Germán Valdés

Germán Genaro Cipriano Teodoro Gómez Valdés y Castillo, known professionally as Tin-Tan, was a Mexican actor, singer and comedian who was born in Mexico City but was raised and began his career in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. He often displayed the pachuco dress and employed pachuco slang in many of his movies, some with his brothers Manuel "El Loco" Valdés and Ramón Valdés. He made the language of the border Mexican, known in Spanish as fronterizos pachucos, famous in Mexico. A "caló" based in Spanglish, it was a mixture of Spanish and English in speech based on that of Mexicans on the Mexican side of the border, specifically Ciudad Juarez.

Origin of name

Tin-Tan began his career by calling himself Topillo, which a friend of his stated sounded too vulgar and uncouth for a comedian. He suggested instead the nickname "Tin-Tan", which Valdés originally disliked but grew to like and use professionally for his whole career.

Career

Valdés's film career came as a complete surprise to everyone. He used to work as a sweeper for the XEJ station in Ciudad Juarez when he decided to try to mimic the radio announcers for fun. Unbeknownst to him, the actual announcer had left the microphone on. His quick wit and funny personality garnered him acclaim and he was quickly promoted to the main radio announcer himself. It was under these circumstances that legendary ventriloquist Paco Miller contacted him to act in films, and his career began.
He usually acted alongside his "carnal", Marcelo Chávez, who also accompanied Tin-Tan with a guitar. He was a prominent figure during his golden years in film, from 1949 onward. His 1948 film, Calabacitas tiernas, a comedy, was chosen as one of the best in Mexican cinema.
Valdés boasted of his record of "having kissed the most actresses" in his career, some of them considered the beauties of their day. His co-stars were Marga López, Rosita Quintana, Silvia Pinal, Amalia Aguilar, Meche Barba, Ana Bertha Lepe, María Antonieta Pons, Tongolele and many more. He also collaborated closely with actress and comedian Fannie Kauffman, who was also known as Vitola, during their careers.
He was also one of several people who were originally intended to be on the front cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but declined the invitation. He requested that Ringo swap him for a Mexican tree known as "El Árbol de la Vida", the Tree of Life, which he did.
He was the voice of Baloo the bear and Thomas O'Malley the cat in the Mexican Spanish dubbing of the Disney films The Jungle Book and The Aristocats; both roles were originally voiced by Phil Harris.
Valdés was the subject of the 2005 documentary, Ni Muy Muy... Ni Tan Tan... Simplemente Tin Tán, by Manuel Márquez and Carlos Valdés, son of the comedian.

Death

Valdés became ill with hepatitis, which degenerated into cancer. He then fell into a hepatic coma and died on 29 June 1973. He's buried at Panteón Jardín in Mexico City.
When he died he did not leave a fortune, just a testament to his wife Rosalía and his children Rosalía and Carlos.
He left behind a legacy of over a hundred films, 11 records, and two short films. The only recognition he received was the Virginia Fábregas Medal, a medal given for 25 years' professional service by the Association of Actors of Mexico.

Legacy

On 19 September 2019, the 104th anniversary of his birth, Tin-Tan was honored with a Google Doodle that reached Central America, Iceland, Italy and Sweden.

Selected filmography

Summer Hotel
The Disobedient Son as Germán Rico / Tin Tan
Song of Mexico as Tin Tan
The Noiseless Dead
Music Inside as Tin Tán / Hortensia
The Lost Child as Agustín peón Torre y Rey; Tincito
Music, Poetry and Madness as Tin Tan
Tender Pumpkins as Tin tan
Rough But Respectable as Tin Tan
No me defiendas, compadre as Tin Tan
El rey del barrio as Tin Tan
The Mark of the Skunk as Tin / El vizconde de Texmelucan
También de dolor se canta as Tin Tan
Sinbad the Seasick as Simbad
El revoltoso as Tin Tan
Oh Darling! Look What You've Done! as Tin Tan
Kill Me Because I'm Dying! as Tin-Tan
When Women Rule
Las locuras de Tin-Tan as Tin-Tan
Snow White as Valentín Gaytán
Chucho the Mended as Tin Tan / Valentín Gaytán
:es:Mi campeón as Tin Tan
The Beautiful Dreamer as Triquitrán
You've Got Me By the Wing as Tin Tan
The Island of Women as Tin Tan
The Vagabond as La Chiva
God Created Them as Tin Tan
The Unknown Mariachi as Agustín / Tin Tan
Reportaje as Pachuco composer
El vizconde de Montecristo as Inocencio Dantés
El hombre inquieto as Germán Valdés / Abel Caim
Bluebeard as Ricardo
Look What Happened to Samson as Tin Tan / Sansón
Barefoot Sultan as Sultán Casquillo
El vividor as Atliano Valadez
El médico de las locas as Apolonio Borrego
Teatro del crimen as Germán Valdés, cantante
Las aventuras de Pito Pérez as Pito Pérez; Jesús Pérez Gaona
El campeón ciclista as Cleto García
Puss Without Boots as Agustín Tancredo / Don Victorio Tancredo
Locos peligrosos as Federico
Los tres mosqueteros y medio as Federico
Escuela para suegras as Tin Tan
Refifi entre las mujeres as Refifí
Viaje a la luna
Quiero ser artista as Tin Tan
Música de siempre
A Thousand and One Nights as Ven Aquí
La odalisca No. 13 as Quintín
Paso a la juventud as Casimiro
Tres lecciones de amor as Germán Valadez
Vagabundo y millonario as Antonio García / Andrés Aguilar
El cofre del pirata
Ferias de México
El que con niños se acuesta as Chon / Encarnación Bernal
Dos fantasmas y una muchacha as Germán Pérez
Escuela de verano as Casimiro Bellavista y Manduriano
Vivir del cuento as Crisoforo Pérez
La casa del terror as Casimiro
Variedades de medianoche as Germán Gómez
Rebel Without a House as Teodoro Silva
La tijera de oro as Pablo Emilio Campos
Tin-Tan y las modelos as Marcos Alonso Chimalpopoca
Una estrella y dos estrellados as Tin Tán
El violetero as Lorenzo Miguel
The Phantom of the Operetta as Aldo / Baldomiro Valdes
El pandillero as Pepe Álvarez del Monte
El duende y yo as Modesto Fauno
Locura de terror as Pacifico otero
¡Suicídate, mi amor! as Raúl González
Viva Chihuahua
Pilotos de la muerte as Octano Pérez y Pérez
¡En peligro de muerte! as Marshall Nylon
El tesoro del rey Salomón as Tin Tan
Fuerte, audaz y valiente
Tin-Tan el hombre mono as Tin Tan
Face of the Screaming Werewolf as Man Who Sleeps in Wax Museum and Saves Woman in Apartment
Tintansón Crusoe as Tin-Tan Cruz / Guaraní
Los fantasmas burlones as Cyril Ludovico Churchill
Especialista en chamacas as Don Guille
Puerto Rico en carnaval
Loco por ellas as Ángel Macías / Alberto Macías / Padre de Ángel y Alberto
El ángel y yo as Rito
Detectives o ladrones as Harry
Seis días para morir as José - Globero
Chanoc
Duelo en El Dorado as Compadre Barrera
Gregorio y su ángel as Devil
El capitán Mantarraya as Capitán Mantarraya
Chanoc en las garras de las fieras as Tin Tan / Tsekub Baloyán
El quelite as Proculo
Trampa para una niña
En estas camas nadie duerme
El ogro as Sabas
Caín, Abel y el otro
Chanoc contra el tigre y el vampiro as Tsekub Baloyán
The Incredible Professor Zovek as Chalo
Los cacos
Las tarántulas as Tsekub Baloyán
La Disputa
Acapulco 12-22 as Pirata
La mafia amarilla as Germán
Noche de muerte as Germán