Pedro Infante, was born in
Guamuchil,Sinaloa, on December 17, 1917. In 1937, Pedro Infante sang for the first time in public at a local festival in
Sinaloa. He performed in
concert halls, interpreting the songs of
Alberto Cervantes,
Jose Alfredo Jimenez,
Cuco Sanchez,
Tomas Mendez,
Ruben Fuentes,
Salvador Flores, and many more.
His movie career began in 1942. Infante also brought us the memorable character of
Pepe "
El Toro," in the movies Nosotros Los Pobres, Ustedes Los Ricos, and Pepe, El Toro.
In 1947, Pedro Infante was involved in the first of three
airplane accidents that he would have in his life. However, his love of flying kept him going back into the air. In 1949, he was involved in another plane crash near Zitacuaro,
Michoacan. He suffered serious injury to his head. After a successful three hour
surgery and many hours of praying, the
Mexican people could breathe
a sigh of relief. Following some
rehabilitation, he went on to make more movies.
Infante also did a tour of the
United States, concentrating on
New York and
Texas.
On April 15th of 1957, Infante woke up early and rode his
Harley Davidson motorcycle to the airport. His love of flying brought about his death that day. He was killed in a plane crash near
Merida, Yucatan. At 11:15, Manuel Bernal, of the radio station XEW, announced, "He muerto Pedro Infante" ("Pedro Infante has died.") Newspaper headlines read: "Pedro Infante Perished Yesterday in an Airplane he Co-Piloted," and "Astonishment, Mourning, and Pain from the Death of an Actor."
That day, forty years ago, was declared
a national day of mourning in Mexico. All the radio and television stations of Mexico gave programs in homage to their idol, practically playing Infante's songs and movies all day. In many households on
Sunday afternoons, one can find people watching the
old Pedro Infante movies. Though he made millions, he always represented the common
poor carpenter he once was. Infante was a symbol of someone who had worked himself up from nothing. To many
Latin Americans, he wasn't just an actor and singer, but much, much more. Forty years have done nothing to erase his influence and to this day, flowers are taken to his grave every year.
FILMS