
*[[Mononymous persons]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Commons}}
*[http://www.charo.com Charo.com] Charo's Official Site
*[http://www.charo.info Charo.info] Charo Fan Site
*{{imdb name|0004819}}
{{The Surreal Life series}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:American actor-singers]]
[[Category:American comedians]]
[[Category:American dance musicians]]
[[Category:American female guitarists]]
[[Category:American female singers]]
[[Category:American television actors]]
[[Category:Flamenco guitarists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Murcian people]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
[[Category:Spanish comedians]]
[[Category:Spanish dance musicians]]
[[Category:Spanish female singers]]
[[Category:Spanish television actors]]
[[Category:Mononymous persons]]
[[es:Charo]]