Leopoldo "Pucho" Fernández II (September 2, 1927 – July 29, 2008) was a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

- Puerto Rican comedian. He was the son of veteran Cuban comedian

Leopoldo Fernández Leopoldo Fernández Ferreira (born 22 May 1952) is a Bolivian politician. A member of Social and Democratic Power (PODEMOS) Fernández was Prefect (Governor) of the northern Bolivian department of Pando from 2006 to 2008. Fernández was the f ...

, known as Tres Patines.

Biography

Fernández was born on September 2, 1927 in

La Habana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He started working theater in

when he was only 13 years old doing several minor jobs behind the curtains. However, he quickly started performing with his father in his show ''La Tremenda Corte''. In 1954, he came to

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

and was quickly hired as floor coordinator for

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by Comcast. It provides content nationally with pr ...

due to his knowledge of both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. He was also the technical coordinator of ''El caso de la mujer asesinadita'', one of the first Puerto Rican

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 ...

. He also worked with producers Henry Lafont, Gaspar Pumarejo, Luis Vigoreaux, Marta Silva, and Fernando Hidalgo. Later on, he started performing

comedy sketch Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and i ...

es in ''El Show del Mediodía'' at

WAPA-TV WAPA-TV (channel 4) is a Spanish-language independent television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Hemisphere Media Group, which is 84% owned by InterMedia Partners. WAPA-TV's studios are located on Avenida Luis Vigoreaux in G ...

. One of Fernández' more famous roles was in ''El Barrio Cuatro Calles'', where he played the role of Pepón, one of the owners of two

bakeries A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who w ...

located one in front of the other and both competing for customers and sales. Later on, the comedy took another route where Fernández' character became "Superpan", a superhero spoof like Chespirito's

El Chapulín Colorado ''El Chapulín Colorado'' (English: ''The Red Grasshopper'') is a Mexican television comedy series that ran from 1973 to 1979 and parodied superhero shows. It was created by Roberto Gómez Bolaños (Chespirito), who also played the main char ...

(

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

), which airs on opponent television channel in Puerto Rico,

WKAQ-TV WKAQ-TV (channel 2) is a television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, airing programming from the Telemundo and NBC networks. It is owned and operated by the Telemundo Station Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal. WKAQ-TV's studios are located o ...

. In the late 1980s, Fernández worked in '' El Cuartel de la Risa'', another sitcom that took place in a

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, ...

, starring Carmen Dominicci, Rafael José, and Antonio Sánchez "El Gangster". Other characters he was known for were Machito Pichón, Poncito, Cabo Blanco, and 20/20 (a Latin version of Mr. Magoo). Later, he collaborated in shows like ''

Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País ''Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País'' (in English, ''What The Country's Counting On'') was a popular Puerto Rican comedy sitcom that became a hit based on the popularity of its main character named ''Chevy'' (played by Melwin Cedeño). The show be ...

'' and intervened in some of

Héctor Marcano Héctor Marcano (born November 3, 1956) is a Puerto Rican producer, host, actor, and comedian. Marcano is also an owner of low-power television station WWXY-LD Channel 38. Hector Marcano currently serves as Vice President of Hispanic Operation ...

's shows. Leopoldo Fernández last movie appearance was in 2003 in the film Latin Comedy: Una Comedia de Derecha para un Publico de Izquierda, were he costar with comedian, producer, writer, actress and director Janet Alvarez Gonzalez. Fernández was also a stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. In his late years, he retired and dedicated himself to writing. He lived at a

retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple in ...

for a few years. Fernández died on July 29, 2008 at a hospital in

Carolina, Puerto Rico Carolina (; ) is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over ...

. He died of pulmonar emphysema because of his cigarette addiction. He had five children from two different marriages.

External links

Death news
in

Muere el actor Pucho Fernandez
in Primera Hora {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Pucho 2008 deaths 1927 births Respiratory disease deaths in Puerto Rico Deaths from emphysema Cuban male comedians Cuban comedians Cuban expatriates in Puerto Rico People from Havana Cuban male television actors 20th-century Cuban male actors