José Isbert

José Enrique Benito y Emeterio Ysbert Alvarruiz (3 March 1886 in Madrid – 28 November 1966 in Madrid), also known as José Isbert and/or Pepe Isbert, was a Spanish actor.

Biography

Early life In 1903 he worked at the Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Cuentas), but decided to give up working as a civil servant and that same year he made his stage debut at the Teatro Apolo in Madrid in the play El iluso Cañizares, changing the spelling of his real name from Y to I. He moved to the Teatro Lara, where he was very successful.

He was married to Elvira Soriano and he was father of the actress María Isbert and grandfather of Tony Isbert and Carlos Ysbert (the second Spanish voice of Homer Simpson).

Career In 1912 he debuted in the short film Asesinato y entierro de Don José Canalejas (playing Pardiñas, the anarchist who killed José Canalejas).

During the silent era he worked in theatre with supporting roles in cinema, but with the advent of sound, he made a big screen comeback in the comedy directed by Florián Rey, La pura verdad in (1931).

In the 1930s he acted in half a dozen films including: ¿Cuándo te suicidas? (1931) directed by Manuel Romero (director), La bien pagada (1935) by Eusebio Fernández Ardavín or El bailarín y el trabajador (1935), directed by Luis Marquina and based on a play by Jacinto Benavente.

In the 1940s he gained great popularity in films such as Te quiero para mí (1944) and El testamento del virrey (1944), both directed by Ladislao Vajda; Ella, él y sus millones (1944) by Juan de Orduña; El fantasma y doña Juanita (1945) by Rafael Gil and Pacto de silencio (1949), by Antonio Román.

The films he is most remembered for are from the 1950s and 1960s, in classics directed by Luis García Berlanga: Welcome Mr. Marshall! (1953), Los jueves, milagro (1957) and El verdugo (1963); and the dark comedy masterpiece El cochecito by Marco Ferreri, all written by Rafael Azcona.

He was the grandfather in the Spanish classic La gran familia (1962), and its sequel La gran familia... y uno más (1965), these films earning him still greater popularity.

Pepe Isbert died in Madrid due to a heart condition when he was 80 years old. He was buried at Tarazona de la Mancha cemetery in the province of Albacete.

Selected filmography

Asesinato y entierro de Don José Canalejas (1912, Short) - Manuel Pardiñas ¡A la orden, mi coronel! (1919) La mala ley (1924) - Hilario 48 pesetas de taxi (1930) The Pure Truth (1931) - Sr. Lamberti When Do You Commit Suicide? (1932) - Petavey Broken Lives (1935) - Paco La bien pagada (1935) - Gabriel The Dancer and the Worker (1936) - Don Carmelo Romagosa Heart of Gold (1941) - El tío Matías El sobre lacrado (1941) - Don Casto Una chica de opereta (1944) - Fabián Pérez Orosia (1944) - Don Cándido Aventura (1944) - Empresario Rodríguez Te quiero para mí (1944) - Don Miguel Life Begins at Midnight (1944) - El abuelo El testamento del virrey (1944) - Don Prudencio Ella, él y sus millones (1944) - Ramón, duque de Hinojares The Phantom and Dona Juanita (1945) - Don Pancho Un hombre de negocios (1945) - Dimas The Princess of the Ursines (1947) - Maese Pucheros 2 cuentos para 2 (1947) - Gordón Mi enemigo el doctor (1948) Confidences (1948) - Don Mauricio The Party Goes On (1948) - M. Lapin Pacto de silencio (1949) - Matías Orellano They Always Return at Dawn (1949) - Don Jacobo In a Corner of Spain (1949) - Tío Tomás, el pescador Sin uniforme (1950) - Levi My Beloved Juan (1950) - Pedro El señor Esteve (1950) - Artista pintor The Vila Family (1950) - Señor Vila Un soltero difícil (1950) - Doctor Olmos Tales of the Alhambra (1950) - Don Cosme - el escribano Tres ladrones en la casa (1950) - Veremundo I Want to Marry You (1951) - Padre de Rosita Service at Sea (1951) - Don José Cielo negro (1951) A Cuban in Spain (1951) - Jose Holmes Pérez The Seventh Page (1951) - Vendedor de bolsos Captain Poison (1951) - Doctor Sánchez Spanish Serenade (1952) - Capitán del barco Lola the Coalgirl (1952) - Soldado José Rodríguez Cerca de la ciudad (1952) - Ramón Estrella of the Sierra Morena (1952) - Labriego The Song of Sister Maria (1952) - Labriego Sor intrépida (1952) - Don Cosme Last Day (1952) - Comisario Pérez Doña Francisquita (1952) - Maestro Lambertini Lovers of Toledo (1953) - Anticuario What Madness! (1953) - Don Ramiro Welcome Mr. Marshall! (1953) - Don Pablo, el alcalde Airport (1953) - Manolo Such is Madrid (1953) - Dimas Condemned to Hang (1953) - Don Félix Plot on the Stage (1953) - Portero All Is Possible in Granada (1954) - Joaquín Nuits andalouses (1954) - Chauffeur de taxi Aventuras del barbero de Sevilla (1954) - Don Faustino Como la tierra (1954) - Wences Eleven Pairs of Boots (1954) - Padre Roque Love on Wheels (1954) - Representante Carmona An Andalusian Gentleman (1954) - Joaquín El guardián del paraíso (1955) - José Historias de la radio (1955) - Inventor Congress in Seville (1955) - Señor sordo y despistado Nubes de verano (1955) - Pablo Un día perdido (1955) - Paco La pícara molinera (1955) - Campillo, el pregonero Rapto en la ciudad (1955) La chica del barrio (1956) - Cipri Afternoon of the Bulls (1956) - Don Felipe Uncle Hyacynth (1956) - Sánchez Sucedió en mi aldea (1956) - Guardia de las barcas We Thieves Are Honourable (1956) - El Tío del Gabán The Rocket from Calabuch (1956) - Don Ramón Manolo, guardia urbano (1956) - Don Andrés, el sacerdote Miracle of the White Suit (1956) - Alcalde Dos novias para un torero (1956) Recluta con niño (1956) Tremolina (1957) - Don Gervasio Un abrigo a cuadros (1957) - Don José Faustina (1957) - Sacerdote - tio de Guillermo Fulano y Mengano (1957) - Eudosio Los jueves, milagro (1957) - Don José Los ángeles del volante (1957) - Cristóbal The Man Who Wagged His Tail (1957) - Pietrino Villa Alegre (1958) - Tío Juan La vida por delante (1958) - Testigo accidente Policarpo (1959) - Maresciallo Venanzio Frasca Bombas para la paz (1959) - Mauricio Dupont College Boarding House (1959) - Don Servando Litri and His Shadow (1960) - Hermano Alejandro Carnival Day (1960) - Don Damián Nothing Less Than an Archangel (1960) - Don Fabián El cochecito (1960) - Don Anselmo Proharán Vida sin risas (1960) Don Lucio y el hermano Pío (1960) - Hermano Pío An American in Toledo (1960) - Román Patricia mía (1961) Don José, Pepe y Pepito (1961) - Marcelo Margarita se llama mi amor (1961) - Don Severino, profesor de historia Despedida de soltero (1961) - Don Pablo Vamos a contar mentiras (1961) - Bombero Los que no fuimos a la guerra (1962) - Don Arístides You and Me Are Three (1962) - Presidente Sabían demasiado (1962) - Don Sebastián Guzmán, el secuestrado Cupido contrabandista (1962) - Recién casado La gran familia (1962) - El abuelo Perro golfo (1963) - Guarda de las obras El sol en el espejo (1963) - Don Pablo La pandilla de los once (1963) - El Duque El Verdugo (1963) - Amadeo, el verdugo Los dinamiteros (1964) - Don Benito Cristina (1967) - El tío Operación Dalila (1967) - Abuelo Lo que cuesta vivir (1967) - Don Antonio