Carlos Balá facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlitos Balá
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Balá c. 1965
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| Born |
Carlos Salim Balaa
13 August 1925 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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| Died | 22 September 2022 (aged 97) Buenos Aires, Argentina
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| Spouse(s) |
Martha Venturiello
(m. 1962) |
| Children | 2 |
Carlos Salim Balaa (born August 13, 1925 – died September 22, 2022), known as Carlitos Balá, was a famous Argentine actor. He was best known for entertaining children. Carlitos Balá had a special bowl-cut hairstyle. He also had many funny catchphrases. Some of his most famous sayings were "¿Qué gusto tiene la sal?" (What does salt taste like?), "un gestito de idea" (a little gesture of an idea), and "un kilo y dos pancitos" (one kilo and two small breads).
Balá also created many fun characters for his shows. These included Petronilo, Angueto the invisible dog, Indeciso (meaning "Undecided"), and Miserio. He had a popular weekly TV show. This show made him one of the top children's entertainers in Argentina. He was as famous as Alberto Olmedo (who played Capitán Piluso) and José Marrone. His show often featured Angueto, the invisible dog. Carlitos would pretend to pull Angueto on a tight leash. Besides his TV shows, Balá also starred in many family-friendly movies. He was especially known for the Canuto Cañete film series in the 1960s. Carlitos Balá is remembered as a true icon of Argentine culture. He brought joy and humor to generations for over 50 years.
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About Carlitos Balá
Carlitos Balá was born in a neighborhood called Chacarita, Buenos Aires. He spent his early years in a historic building. It was known as the Yellow House. His father was a butcher from Syria. His mother had family roots in Austria, Uruguay, and Montenegro.
Carlitos was very shy when he was young. His younger sister, Norma, encouraged him to try acting. She even wanted him to be in a school play. To help overcome his shyness, Carlos started telling jokes. He would tell them on the Line 39 colectivo (a type of bus), where he worked.
Early in his career, Balá entered a contest. He won it using the name Carlos Valdez. His father was listening to the radio and heard the winner. But he did not know it was his own son! Carlitos had changed his last name because he was afraid of getting in trouble. When he realized his father didn't recognize him, he decided to use a name closer to his real one. He chose Carlos Balá. After that, he started working in radio. He played a very nervous character. This character made many people laugh right away.
Before cable television was common, Carlitos Balá had a very successful weekly TV show. It was a big hit for children's entertainment. Other popular shows at the time were El Capitán Piluso and El circo de Marrone.
Balá was a big fan of the Chacarita Juniors football club. Sometimes, a flag with his picture was displayed in the stadium stands. People from the club even asked him to run for president of the club. But he always said no. He believed the club did not need him for that role. In 2018, an artist named Jorge Pagliano painted a mural of Balá on one of the stadium walls.
In the mid-1950s, when he was almost 30, Carlitos met Martha Venturiello. She was 18. They dated for seven years and then got married in 1962. Soon after, they had two children, Laura and Martín. They stayed together for almost 70 years, until his death. Carlitos often said that Martha was his "love for life."
Carlitos Balá passed away on September 22, 2022. He was 97 years old. He had been admitted to a hospital in Palermo after feeling very weak.
Carlitos Balá's Career
Starting Out
Carlitos Balá started his professional career in 1955. He was hired by Délfor Dicásolo to join La revista dislocada. This was a very popular comedy show on Radio Splendid. Many famous artists got their start there.
In 1958, Balá left that show. He formed a comedy trio with Jorge Marchesini and Alberto Locati. Their show was called Los tres... and was on Radio El Mundo. The trio became very popular. They also appeared on El show de Andy Russell. Later, they starred in ¡Qué plato!. The trio stayed together until 1960. After that, each member started their own individual career. Carlitos Balá quickly became a big star on his own.
Becoming Famous
Carlitos Balá began appearing on TV shows like La Telekermese Musical on Canal 7. He also played a character named Joe Bazooka. He worked on El show de Antonio Prieto and El show de Paulette Christian. On Radio Splendid, he played his character Jacobo Gómez. In 1962, he was on Telecómicas and Calle Corrientes. He also appeared on El show super 9 with Mirtha Legrand.
In 1963, he started in a play called Canuto Cañete, conscripto del siete. Because he was so successful, Canal 9 hired him to host his own show, Balamicina. At the end of that year, he filmed the movie version of Canuto Cañete.... In 1964, Canal 13 hired him to star in El soldado Balá. This started a long TV career for him in the 1960s and 1970s. He had shows like El flequillo de Balá (1965–66) and El clan de Balá (1967). He also appeared on Sábados Circulares and hosted El circus show by Carlitos Balá. Other shows included El circo mágico de Carlitos Balá (1973) and El show de Carlitos Balá.
He acted in 18 family comedy films. Some of these were Canuto Cañete y los 40 ladrones, ¡Esto es alegría!, and Brigada en acción. In 1979, he was hired to star in El show de Carlitos Balá on Canal 7. He also toured Argentina with his circus.
In 1987, Carlitos Balá joined the TV program Sábados de la bondad. He then returned with El show de Carlitos Balá. This show won a Martín Fierro Awards for being the best children's program. In 1988, the program moved to Canal 2. That same year, he made one of his last film appearances in Tres alegres fugitivos.
Later Years
In 1990, Carlitos Balá had a program with Margarito Tereré. It was on ATC but only lasted a short time. In 1995, he starred in To play with Teddy and Carlitos Balá. He also appeared on TV shows like Son de diez and Como vos y yo.
On September 2, 2009, he was a guest on the show Justo a tiempo. There, he promised to donate his famous Chupetómetro. This was a special place where children could leave their pacifiers to help them stop using them. He said he kept it in his living room. He invited children to visit him and leave their pacifiers there.
Carlitos Balá also toured Argentina with his circus. In 2009, he performed with the clown Piñón Fijo. In 2011, he joined children's host Laura Franco in her show Panam y circo as a special guest.
Carlitos Balá's Movies
- Canuto Cañete, conscripto del siete (1963)
- Canuto Cañete y los 40 ladrones (1965)
- Canuto Cañete, detective privado (1965)
- ¡Esto es alegría! (1967)
- Dos locos en el aire (1976)
- Brigada en acción (1980)
- El tío Disparate (1978)
- ¡Qué linda es mi familia! (1980)
- Cosa de locos (1981)
- Tres alegres fugitivos (1988)
- Soledad y Larguirucho (2012)
Carlitos Balá's Music
Carlitos Balá also recorded many albums. Here are some of them:
Studio Albums
- El Circus Show de Carlitos Balá (1971)
- El circo Carlitos Balá (1973)
- El show de Carlitos Balá (1973)
- Papá Balá (1976)
- Y qué gusto tiene la sal? (1977)
- Un paseo por La Boca (1978)
- Felicidad empieza con fe (1981)
- Aquí llegó Balá (2002)
Compilation Albums
- Los Grandes Éxitos De Carlitos Balá (1978)
- El show de Carlitos (1979)
- Un gestito de idea (1980)
- Niños del mundo felicidad (1981)
- 20 super éxitos (1995)
- Lo mejor de mi repertorio (2008)
Carlitos Balá's Legacy
On December 11, 2009, the city of Buenos Aires honored Carlitos Balá. They called him an "Outstanding Cultural Personality."
That same year, the band Los Auténticos Decadentes released their own version of the song Aquí llegó Balá. This song was used in Carlitos Balá's TV show. Carlitos Balá himself sang at the beginning of the new version. He also said some of his famous catchphrases. Also in 2009, Andrés Ciro Martínez, the leader of the band Los Piojos, danced with a Carlitos Balá mask in a music video.
On May 22, 2011, Carlitos Balá received an award for his long career at the Martín Fierro Awards. That same year, the Line 39 colectivo (bus) company honored him. They put images of Balá on their bus windows for his 86th birthday.
In 2016, Balá visited Pope Francis at Vatican City. He was also declared an "Ambassador for Peace." In April 2017, the Buenos Aires City Legislature named Balá a "distinguished citizen of the city." In October of that year, he received another special award. It recognized his amazing career as an artist.
In March 2019, an architect named Rubén Díaz created something special. He opened the "Arco del Triunfo de Carlitos Balá." This is a replica of the famous Parisian Arc de Triomphe. It is located in Villa Arisa, in Ituzaingó Partido, Greater Buenos Aires. The Line 39 bus company also honored Balá for his last birthday. They created a light-wall graffiti artwork called Carlitos Balá Iluminado. This artwork, made by artist Alejandro Marmo, was the last tribute to Balá while he was still alive.
See also
In Spanish: Carlitos Balá para niños
