Pedro Infante

Undoubtedly, Pedro Infante was, and still is, the idol of Mexico. Because of his movies (59 including 55 leading roles and four cameos), records (366 songs recorded between 1943 and 1956) and public appearances in Mexico and Latin America, Infante became a star and the most beloved human being in Mexican history. His fame and the phenomenon of his stardom hasn't been matched by any movie star in the years following his death. The main reason for this can be found in the extraordinary quality of his acting, his beautiful singing and something called "charm" that can't be learned or acquired. He was a natural actor, perfectly matched with all his costars, no matter if they were male or female, children or grandmothers. Although practically all his films were great box-office hits and still are shown on a daily basis on TV, the most popular of them were the "trilogy of bittersweet poverty"--Nosotros los pobres (1948), Ustedes, los ricos (1948) and Pepe El Toro (1953) and the comedies Los tres García (1947), ¡Vuelven los García! (1947), Los tres huastecos (1948), A.T.M.: ¡¡A toda máquina!! (1951), ¿Qué te ha dado esa mujer? (1951) and Two Careful Fellows (1953). He was the good friend, the good son, the romantic in love, the caring father, the sexy singer, the "macho" with a heart. He was capable of moving the feelings of men and women who found in him someone closely related to their lives. His death in a plane crash in 1957 is still one of the most remembered events in recent Mexican history. His popularity has grown even greater since then, reaching generations of Mexicans born after their idol was gone.