Cheech Marin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin at WonderCon in 2022
Birth name	Richard Anthony Marin
Born	(1946-07-13) July 13, 1946 (age 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Medium	Film, stand-up, television
Alma mater	California State University, Northridge (AB)
Years active	1971–present
Genres	Character comedy, musical comedy, political satire, sketch comedy
Subject(s)	Latin American culture, everyday life
Spouse	Darlene Morley ​ ​ (m. 1975; div. 1984)​ Patti Heid ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 2009)​ Natasha Rubin ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	3
Occupation	Actor comedian musician activist

Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is a famous American comedian and actor. He is well-known for being part of the comedy team Cheech & Chong in the 1970s and early 1980s with Tommy Chong. He also played Inspector Joe Dominguez on the TV show Nash Bridges.

Cheech Marin has lent his voice to many characters in Disney movies. These include Oliver & Company, The Lion King, the Cars movies, Coco, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. He is known for his characters often speaking with strong Chicano accents.

Who is Cheech Marin?

Cheech Marin is an actor, comedian, and musician. He is also a big supporter of Chicano art. He has collected many pieces of art over the years.

Early Life and His Nickname

Richard Anthony Marin was born on July 13, 1946, in South Los Angeles, California. His parents, Elsa and Oscar Marin, were Mexican Americans. His father was a police officer. When Cheech was born, he had a cleft lip, which was fixed with surgery.

Cheech identifies as Chicano, which means he is of Mexican American heritage. He uses some Spanish in his movies. His nickname "Cheech" comes from the Spanish word "chicharron". This is a popular snack made from fried pork rind. His uncle gave him the nickname when he was a baby.

In 1955, his family moved to Granada Hills, California. He went to Catholic school and then Bishop Alemany High School. As a teenager, he enjoyed going to folk music events. He later studied at California State University, Northridge. After college, he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. There, he met Tommy Chong, who would become his comedy partner.

Comedy and Acting Career

Cheech Marin has had a long and successful career in comedy, movies, and television.

Cheech & Chong: A Comedy Duo

Cheech Marin became very famous as half of the comedy duo Cheech & Chong. They made many popular comedy albums and movies in the 1970s and 1980s. Tommy Chong directed four of their movies. They both wrote and starred in all seven films together.

Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong in 1979

Movies and TV Shows

After Cheech & Chong stopped working together in 1985, Cheech Marin started acting on his own. He starred in movies like Born in East L.A., which he also directed. Other films include Tin Cup and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He also had a small role in Ghostbusters II.

On television, he was a main actor in the police show Nash Bridges. He played Inspector Joe Dominguez alongside Don Johnson. He has also appeared in shows like Judging Amy and Rob.

Voice Acting in Animated Films

Cheech Marin is well-known for his voice work in animated movies. He has voiced characters in several Disney films:

• Tito the Chihuahua in Oliver & Company (1988)
• Banzai the hyena in The Lion King (1994)
• Ramone in the Cars movies (2006, 2011, 2017)
• Manuel in Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
• A Corrections Officer in Coco (2017)

He also voiced characters in the animated series Dora the Explorer. He played King Juan el Bobo in one episode.

Music for Kids

Cheech Marin has released two popular children's music albums. They are called My Name is Cheech, the School Bus Driver (1992) and My Name is Cheech, The School Bus Driver "Coast to Coast" (1997). Both albums were released in two languages. In 2007, he also released a book called Cheech the School Bus Driver.

Cheech Marin's Art Collection

Cheech Marin loves collecting Chicano art. He started his collection in the 1980s. He believes it's important to show this art to more people. He wants to highlight this art style, which he feels is not always given enough attention.

He worked with the city of Riverside, California, and the Riverside Art Museum. Together, they opened The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry on June 18, 2022. Cheech Marin is donating his collection of over 700 pieces of Chicano art to the center. This is the largest collection of its kind in the world. The center will be a place to study and display Chicano art.

Other Fun Facts

Cheech Marin enjoys playing golf. He also practices horse archery on his own land. In 2019, he performed as Chef Louis in a live concert of The Little Mermaid at the Hollywood Bowl.

He is a fan of the Los Angeles Rams (NFL) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) sports teams.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Video Games

• Animated Storybook: The Lion King (1994) - Banzai (voice)
• Blazing Dragons (1996) - Sir George / Guido the Pizza Chef / Loudmouth Guard
• Kingdom Hearts II (2006) - Banzai (voice)
• Cars (2006) - Ramone
• Cars Mater-National Championship (2007) - Ramone
• Cars Race-O-Rama (2009) - Ramone
• Cars 2 (2011) - Ramone
• Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure (2012) - Ramone
• Disney Infinity (2013) - Ramone
• Cars: Fast as Lightning (2014) - Ramone
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2024) - Cheech

Theme Park Rides

• It's Tough to Be a Bug! (1998) - Chilic
• Radiator Springs Racers (2012) - Ramone

Music Albums

• Cheech and Chong (1971)
• Big Bambu (1972)
• Los Cochinos (1973), won Best Comedy Recording at the 16th Annual Grammy Awards
• Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album (1974)
• Sleeping Beauty (1976)
• Up in Smoke (1978)
• Get Out Of My Room (1985)
• My Name Is Cheech the School Bus Driver (Released October 27, 1992)
• Follow the Leader (1998) (He sings on a hidden track)

See also

In Spanish: Cheech Marin para niños