Pedro Infante facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pedro Infante
Infante, c. 1950s
Born	Pedro Infante Cruz (1917-11-18)18 November 1917 Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México
Died	15 April 1957(1957-04-15) (aged 39) Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Spouse(s)	Maria Luisa León ​ (m. 1937⁠–⁠1942)​ Irma Dorantes ​ (m. 1953)​
Partner(s)	Guadalupe López Lupita Torrentera [es]
Children	6, including Pedro Infante Torrentera [Wikidata]
Relatives	Lupita Infante (grandchild)
Musical career
Occupation(s)	Singer actor
Instruments	Classical guitar piano violin trumpet drums
Years active	1939–1957

Pedro Infante Cruz (born November 18, 1917 – died April 15, 1957) was a famous Mexican singer and actor. He was a huge star during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. His popularity spread all across Latin America.

Pedro Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. He grew up in a nearby town called Guamúchil. Sadly, he died on April 15, 1957, in Mérida, Yucatán. His plane crashed because of engine trouble while he was flying to Mexico City.

From 1939 until his death, Infante starred in over 60 movies. He also recorded more than 350 songs. For his acting in the movie Tizoc, he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor award. This award was given to him after his death at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival.

Pedro Infante: A Mexican Legend

Early Life and Music

Pedro Infante was born on November 18, 1917. His father, Delfino Infante García, played the double bass in a band. Pedro was the third of fifteen children, but only nine of them lived. The Infante Cruz family moved around a bit when Pedro was very young. They lived in Mazatlán, then Guamúchil, and later El Rosario, Sinaloa.

As a teenager, Pedro showed a great talent for music. He even built his own guitar in a carpenter shop. He played in an orchestra led by his father. He also started his own band called La Rabia (The Anger) in 1933. Pedro quickly learned to play many instruments. These included string, wind, and percussion instruments.

In 1937, he joined the Orquesta Estrella de Culiacán. He sang and played the violin and drums for about a year and a half. His wife, María Luisa León, encouraged him to move to Mexico City. She believed he would find better chances in radio there.

In 1938, at age 21, Pedro tried out for a radio station called XEB. He was nervous at first, but he got hired to sing three times a week. In Mexico City, he sang songs by many famous composers. These included Alberto Cervantes and José Alfredo Jiménez. His first song recording was El Soldado Raso (The Private) in 1943.

Becoming a Movie Star

Pedro Infante first appeared in a movie as an extra. It was called En un Burro Tres Baturros (Three Men from Aragon on a Donkey). His career in leading roles began with the movie La Feria de Las Flores (The Fair of Flowers) in 1943.

That same year, a friend helped him meet Jorge Negrete, another famous singer. This friend knew people in the movie business. She helped Pedro get noticed by a movie producer named Ismael Rodríguez. This led to Pedro appearing in more films.

Pedro Infante married young actress Irma Dorantes. Their daughter, Irma Infante, was born on March 27, 1955.

His Famous Movies

A statue of Pedro Infante in Mérida, Yucatán.

Pedro Infante starred in many popular movies. Here are some of them:

• Tizoc: He starred with María Félix in this movie. It earned him the Silver Bear for Best Actor award after his death. The movie also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film in 1958.
• Los tres huastecos (The Three Men from Huasteca): In this 1948 film, he worked with child star María Eugenia Llamas. She was only four years old at the time. She became known as "La Tucita" after this movie.
• Sobre las Olas (Over the Waves): Pedro played Juventino Rosas, a Mexican waltz composer. His natural musical talent helped him play this role well.
• La Vida No Vale Nada (Life is Worth Nothing): For his role in this movie, Pedro won the Ariel Award. This is a very important award from the Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences.

Iconic Characters

During the 1940s, many people moved from the countryside to cities in Mexico. Pedro Infante became a symbol for these new city workers. He played the character Pepe el Toro (Pepe the Bull) in a famous movie series. This series included Nosotros los Pobres (We the Poor), Ustedes los ricos (You the Rich), and Pepe el Toro. He starred with Evita Muñoz "Chachita" in these films.

He also worked often with Sara García, known as "Mexico's grandmother." She often played his loving but strict grandmother in their movies. She always tried to make him behave, but he rarely did!

His Legacy and Impact

Pedro Infante's bust at the place he died.

Pedro Infante's fame has grown even more since his death. Many fans of all ages visit his resting place in Mexico City. Singers of ranchera and mariachi music often honor him in their songs.

In 2017, for what would have been his 100th birthday, Google Doodle celebrated his life. It showed pictures of him as a singer, a boxer, and in his traditional Mariachi clothes. Pedro Infante was also briefly shown in the 2017 animated Disney movie Coco, along with Jorge Negrete.

Some fans have even thought that his death was faked. This is partly because his body was badly burned in the plane crash. Also, in the 1980s, a singer named Antonio Pedro appeared. Many thought he looked like Pedro Infante. Antonio Pedro even claimed on a TV show that he was Infante.

Remembering Pedro Infante

A B-24 Liberator plane.

Pedro Infante loved flying planes. He had flown for almost 3,000 hours. Sadly, this hobby led to his death on April 15, 1957. He had survived two other plane crashes before this. In one crash in 1949, he got a head injury that left him with a metal plate in his forehead.

On the day of the crash, he was flying to Mexico City from Mérida. His plane crashed just five minutes after taking off. An engine failed, and the plane fell to the ground. Pedro Infante, the pilot, and another person on the plane died. Two people on the ground also died.

A radio station in Mérida announced his death. A firefighter found a bracelet with "Pedro Infante" engraved on it. Later, his body was identified by this bracelet and the metal plate in his forehead. Two days later, he was buried in the Panteón Jardín cemetery. About 300,000 people came to his funeral.

Museums and Statues

There are five museums dedicated to Pedro Infante's life and career:

• Hotel Boulevard Infante in Mérida, Yucatan: This was once his home. It now has a small gallery called "Amorcito Corazon."
• Pedro Infante API Museo in Calkini, Campeche: This museum opened in 2012. It holds his Silver Bear and Golden Globe awards.
• Museo del Centro Cultural Nacional Pedro Infante in Mexico City: Opened in 2015, this museum displays costumes from his movies.
• El Rincón de Pedro Infante in Mazatlán, Sinaloa: This museum is in his birthplace. It shows costumes, posters, and photos.
• Museo a Pedro Infante in Guamúchil: Opened in 2017, this museum has his jeep and other personal items.

Pedro Infante Statue in Mérida, Yucatán.

At least five statues honor Pedro Infante:

• In Mérida, there is a statue of him on a horse. It was made from thousands of bronze keys donated by his fans.
• In Mazatlán, his birthplace, there is a statue of him on a motorcycle. This honors his role in the movie A Toda Máquina.
• In Mérida, a bust of him stands where his plane crashed.
• In Guamúchil, a statue shows him as a singer in his charro suit, with a guitar.
• In Mexico City, another statue shows him on a motorcycle, also from A Toda Máquina.
• In Mérida, a statue from 2017 shows him sitting on a park bench with a guitar. This was for his 100th birthday.

Awards and Recognition

Pedro Infante received several important awards:

• Ariel Award: For his role in La Vida No Vale Nada in 1956.
• Silver Bear for Best Actor: For Tizoc at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival in 1957 (awarded after his death).
• Golden Globe Award: For Best Foreign Film (Mexico) for the movie Tizoc in 1958.

Filmography

Images for kids

• 

  Infante, circa 1950s

See also

In Spanish: Pedro Infante para niños