Charo
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María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza Rasten (born March 13 1941; claimed birth year 1951), better known by the Latin American and Hollywood show business as Charo, is a singer, dancer, comedian, actress and classical guitar player. She is known for her flamboyant stage presence and provocative outfits.
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Date of birth
Charo was born in Murcia, Spain, but the exact date of her birth remains somewhat disputed.
Charo long maintained that her stated date of birth was incorrect due to a "clerical error". Official documents in Spain and the United States maintained she was born in 1941, but Charo argued she was actually younger. In 1977 she went to court, and was able to successfully convince the judge to rule that she was born in 1951. The legitimacy of this date is widely questioned, as she first married in 1966.
Biography
When Charo was quite young, she was discovered by famous musician Xavier Cugat, whom she later married on August 7, 1966; had she really been born in 1951 she would have been 15 when she married the 66 year-old Cugat.
The couple were the first to have their nuptials in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, although they later divorced in 1978.
In 1977, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
On August 11, 1978 she re-married, this time to her manager Kjell Rasten, in Lake Tahoe, California, United States. In the early 1980s, Charo had a son and decided to move to Hawaii, where she regularly performed at the Outrigger Hotel and waited on customers at her restaurant on the island of Kauai.
Charo waited for her son to grow up before returning to Los Angeles to get back into show business full time.
She has been named "Best Flamenco Guitarist" in Guitar Player Magazine's reader's poll. She now has a regular touring show in addition to appearances in Las Vegas shows regularly.
She also donates her talents to Jerry Lewis' annual MDA telethon. Her trademark phrase is Cuchi-Cuchi!.
Television career
Charo's first recurring television role was as a panelist on The Hollywood Squares from 1972 to 1978. She holds the record for celebrity guest appearances in the 1970s-1980s television sitcom The Love Boat. Charo also appeared as a regular on Chico and the Man after the untimely death of Freddie Prinze.
Most recently, Charo appeared on the VH1 reality show The Surreal Life with Jordan Knight, Dave Coulier, Ryan Starr, Flavor Flav, and Brigitte Nielsen. In one episode of the show, which is set in southern California, the cast members headed to Harrah's Rincon Casino near San Diego where Charo performed for them and a paying audience.
Discography
- "Cuchi-Cuchi" (1977)
- "Olé Olé" (1978)
- "Mamacita, ¿dónde está Santa Claus?" ("Mommy, Where's Santa Claus?", 1978, single)
- "Bailando con Charo" ("Dancing With Charo", 1981)
- "Guitar Passion" (1994)
- "Blame It On The Macarena" (1996)
- "Gusto" ("Pleasure", 1997)
- "Charo and Guitar" (2005)
Image:Charogp.jpg Her first four albums were made as a member of the Salsoul Orchestra.
Filmography
- Tiger by the Tail (1968)
- Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970) (documentary)
- The Concorde: Airport '79 (1979)
- Moon Over Parador (1988)
- Thumbelina (1994) (voice)
TV Work
- The Hollywood Squares (semi-regular panelist from 1972-1978)
- The Charo Show (1976) (unsold pilot for variety series)
- Chico and the Man (cast member from 1977-1978)
- The Surreal Life (cast member in 2004)