Capulina

(Gaspar Henaine)

(1924, '27 or 1930? - )

   Gaspar Henaine "Capulina" was born in the state of Puebla of Lebanese ancestry. Like his future partner Marco Antonio Campos "Viruta," Capulina's early career was spent primarily as a musician in various groups that flourished in the variety theatre of the 1930s and 1940s. In the early '50s, Henaine and Campos were teamed up for a radio program sponsored by the Adams chewing gum company. Their combination of comedy and music became extremely popular, and in 1957 they made their screen debut in Se los chupó la bruja (Capulina had appeared in at least one film prior to this, while a member of the Trío Lation). Capulina and Viruta were successful in films, and on TV and the stage, but their partnership broke up in 1967. Capulina didn't break stride, appearing in a long string of screen comedies until the early 1980s (his last film to date is Mi compadre Capulina, 1989). He also worked steadily on television, and toured with his own circus, despite several life-threatening illnesses. His son Antonio made several films with his father, and also starred in a dramatic biography of singer Guty Cárdenas. Capulina returned to TV in 1998 with a dramatic role in a telenovela, "Gotita de amor."