Top 7 Mexican Comedians

By Aaron Perez

Originally published 3/12/2025 on TJ Theories, a website I don't use anymore.

Republished on 7/22/2025

Like in the United States, the country of Mexico has its fair share of iconic actors, some being well known comedians from the Golden Era of films. These comedians helped shape entertainment in Mexico and beyond by bringing smiles and laughter to many within the Latin America community. Though some on this list have passed on, it is important to remember their legacy and their mark on the world of entertainment. Here is a list of the top 5 Mexican comedic actors and actresses who helped shape the world of entertainment:

7. Eugenio Derbez (Born 1961)

Image credit: Univision

    One of the most iconic comedians still alive to this day, Eugenio Derbez comes from an acting background thanks to his mother, Silvia Derbez. He started acting at the relatively young age of 12 as an extra for soap operas but he would get his major role in the comedy show Anabel. Eugenio would star in various TV shows and films but is most memorable as the patriarch of the comedy series La Familia P.luche. In that series, the P.luche family lives in a city in Mexico where everything is plush, from their clothes to everyday objects and vehicles. The family is by nature dysfunctional, with Derbez’s character serving as the idiotic patriarch, similar to Homer Simpson from The Simpsons or Peter Griffin from Family Guy. He would also suffer abuse from his TV spouse in the show, often being called animal or other derogatory terms and suffer beatings. Other TV shows he starred in are XHDRBZ, a sketch comedy series where he acts as various different characters, including a mad monk named El Lonje Moco. He also starred in many American made film projects, among them being the Golden Globe nominated film The Book of Life and the Adam Sandler flop Jack and Jill, but is mostly known for dubbing Donkey in the Shrek films. 

6. Xavier Lopez Rodriguez, “Chabelo” (1935-2023)

Image Credit: Televisa

Born in 1935 in the United States but living much of his life in Mexico, Xavier Lopex Rodriguez, known by his stage name Chabelo, was one of the most influential comedians of the Mexican Golden Age of Film. He was actually drafted by the United States at the time of the Korean war but returned to Mexico once the conflict entered into armistice and started to get into a medical career in hopes of becoming a doctor. He also worked as a small actor and an assistant for Televisa, which influenced his creation of the character of Chabelo. Xavier went on to star in films, music, and on various TV shows, his most famous being En Familia Con Chabelo, which lasted for more than five decades. His career was so extensive that he was able to act alongside legends such as Cantinflas all the way to modern actors such as Eugenio Derbez and other stars. As Chabelo, Xavier would act as an overgrown child with a high pitched voice. He would also make cameos in other film series, most notably La Escuelita VIP, which starred Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo. Xavier was also the subject of various memes in Latin America which made fun of his age and claimed that he was actually immortal, even meeting Jesus Christ himself or surviving the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.  After retiring in 2018, Chabelo passed away in 2023 from abdominal complications and is survived by his family and fans.

5. German Valdez “Tin Tan” (1915-1973)

Image Credit: Columbia

    The oldest and most iconic of the Valdez brothers group, German Valdez “Tin Tan” was known for his eccentric personality and iconic zoot suit. He was also credited for being one of the pioneers of the pachuco culture and using the slang associated with the movement in his movies. German was born in Mexico City, but would live and start his career in Ciudad Juarez, where he would become an icon. Prior to his Tin Tan persona, he went by the name of Topillo, but a friend advised him that it sounded too vulgar. German’s career as an actor and singer came as an accident, since he was a sweeper at the XEJ radio station in Juarez, but began to mess with the announcer’s microphone. Since the actual announcer forgot to turn off the microphone, his voice was heard through the radio waves, and was quickly given a radio job. Not long after, famed actor and ventriloquist Paco Miller contacted German, and he quickly rose to fame in cinema. He then starred in over 100 films, his most famous being the 1948 film Calabacitas Tiernas, which is considered one of the best Mexican made films. He would also dub for many animated Disney films of the era, his most notable being the Spanish voice for Baloo in The Jungle Book. Sadly, his life took a downturn, losing much of his fortune and finally succumbing to a hepatitis-caused cancer at the age of 57. He did leave behind an iconic legacy and a statue has been placed at the town square of Juarez.

4. Ramon Valdez (1924-1988)

Image Credit: Televisa

    Arguably the most well known of the Valdez brothers, due to his role as the lazy but humble character of Don Ramon in the TV series El Chavo del Ocho. He is the second oldest of the Valdez brothers and as such has had an extensive acting career, which lasted up to his final days. Prior to his role as Don Ramon, Valdez would appear in movies as a secondary actor before joining Chespirito. He then played the character of Don Ramon, which brought him to international fame and cult status. As Don Ramon, he would play a lazy but noble character, who would avoid the landlord Sr. Barriga and had a comically large debt of 14 months of unpaid rent. His character would also be the victim of bad luck, taking slaps and beatings from Dona Florinda, the Entitled Karen of the neighborhood. He wasn’t innocent either, since he would take out his frustrations on El Chavo, who would often be the cause of his troubles, by smacking him in the head. He would go on to play this character until 1979 after controversy and disputes with the actress Florinda Meza, who at this point was influencing the show. He then left the show, only returning briefly a few years later before abandoning it for good. He would join his friend Carlos Villagran on various projects, but complications of stomach cancer cut his life short in 1988. His funeral also brought controversy, since most of the cast of El Chavo didn’t attend for numerous reasons, with Angelinez Fernandez, who played Dona Clotilde in the show, being the only one to show up. His friends Carlos Villagran and  Ergar Vivar were among the last few people to visit him while he was alive, and claims that Ramon kept his humor up to the very end. Ramon Valdez has gained a cult following in Brazil due to his character Don Ramon, or known locally as Seu Madruga, and has been the subject of memes long after his death.

3. Maria Elena Velasco “La India Maria” (1940-2015)

Image Credit: Televisa

    Born in 1940 to a railroad worker, Maria Elena Velasco first entered the show business in the 1960s as a show girl before gaining the attention of a producer named Miguel Morayta. By 1969 she was an established comedian and debuted her character of “La India Maria”, an indigenous woman who is often portrayed as a servant in her sketches. She has starred in various films, TV shows and sketches as this character, up to her death in 2015 due to complications of stomach cancer. In all of those projects, she would always act as the same character getting into trouble and resolving it by mere luck. In the film El Miedo No anda en Burro, she is a house maid who becomes entrusted with the fortune left to her late master’s dog. She and the dog are placed in danger by the master’s relatives, who want the fortune for themselves. She then moves into one of her deceased master’s summer houses, which is haunted by monsters and ghosts. The movie ends with the monsters being the master’s relatives and them being attested by the police. Her TV show, Ay Maria, que Punteria, served as a weekly sitcom that ran from 1997-1998 and served as her return to Televisa after previously being banned from the network since the 1970s. She then went on to star in multiple projects, cameos, and films up to 2004, when she took a break from acting. She then returned to film in her final years in life, starring in the soap opera Corazon Indomable in 2013 as her character. She had wrapped up her final film role in the movie La Hija de Moctezuma just months prior to passing away, leaving behind a legacy in acting. After her death, controversy emerged when it was revealed that the singer Mirna Velasco was the biological daughter of Maria and her producer Raul Velasco, whom she was not related to.

2. Roberto Gomez Bolaños, Chespirito (1929-2014)

Image Credit: Televisa and Grupo Chespirito

    The icon of Mexican comedy, Roberto Gomez Bolaños is the mastermind and creator of many beloved characters, such as Doctor Chapatin, El Chapulin Colorado, and his most well-known protagonist, El Chavo del Ocho. His stage name, Chespirito, which translates to Little Shakespeare, which is fitting since he created countless scripts for film and small screen alike. His first main work was Los Supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada, A predecessor to his later works where many of his beloved characters would debut. His first spinoff, El Chapulin Colorado, started as a sketch of his main work before becoming its own successful show. After creating more successful characters, Los Supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada was canceled, but he would move on to create his most famous work, El Chavo del Ocho. Originally a spinoff, El Chavo del Ocho stars an orphaned boy, named El Chavo, as he lives day to day in a neighborhood, often being clumsy and naive but purehearted and kind. The use of slapstick comedy and witty jokes made this series a memorable one, becoming a cornerstone for Latin American entertainment worldwide. The show wasn’t without controversy, since there was a lot of drama behind the scenes, which eventually led to the departure of Carlos Villagran in 1978 and Ramon Valdez in 1979 respectively, and it was cancelled in 1980 due to falling ratings. Chespirito then revived his first work, Los Supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada, now under the name Chespirito and continued to create sketches of El Chavo and Chapulin Colorado there. Due to his age, He eventually retired El Chavo and Chapulin Colorado’s characters in 1992-1993 and left television acting in 1995 due to programming changes in Televisa. He then shifted to theater works and became a spokesperson for the Mexican political party PAN, and was honored for his work in 2012 in front of a live audience. Chespirito passed away in November 2014 and was given tributes and both a private and public funeral to honor his legacy.

1. Mario Moreno, better known as “Cantinflas” (1911-1993)

Image Credit: Columbia Pictures

    The pioneer of Mexican comedy, Mario Moreno “Cantinflas” was an actor and activist known for his street bum persona and his iconic mustache. Born into poverty, Mario Moreno first attempted various gigs, such as boxing and other works, but eventually performed as a circus performer before jumping straight into the silver screen. He then created the surname Cantinflas to hide his profession from his family, who saw the work of a performer as disgraceful. He then made his debut in the film No te engañes corazón, released in 1936, but wouldn’t gain fame as a star in 1940, when he appeared in the film Ahi Esta el Detalle. During his career as an actor, Mario has acted in more than fifty films, three of which were American and has won prestigious film awards such as the Golden Globes. In his early films, Mario would star in Mexican remakes of Charlie Chaplin films, such as El Circo, which is a remake of The Circus, and Si Yo Fuera Diputado, a remake of The Great Dictator. Mario Moreno was so successful that Charlie Chaplin himself considered him an equal and is speculated to have called him “The greatest comedian alive”.  Mario was also a philanthropist by helping the Roman Catholic Church and various orphan organizations within Mexico. He was also an outspoken supporter of the working class and of worker’s unions, openly advocating for the rights of the common man. This charitable persona is shown in his later films, particularly in El Padrecito and El Profe, where his main character goes at odds with a corrupt system. The famed actor and director, Chespirito, even attempted to collaborate with Mario, but this was cut short due to the actor’s death in 1993 due to complications of lung cancer and a three day mourning period was given in his wake. Mario left a legacy in acting, being one of the founding fathers of the Mexican Golden Age of Film, and a pioneer for comedians in Mexico and Latin America.

Sources: 

    Arellano García, Claudia. “Chabelo, el niño "más viejo" de México.” El Mexicano, 2010, https://archive.ph/20130413145350/http://www.oem.com.mx/elmexicano/notas/n1715446.htm. Accessed 06 02 2025.

    “Biografia – Tin Tan.” Tin Tan, https://www.tintan.com.mx/biografia/. Accessed 12 March 2025.

    “"Cantinflas: The Comedian and Trickster from Mexico."” Expedition Magazine 49, vol. no. 1, https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/cantinflas-the-comedian-and-trickster-from-mexico/. Accessed 05 02 2025.

    Cunningham, John M. “Chespirito | Biography & Facts.” Britannica, 17 February 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chespirito. Accessed 12 March 2025.

    “Eugenio Derbez - Actor.” TV Insider, https://www.tvinsider.com/people/eugenio-derbez/#biography. Accessed 12 March 2025.

    Jones, Catherine. “The Woman Behind “La India María.”” Nuestro Stories, 27 June 2024, https://nuestrostories.com/2024/06/the-woman-behind-la-india-maria/. Accessed 12 3 2025.

    “Mirna velasco.” https://www.mirnavelasco.com/. Accessed 12 3 2025.

    Moreno, Laura Alejandra. “Ramón Valdés, cien años del artista que le dio vida a Don Ramón.” HJCK, 2 September 2024, https://hjck.com/cine-y-arte/ramon-valdes-cien-anos-del-artista-que-le-dio-vida-a-don-ramon-rg10. Accessed 12 March 2025.