Wolf Ruvinskis (October 31, 1921 – November 9, 1999), born Wolf Ruvinskis Manevics, was a Latvian-Mexican actor and professional wrestler. He was married to dancer
Armida Herrera. Born to a
Latvian mother and a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
father, of
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
background, they relocated to
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in 1923. In spite of living in
extreme poverty
Extreme poverty, deep poverty, abject poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury, is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, includi ...
he excelled in sports and as a professional wrestler he toured
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and Mexico. This last country became his place of residence where he stayed in the ring well into the 1960s, wrestling
El Santo
Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (23 September 1917 – 5 February 1984), known professionally as El Santo or in English The Saint, was a Mexican luchador enmascarado (Spanish for "masked professional wrestler"), actor and folk hero. He is one of the mo ...
,
Black Shadow,
El Médico Asesino
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...
and Lobo Negro. As a wrestler he was introduced to the
Cinema of Mexico
Mexican cinema dates to the late nineteenth century during the rule of President Porfirio Díaz. Seeing a demonstration of short films in 1896, Díaz immediately saw the importance of documenting his presidency in order to present an ideal ...
playing ''
luchadores
Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...
'', in particular a
masked character he created called ''Neutrón''. He also belongs to the
Golden Age of Mexican cinema
The Golden Age of Mexican cinema ( es, Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano) is a period in the history of the Cinema of Mexico between 1930 and 1969 when the Mexican film industry reached high levels of production, quality and economic success of its ...
.
Biography
Born on October 31, 1921, in
Liepaja,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
. His parents emigrated to
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in 1923. The Ruvinskis family lived in poverty in Argentina, forcing a very young Wolf Ruvinskis to begin wrestling professionally as a way to help provide for his family.
Professional wrestling career
Ruvinskis quickly became a proficient ''
Rudo
Rudo ( sr-cyrl, Рудо) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 7,963 inhabitants, while the town of Rudo has a population of 1,949 inhabitants.
It is f ...
'' (bad guy) in wrestling, which led him to be booked on tours of South America and later on both Mexico and the United States.
When he came to Mexico he was originally slated for a short tour of the country before moving on, but he fell in love with the country and settled there soon after. He also met and married a Mexican woman and started a family.
In the ring he played a savage, vicious ''Rudo'' character which was very successful and manage to draw large crowds wherever he went as everyone wanted the local top ''
tecnico'' ("good guy") to defeat the savage ''El Lobo Letonia'' ("The Latvian Wolf").
His promising wrestling career was cut short around 1950 when accumulated injuries forced him to stop wrestling.
Acting career
After his retirement Ruvinskis focused on his second passion, acting. He had already played smaller parts in movies before retirement but after he retired he went into the acting business full-time. One of his most memorable roles was in the movie ''
La bestia magnífica
''La bestia magnífica (Lucha libre)'' ("The Magnificent Beast (Wrestling)") is a 1953 Mexican film directed by Chano Urueta. It tells the story of two good friends who become wrestlers to leave poverty behind, but the arrival of an ambitious w ...
'' ("The Magnificent Beast") from 1953. With his background in wrestling it was only a matter of time before he became involved in the Mexican
Lucha film
Luchador films (or ''Lucha Libre films'') are Mexican professional wrestling/action/science-fiction/ horror films starring some of the most popular masked luchadores in Lucha Libre. The luchadores are portrayed as superheroes engaging in battle ...
genre. He played the lead role in the 1956 cult classic ''El Ladron de Cadaveres'', which is now considered the first true Mexican Wrestling/ Horror film. Ruviniskis also played the part of a
masked wrestling character/ superhero called ''Neutrón'' in a series of movies between 1960 and 1964.
His acting career ended in 1996 (at age 74) with the movie ''
La mujer de los dos
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'' ("The Woman for the Two"). In recent years Lucha movies have been shown regularly on Mexican television leading to a bit of a revival of Wolf Ruvinskis' memory, reminding fans that Ruviniski was both a great wrestler and a great actor.
[ For some reason, he is credited variously in reference books and in film credits as "Wolf Ruvinskis", "Wolf Ruvinski", "Wolf Rubinski" or "Wolf Rubinskis".
]
Late life
After he stopped acting Ruvinskis opened a restaurant and became a very hands-on, passionate restaurateur who oversaw a couple of Argentinian restaurants in Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
named "El Rincón Gaucho". While he played a hated villain in wrestling his real persona was a complete opposite, described as a gentleman who lived to entertain diners with conversation and jokes, or at times even an Argentinian Tango. Wolf Ruviniskis died on November 9, 1999 in Mexico City. He was 78.[
]
Acting Awards
* Ariel Award
The Ariel Award ( es, Premio Ariel) is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excel ...
by the Mexican Academy of Film
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous peopl ...
:*''Best supporting actor'' for '' Juego limpio'' (1996)
Filmography
As a producer
*'' La última lucha'' (1959)
As an actor
*''La mujer de los dos
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'' (1996)
*'' Juego limpio'' (1996)
*'' Un Ángel para los Diablillos'' (1993)
*'' Días de combate'' (1987)
*'' Rosa de dos aromas'' (1989)
*''La Mafia tiembla
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'' (1987)
*''The Kidnapping of Lola
''The Kidnapping of Lola'' (Spanish:''El secuestro de Lola'') is a 1986 Mexican action film directed by Raúl Fernández (director), Raúl Fernández and starring Rosa Gloria Chagoyán, Rolando Fernández and Frank Moro.Maciel p.46 It is a sequel t ...
'' (1986)
*'' La fuga de Carrasco'' (1983)
*'' Nocaut'' (1983) – as don Saúl
*'' El Patrullero 777'' (1977)
*'' El Mexicano'' (1976) – as lieutenant José Alvarado
*'' El Hombre del puente'' (1975) – as the military dictator
*'' Acapulco 12-22'' (1971) – as Claude, yacht captain
*'' El crepúsculo de un dios'' (1968) – as Charles González
*'' Esclava del deseo'' (1967) – as Bronco
*'' Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata vs. los villanos del ring'' / ''Santo vs the Villains of the Ring'' (1966) – as Rodolfo Labra
*'' Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata vs. la invasión de los marcianos'' / ''Santo vs the Martian Invasion'' (1966) – as Argos
*'' Cargamento prohibido'' (1965) – as Carlos Aguilar
*''El señor doctor
''El señor doctor'' (aka ''Mr. Doctor'') is a 1965 Mexican comedy film directed by Miguel M. Delgado and starring Cantinflas,León Frías, p. 726 alongside Marta Romero and Miguel Ángel Álvarez.
This film is notorious due to its dramatic overto ...
'' (1965) – as Beto's father
*'' Jinetes de la llanura'' (1964) – as Andrés Menchaca
*''Neutrón'' Movie series as ''Neutrón''
:*'' Neutrón contra los asesinos del karate'' / ''Neutron vs the Karate Killers'' (1965)
:*'' Neutrón contra el criminal sádico'' / ''Neutron vs the Maniac'' (1964)
:*'' Neutrón contra el doctor Caronte'' / ''Neutron vs the Amazing Dr. Caronte'' (1960)
:*''Los autómatas de la muerte
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service (transportation), Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a ...
'' / ''Neutron vs the Death Robots'' (1960)
:*'' Neutrón el Enmascarado Negro'' / ''Neutron, the Man in the Black Mask'' (1960)
*'' El Rapto de las Sabinas'' (1960) – as Rómulo
*'' Las canciones unidas'' (1960) – as soviet delegate
*'' Vivo o muerto'' (1959) – as Crisanto Medina
*'' La estrella vacía'' (1958) – as Tomás Téllez
*'' La última lucha'' / ''The Last Fight'' (1958) – as Lobo
*''Los Tigres del Ring'' series / ''Tigers of the Ring'' (1957) – as Mario or Rafael
:*'' El torneo de la muerte''
:*'' Furias desatadas''
:*'' Secuestro diabólico''
:*''Los tigres del ring
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...
''
*'' El superflaco'' (1957) – as Rudy
*'' Paso a la juventud'' (1957) – as Rodolfo
*''A media luz los tres
''A media luz los tres'' is a 1958 Mexican film directed by Julián Soler. It was written by Luis Alcoriza, adapted from the play by Miguel Mihura.
Cast
* Arturo de Córdova
*Lilia Prado
*María Elena Marqués
*Martha Roth
* Sofía Álvarez
*Wol ...
'' (1957) – as Sebastián Reyes
*''Ladrón de cadáveres
''The Body Snatcher'' ( es, Ladrón de Cadáveres, ), is a 1957 Mexican horror film directed by Fernando Mendez who also co-wrote the film with Alejandro Verbitzky.
Plot
In Mexico, Police Captain Carlos Robles ( Crox Alvarado) has no leads to s ...
'' / ''The Body Snatcher'' (1956) – as Guillermo Santana (one of the earliest Mexican / Wrestling horror films)
*'' Los tres mosqueteros... y medio'' (1956) – as Aramís
* ''Puss Without Boots
''Puss Without Boots'' (Spanish:''El gato sin botas'') is a 1957 Mexican comedy film directed by Fernando Cortés and starring Germán Valdés, Martha Valdés and Nono Arsu.Monsiváis & Kraniauskas p.117
Cast
* Germán Valdés as Agustín Tancre ...
'' (1957) – as Humberto Carrasco
*'' El medallón del crimen'' ('' El 13 de oro'') (1955) – as Ramón Torres
*'' El túnel seis'' (1955) – as Ricardo Álvarez
*'' Los Gavilanes'' (1954) – as Rómulo
* ''Barefoot Sultan
''Barefoot Sultan'' (Spanish:''El sultán descalzo'') is a 1956 Mexican comedy film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and starring Germán Valdés, Yolanda Varela and Óscar Pulido.Monsiváis & Kraniauskas p.116
Main cast
* Germán Valdés as ...
'' (1954) – as Hilario Trujeque
*''La vida no vale nada
''La vida no vale nada'' ("Life is Worth Nothing") is a 1955 Mexican film. It was written by Luis Alcoriza and Janet Alcoriza, and directed by Rogelio A. González.
Plot
The film tells the story of a depressed, drunk and melancholic man, ...
'' (1954) – as El Caimán
*'' La gitana blanca'' (1954) – as Yaco
*''¿Por qué ya no me quieres?'' (1953) – as the gangster
*''A Tailored Gentleman
''A Tailored Gentleman'' (Spanish: ''Caballero a la medida'') is a 1954 Mexican comedy film, directed by Miguel M. Delgado and starring Cantinflas, Martha Valdés and Ángel Garasa.Pilcher, p. 156. The film's art direction was by Gunther Gerszo ...
'' (1953) – as Chucho
*'' Reportaje'' (1953) – as policeman
*'' La sexta carrera'' (1953) – as horseracer
* '' The Vagabond'' (1953) – as Hércules
*''Pepe el Toro
''Pepe the Bull'' ( es, Pepe El Toro) is a 1953 Mexican sports drama film directed by Ismael Rodríguez and starring Pedro Infante, Evita Muñoz "Chachita" and Amanda del Llano. It was the last in a trilogy of films featuring Infante and Muñoz ...
'' (1952) – as Bobby Galeana
*'' El plebeyo'' (1952) – as Lobo
* ''You've Got Me By the Wing
''You've Got Me By the Wing'' (Spanish: ''Me traes de un ala'') is a 1953 Mexican comedy film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and starring Germán Valdés, Silvia Pinal and Aurora Segura.Amador, p. 116.
Cast
* Germán Valdés as Tin Tan
* ...
'' (1953) – as Mayordomo
* ''The Photographer
''The Photographer'' is a three-part mixed media performance accompanied by music (also sometimes referred to as a chamber opera) by composer Philip Glass. The libretto is based on the life and homicide trial of 19th-century English photographer ...
'' (1953) – as Esbirro principal
*'' Cuando levanta la niebla'' (1952) – as sick man
*'' Las tres alegres comadres'' (1952) – as Tranquilino
* ''The Beautiful Dreamer
''The Beautiful Dreamer'' (Spanish: ''El bello durmiente'') is a 1952 Mexican comedy film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and starring Germán Valdés, Lilia del Valle and Wolf Ruvinskis.Schroeder Rodríguez p.117
The film's sets were desi ...
'' (1952) / ''The Sleeping Beauty'' (1952) – as Tracatá/doctor Heinrich Wolf
*''La bestia magnífica
''La bestia magnífica (Lucha libre)'' ("The Magnificent Beast (Wrestling)") is a 1953 Mexican film directed by Chano Urueta. It tells the story of two good friends who become wrestlers to leave poverty behind, but the arrival of an ambitious w ...
'' / ''The Magnificent Beast'' (1952) – as Carlos (one of the earliest Mexican wrestling films)
*'' Los tres alegres compadres'' (1951) – as Diana's lover
*'' Las locuras de Tin Tan'' (1951) – as crazy strong guy
*''La noche avanza
''The Night Falls'' (Spanish: ''La noche avanza'') is a 1952 Mexican crime film directed by Roberto Gavaldón and starring Pedro Armendáriz, Anita Blanch and Rebeca Iturbide.Hernandez-Rodriguez p.62 Armendariz delivers a particularly energetic pe ...
'' (1951) – as Bodoques
* ''Women Without Tomorrow
''Women Without Tomorrow'' (Spanish: ''Mujeres sin mañana'') is a 1951 Mexican drama film directed by Tito Davison and starring Leticia Palma, Manolo Fábregas and Carmen Montejo
Carmen Montejo (born María Teresa Sánchez González; May 26, 1 ...
'' (1951) – as Juan
*'' El revoltoso'' (1951) – as Roberto
*'' Trotacalles'' (1951) – as Carlos
*'' Camino del infierno'' (1950) – as Tony
*''Sinbad the Seasick
''Sinbad the Seasick'' (Spanish:''Simbad el mareado'') is a 1950 Mexican comedy film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and starring Germán Valdés, Marcelo Chávez and Famie Kaufman.Agrasánchez p.34
Main cast
* Germán Valdés as Simbad
...
'' (1950) – as Mary's boyfriend
*'' El hombre sin rostro'' (1950) – as monstruo
*''Amor salvaje
Amor salvaje (''Wild Love'') is a Mexican drama film directed by Juan Orol. It was released in 1950 and starring Rosa Carmina and Víctor Junco.
Plot
Alma Luz (Rosa Carmina) leaves Panama to go live with her aunt Antonia (Dalia Iñiguez) and Manu ...
'' (1949) – as marinero
*''La oveja negra
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
'' (1949) – as the boxer ''El Campeón Asesino''
*'' Hipócrita (film)'' (1949) – as El Rayas
*'' No me defiendas, compadre'' (1949) – as the wrestler ''El Enmascarado''
Television roles
*''I Spy
I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...
'' (March 4, 1968, episode #321 ''Shana'') as Andreyev
References
External links
Wolf Ruvinskis
at the Cinema of Mexico
Mexican cinema dates to the late nineteenth century during the rule of President Porfirio Díaz. Seeing a demonstration of short films in 1896, Díaz immediately saw the importance of documenting his presidency in order to present an ideal ...
site of the ITESM
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) ( en, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education), also known as Tecnológico de Monterrey or just Tec, is a secular and Mixed-sex education, coeducational private ...
*
Neutrón
profile at International Hero
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruvinskis, Wolf
Argentine emigrants to Mexico
Argentine Jews
Argentine people of Latvian-Jewish descent
Latvian emigrants to Argentina
Latvian World War II refugees
Latvian emigrants to Mexico
Latvian Jews
Mexican male film actors
Mexican male professional wrestlers
Mexican Jews
Mexican people of Latvian-Jewish descent
Naturalized citizens of Mexico
Sportspeople from Riga
Professional wrestlers from Mexico City
1921 births
1999 deaths
20th-century Mexican male actors
Russian male professional wrestlers