José Marroquín Leal (April 1, 1933 – February 6, 1998) was a Mexican

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, notable for playing a

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 ...

known as ''Pipo''. He hosted a children's TV show in

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

. He was locally known as "El Rey de los Payasos" (King of the clowns) and hosted the show from 1964 until his death in 1998.

Biography

He was Director of the

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

School of the

Autonomous University of Nuevo León The Autonomous University of Nuevo León ( es, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL) is a public university with seven campuses across the northern Mexican state of Nuevo León. Founded as University of Nuevo León on 25 September 1933, i ...

. Through this position, he developed a friendship with TV host Horacio Alvarado Ortiz which later helped him start his career in mass media. In 1961,

XHX-TV XHX-TDT is the television call sign for the Televisa television station on virtual channel 2.1 in both Monterrey, Nuevo León and Saltillo, Coahuila. The station carries the Las Estrellas network. History The first television station in Monter ...

bought the licensing rights to make the Mexican version of Bozo the Clown, and José Marroquín was invited to play the role of Bozo. After much deliberation, José Marroquín accepted. The show aired in Mexico on December 18, 1961. During this show, the segment ''Aventuritas'' (little adventures) was started, a segment that would later evolve ''Aventuritas de Pipo''. He continued playing Bozo the Clown until his license expired in 1963. The network decided not renew the license, on

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...

concerns. At this time, José Marroquín and other executives at the network, decided to create a new character and concept. Creative Artists Francisco Castillo and Carlos Vazquez were supervised by Marroquín to develop this new concept. On January 20, 1964, the show and the clown "Pipo" were born. His costume consisted of orange hair, oversized shoes, and a round, red nose. It was first aired in front of a live audience. It was an instant hit, and it became a tradition for children in

to tune into ''Pipo'' every afternoon. José Marroquín later created other characters for the show, most notably ''Profesor Pilocho'' (played by Carlos Torres), intended to be Pipo's guidance. The ''Aventuritas de Pipo'' segment was also very popular. On every show ''Pipo'' and ''Profesor Pilocho'' would have an adventure somewhere, always stepping against ''Los malitos'' ("the meanies"). The show aired for 34 years on XEFB-TV until February 6, 1998, when Jose Marroquin failed to show up on the set. When associates and friends arrived to Marroquin's home later that day they found he had died in his sleep.

Legacy

His death caused thousands of people in Monterrey to mourn him deeply. His funeral services were broadcast and watched by many. A downtown street in

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

and a park in Guadalupe,

have been renamed in his honor. Recently, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first television broadcasts in Monterrey, an actor was cast to reprise the character, and is playing the role for the new generations. Since August 5, 2014, Pipo and Profr. Pilocho have their TV show at GENTV Channel 422 of Cablevision and 12.5 HD air in Monterrey, bringing fun to families.

External links

Pipo Website
Official Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Marroquin Leal, Jose People from Monterrey Mexican television personalities Academic staff of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León 1933 births 1998 deaths