Ramón Valdés

Life and career

1924–1968: Childhood, early career and multiple films

Ramón Esteban Gómez Valdés y Castillo was born on 2 September 1924, He lived a quiet childhood, without being surrounded by many luxuries. He had several brothers, Germán Valdés "Tin-Tan", Manuel "El Loco" Valdés, Antonio "El Ratón" Valdés, Guadalupe, Angela, Cristóbal, Antonio and Armando. He was nicknamed "El Moncho".

In his youth, Valdés earned his living in multiple activities and trades, and due to this instability, he sometimes faced economic problems. He continued appearing on multiple movies as an extra or with supporting roles till he met Roberto Gomez Bolaños (Chespirito) in 1968. where he performed along with María Antonieta de las Nieves and Rubén Aguirre. Then the program changed its name to Chespirito. It was so successful that it was on television for many years. Then came the television phenomenon El Chavo del Ocho in 1973, where he played Don Ramón, achieving more success and recognition than he had experienced before. It is said that his character was similar to Váldes in real life. Coworker Rubén Aguirre stated:

Ramón Valdés was hard to work with. There were always delays in the tapings because Don Ramón would be late.

1980–1988: Return with Chespirito and final projects After quitting the part of Don Ramón in El Chavo del Ocho, Valdés continued making films until 1986.

He returned to television in 1981, performing in "Chespirito" as his former characters. He also returned to "El Chavo del Ocho", this being kept as a secret until the moment of recording. According to the history behind his return on one of the episodes in the series, Váldes entered the set to surprise La Chilindrina (María Antonieta de las Nieves) and such was the surprise of the actress, that the tears shed during that scene were real.

Other media In 1984, Váldes starred in a musical program entitled "Aprendiz de Pirata" (Spanish for "Pirate Apprentice") with Luis Miguel in which he performed his song "Tú No Tienes Corazón" of his 1984 album Palabra de honor.

Personal life Valdés was a Roman Catholic of Spanish and Italian descent

Valdés had three wives with whom he had a total of 10 children. One of his wives was the singer Araceli Julián.

Death On 9 August 1988, Valdés died at the age of 63, after suffering a cardiac arrest caused by bone marrow cancer and prostate cancer. He was entombed at Mausoleos del Ángel in Mexico City.

Legacy Valdés is remembered as one of the most beloved actors from El Chavo del Ocho for portraying Don Ramón.

Filmography

Film

Television