CAMPOS, MARCO ANTONIO VIRUTA

(1919-1996)

Viruta, born in Tepito, a barrio of Mexico City, is chiefly remembered as half of one of Mexico's most popular comedy teams of the 1950s and 1960s, but he actually spent most of his career as a musician. His first professional work came in 1938, as a member of the quartet "El Poker de la Harmonía"; he was a member of the Trío Latino from 1940-42, and one of the Trío Romanceros from 1943 until 1949. In 1952, he formed a team with Gaspar Henaine "Capulina," and found success on the Chiclets Adams radio show, then on television shows such as "Cómicos y Canciones." The team first appeared on film in 1957 and broke up in 1967, apparently with considerable bad feelings. Viruta made a fair number of film appearances after the breakup, almost all in dramatic supporting roles. On television, he returned to his roots, working on shows like "Advininanza Musical," and "TV Musical Ossart." In 1976, he suffered his first heart attack, and retired from active performing. He was undergoing an operation to receive an artificial heart valve when he died.