LABORIEL, JUAN JOSÉ

(1907?-1997)

Honduran-born musician and character actor, on-screen in Mexican films from the '30s into the 1970s. One of the few black performers in the "Golden Age," the dignified-looking Laboriel generally appeared in small roles although he was occasionally rewarded with larger parts. His children include Johnny Laboriel, a top rock and roll singer of the 1960s (still active today), actress Ela Laboriel, and composer Abraham Laboriel.