Fernando González Pacheco (September 13, 1932 – February 11, 2014), also known as Pacheco, was a Colombian television host, announcer, journalist
and occasional actor with a career spanning over six decades. Pacheco was born in Spain and received the
Colombian citizenship as he had been residing in Colombia since he was 4 years old.
Biography
González Pacheco was born in
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, September 13, 1932, as the son of Doroteo González-Pacheco and Inés Castro Montejo. He arrived in Colombia when he was four years old. He finished his secondary studies at Hispano Americano School in 1950 and was a
ping pong
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
champion, as well as a professional
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
known as ''Kid Pecas''.
Pacheco started working as a waiter for the Grand Colombian Merchant Fleet, occasionally performing on stage while playing the
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
and singing. It is thanks to entrepreneur Alberto Peñaranda, who would later become the owner of one of the main Colombian TV production companies (''programadoras''),
Producciones PUNCH Producciones PUNCH was a Colombian ''programadora''. It was the first ''programadora'' to be established in 1956, founded by the Peñaranda family.
History
PUNCH was involved in many firsts in Colombian television, including the following:
*They we ...
, who offered him an opportunity on television after listening to him.
He had also participated in various dangerous activities for social causes such as
parachuting
Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes.
For ...
,
bullfighting
Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
There are several variations, including some forms wh ...
,
lion taming
Lion taming is the taming and training of lions, either for protection or for use in entertainment, such as the circus. The term often applies to the taming and display of lions and other big cats such as tigers, leopards, jaguars, black panthe ...
,
clown
A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms.
History
The most ancient clowns have been found in ...
ing, and
hot air ballooning
Hot air ballooning is the activity of flying hot air balloons. Attractive aspects of ballooning include the exceptional quiet (except when the propane burners are firing), the lack of a feeling of movement, and the bird's-eye view. Since the b ...
, to name a few.
He is also known for having been the spokesperson for Pro-Vida, a senior citizen support organization.
Career
Quite known for his versatility, Pacheco had been able to participate in a myriad of shows of many styles, whether interviewing or presenting. His innate ability to deal with people and highly improvisational skills (all TV shows were broadcast live on the earlier days) led him to be one of the most notorious figures in Colombia's television history. A running joke during his presentations was his "ugliness", which was exploited as a comic relief.
González Pacheco also started a TV production company of his own called
Coestrellas
Coestrellas was a Colombian ''programadora'' founded in 1981 by Fernando González Pacheco and Carlos Benjumea. Its original director was Bernardo Romero Pereiro. It was liquidated in 2003, one of the last casualties of the ''programadoras'' crisi ...
along with actor
Carlos Benjumea, which lasted from 1981 to 2003.
TV presenter and interviewer
Pacheco's first official appearance was in 1956 on the TV show ''Agencia de Artistas'' (''Artists Agency'').
He also was the official presenter for ''Operación Ja-Ja'', a starting point for popular local comedians such as
Hugo Patiño and the late
Jaime Agudelo. It is thanks to this show that highly regarded comedy show
Sábados Felices
''Sábados Felices'' (''Happy Saturdays'') is a Colombian comedy show that debuted in 1972. It has been produced by Caracol Televisión for its entire run on the air; from 1972 to 1998, when Caracol was a ''programadora'', it aired on Cadena U ...
would emerge.
* ''Agencia de Artistas''
* ''Animalandia''
* ''Cabeza y Cola''
* ''Charlas con Pacheco''
* ''Cita con Pacheco''
* ''Compre la orquesta''
* ''Día a día''
[ColArte - Fernando González Pacheco](_blank)
/ref>
* ''El Programa del Millón''
* ''Exitosos''
* ''Frivo''
* ''Los Tres a las Seis''
* ''Pacheco Insólito''
* ''Pacheco Pide la Pista''
* ''Quiere Cacao''
* ''Sabariedades''
* ''Siga la Pista''
* ''Super Bien''
* ''Uno más Uno, Tres''
Acting
Although having no formal acting education whatsoever, González Pacheco gathered a fair amount of both expertise and recognition in several popular Colombian telenovelas
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include ''teleserye'' (P ...
and films.
Television
*''Yo y tú''
Motion pictures
*''El Zorrero''
Theatre
*''Sugar''
*''La Jaula de las Locas'' ('' La Cage aux Folles'')
Awards
*Nemqueteba
Books
*''Me Llaman Pacheco'' (''They Call me Pacheco'') - Prologue by Daniel Samper
Personal life
González Pacheco was married to Cartago's beauty pageant Liliana Grohis.
Death
On February 5, 2014, 'Pacheco' was admitted to El Country Clinic (Clínica del Country) in Bogota with a severe heart condition but was pronounced dead on February due to heart and respiratory failure. He was 81 years old.
References
External links
*
*
Fernando González Pacheco, el hombre de las mil caras
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez Pacheco, Fernando
1932 births
2014 deaths
Colombian people of Spanish descent
Colombian television presenters
Naturalized citizens of Colombia
Spanish emigrants to Colombia
People from Valencia