Raymond Arrieta (born March 26, 1965) is a
Puerto Rican actor, comedian, host and
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
. Starting his career as a comedian in various local shows, Arrieta gained popularity in the 1990s when he hosted a string of successful comedy shows where he showcased his various characters and personifications. Since 2007, Arrieta has been hosting the mid-day variety show ''Día a Día'', along with
Dagmar. Arrieta is also a radio show host and a theater actor.
Arrieta has gained prominence for his
philanthropic
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
endeavors. After his friend and co-host, Dagmar, was diagnosed with
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in 2008, Arrieta has performed a yearly charity walk around various parts of the island while also raising awareness. Because of his commitment to the cause, Arrieta has received numerous recognitions, including from the
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control th ...
.
Early years
Raymond Arrieta was born as Ramón Emilio Arrieta Vázquez
in
Hato Rey
Hato Rey is a former barrio located in the northwest part of the dissolved municipality of Río Piedras. It now stretches over three barrios, of the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico:
Urban landscape
Its name means "king's cattle farm" ( ...
, one of the main ''barrios'' of
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...
. His parents were Ramón Arrieta and Carmín Vázquez. Arrieta went to school at the Academy Nuestra Señora de la Providencia. When he was in the third grade, Arrieta volunteered to play the part of "Ramoneta Cienfuegos", a character of popular Puerto Rican comedian
Shorty Castro
Israel Castro Vélez, better known as Shorty Castro (January 28, 1928 – January 22, 2018) was a Puerto Rican comedian, actor, comedy writer, stage director, radio host, singer, dancer, composer and musician, with a career spanning over 60 year ...
, in a school play. After that he continued to participate in many other plays at school, even organizing his own. One of the works he wrote and directed was ''Mundo Loco'', which told a story about a war between fans of
Salsa music
Salsa music is a style of Latin American music. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montun ...
and fans
Rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
.
Arrieta has mentioned that
José Miguel Agrelot
Giuseppe Michael Agrelot Vilá (April 21, 1927 – January 28, 2004), also known as José Miguel Agrelot or Don Cholito, was a Puerto Rican comedian, radio and television host.
Biography
Agrelot was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He was the ...
has always been his main inspiration.
After Arrieta graduated from
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, he enrolled in the
Universidad del Sagrado Corazón
Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (English: University of the Sacred Heart), abbreviated "USC" and often called simply Sagrado, is a private Catholic university in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is one of the oldest and largest educational ins ...
of San Juan, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Radio and Television Production in 1987. There, he also joined
Phi Sigma Alpha
Phi Sigma Alpha (), commonly known as La Sigma, is a Puerto Rican fraternities and sororities, Puerto Rican fraternity originally established as the Sigma Delta Alpha Fraternity (Sociedad de Amigos) on October 22, 1928, at the University of Puert ...
fraternity.
On one occasion, Arrieta and some friends visited the café theater "El Punto del Coquí" located in
Old San Juan
Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the Isleta de San Juan, islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, Catedral, Ma ...
. He sat down and played the
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
while doing imitations. The owner of the club was impressed and asked Arrieta to prepare an act for his club. Arrieta prepared an act called "Black and White" which was a success and he was soon traveling around the island with his "show". In 1983, Our Lady of the Providence Academy established the "Raymond Arrieta Award" which is annually awarded to the student with the best artistic qualities.
Career as a comedian
In 1988, Arrieta already had his own radio show and was also participating in
Telemundo
Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a divi ...
's "Estudio Alegre" (Happy Studio);"El Show del Medio Día" (The Noon Show) for
WAPA WAPA may refer to:
* WAPA (AM), a radio station (1160 AM) licensed to Ponce, Puerto Rico
** WBQN, a radio station (680 AM) licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, which held the WAPA call sign from 1947 to 2022
** WMTI (AM), a radio station (1160 AM) li ...
among others. He landed a role in the Spanish version of the play "
The Diary of Anne Frank
''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...
".
In 1991, Arrieta went to
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 ...
where he participated in the play "Mama ama el Rock" (Mother loves Rock) with Mexican stars Angelica María and Angélica Vale. In 1995, he replaced
George Ortuzar
George Ortuzar (born August 14, 1961), also known as George O, is a Cuban American actor, comedian, and television host best known for saying uhhhhhhh and his work on Univision, including hosting the shows ''Lente Loco'', ''La Piñata Loca'', an ...
as the host of ''
Lente Loco'' (''Crazy Lens''), a ''
Candid Camera
''Candid Camera'' is a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes ...
''-style show, co-hosting with
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 ...
model
Odalys García
Odalys García (; born October 23, 1975) is a Cuban actress, model, singer and show host.
García, born in Havana, Cuba, started by participating in dance demonstrations by the age of eight. At nine, she was admitted to the Alicia Alonso Schoo ...
.
Later in the nineties, he had his own show "Que Vacilón" which aired in prime time through
WAPA WAPA may refer to:
* WAPA (AM), a radio station (1160 AM) licensed to Ponce, Puerto Rico
** WBQN, a radio station (680 AM) licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, which held the WAPA call sign from 1947 to 2022
** WMTI (AM), a radio station (1160 AM) li ...
. In this comedy show of sketches and stand-ups, he brought to life, along with other local talents, which also included
Rene Monclova,
Jorge Castro, and Tita Guerrero, a bunch of peculiar characters who gained immense popularity in the Puerto Rican pop culture, like the clown Trompetilla, a grumpy clown with a kind of fraudulent circus; and Andresito a kind of
Dennis the Menace little boy. Many consider this period to be the peak of his career.
Arrieta had his own weekly TV show in Puerto Rico called "El Show de Raymond". Which was transmitted through
Televicentro and
WAPA TV. In 2007 he switched to
Telemundo
Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a divi ...
and
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 station, owned and operated by the Telemundo Station Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal. WKAQ-T ...
, where he currently stars in his own daytime daily show, "
Día a Día con Raymond y Dagmar
Día a Día con Raymond y Dagmar is a variety program on WKAQ-TV Telemundo Puerto Rico hosted by Raymond Arrieta, Dagmar and Gil Marie Lopez that airs weekdays from 1pm to 4pm AST on Telemundo Puerto Rico. The show premiered on January 15, 200 ...
". Puerto Rican comedian,
José Miguel Agrelot
Giuseppe Michael Agrelot Vilá (April 21, 1927 – January 28, 2004), also known as José Miguel Agrelot or Don Cholito, was a Puerto Rican comedian, radio and television host.
Biography
Agrelot was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He was the ...
once said, that Raymond Arrieta was the greatest comedian of the "new" generation.
In 2014, Raymond returned to comedy television with the
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 station, owned and operated by the Telemundo Station Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal. WKAQ-T ...
sketch comedy "Raymond y sus Amigos", which also reunites him with "Que Vacilon" cast members Monclova and Castro.
Da Vida Caminando con Raymond (Walk-A-Thon)
On Friday, May 15, 2009 Arrieta began a Walk-A-Thon to raise funds for cancer patients in Puerto Rican institutions, the city of
Ponce to
San Juan arriving in
Telemundo Puerto Rico. The Walk-A-Thon which ended on May 19, 2009. This hike was named the 2nd Hike
Ramón Rivero
Ramón Rivero (May 29, 1909 – August 24, 1956) — known as Diplo — was a Puerto Rican comedian, actor, and composer. Rivero made his television debut in Puerto Rico in "La Taberna India" (The India Tavern), the first comedy/varie ...
"Diplo," the first man to hold a walka-a-thon in the world to raise funds for a cause, in 1953—for the Oncological Hospital, in San Juan.
On October 23, 2009
Fi Sigma Alfa
Phi Sigma Alpha (), commonly known as La Sigma, is a Puerto Rican fraternities and sororities, Puerto Rican fraternity originally established as the Sigma Delta Alpha Fraternity (Sociedad de Amigos) on October 22, 1928, at the University of Puert ...
honored Raymond Arrieta by bestowing upon him the "Medalla de Caballero Sigma" a medal only four other members have been honored with.
Arrieta walked again for cancer patients in 2010 from
Aguadilla
Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla i ...
to
San Juan arriving in
Telemundo Puerto Rico with the name "Da Vida Caminando con Raymond". On June 4, 2010, on the very morning of the start of the Walk-A-Thon, Caguas mayor,
William Miranda Marín
William "Willie" Miranda Marín (September 23, 1940 – June 4, 2010) was the mayor of Caguas, Puerto Rico, from 1997 until his death in 2010.
Personal life
The son of José Miranda Gómez, a sugar cane cutter, and Rafaela Marín, a tobacco str ...
died from
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
. The 2010 edition of the Walk-A-Thon was dedicated to "Willie" first thing in the morning after in 2009 the Walk-A-Thon passed by through Caguas and he told Arrieta he would participate again the next year.
In 2011, Raymond walked for a third time from
Vieques
Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, ...
to
San Juan in six days and raised money for the Puerto Rico Oncologist Hospital patients, which had no money to pay employees or. He walked 12 miles through the island of Vieques, then boarded a ferry back to
Fajardo
Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area.
Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...
and continued to walk in a treadmill completing 2 miles in about an hour and a half. After reaching Fajardo everyone rested for the next day. In 3 days he reached San Juan, near the facilities of
Telemundo
Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a divi ...
. However, before arriving to San Juan, he followed the route which led to
Caguas
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founded ...
and he attended a memorial service held in honor of the memory of the late Caguas mayor
William Miranda Marín
William "Willie" Miranda Marín (September 23, 1940 – June 4, 2010) was the mayor of Caguas, Puerto Rico, from 1997 until his death in 2010.
Personal life
The son of José Miranda Gómez, a sugar cane cutter, and Rafaela Marín, a tobacco str ...
, at the Caguas Botanical Garden, As stated before, Miranda Marín died on June 4, 2010, the first day of Arrieta's Walk-A-Thon from Mayagüez. The Walk-A-Thon continued to Río Piedras, then back to San Juan. The goal for this fund-raiser was $1 Million and, according to statistics, a record has been set with an unknown quantity of money at the moment. The route he completed was Vieques-Fajardo, Fajardo-Río Grande, Río Grande-San Juan, San Juan-Caguas, Caguas-Río Piedras and Río Piedras-San Juan.
Comedy Characters
Filmography
Source
Notes
See also
* List of Puerto Ricans
* List of television presenters/Puerto Rico
References
External links
Popular Culture
Spanish Biography of Raymond
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrieta, Raymond
1965 births
Living people
20th-century Puerto Rican male actors
21st-century Puerto Rican male actors
Male actors from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican comedians
Puerto Rican male television actors
Puerto Rican philanthropists
Puerto Rican television personalities
Puerto Rican television talk show hosts
Universidad del Sagrado Corazón alumni