| Gaspar Henaine "Capulina" | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gaspar Henaine Pérez January 6, 1926 Chignahuapan, Puebla, Mexico |
| Died | September 30, 2011 (aged 85) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Other names | Capulina |
| Ethnicity | Lebanese Mexican |
| Spouse | María Elena Frías (m. 1949–2011) |
Gaspar Henaine Pérez (January 6, 1926 – September 30, 2011) was a Mexican comic actor and singer, who became famous when he partnered with Marco Antonio Campos as the comedy team Viruta y Capulina.[1] Together, they were very successful in film, television and theater. From then on, he was best known as Capulina.[2] Henaine is also nicknamed "The King of White Humor" because of his innocent, clean humor without obscene or inappropriate jokes.
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Capulina was born in Chignahuapan in the Sierra Norte de Puebla to a Lebanese father and a Mexican mother who were prosperous merchants. When Capulina was six years old, he and his family moved to Mexico City. In 1940 at age 14, Capulina began his acting career. He was a singer as a teenager, singing for "Los Excéntricos del Ritmo". Later, he formed part of "Los Trincas".
Capulina became famous across Latin America alongside his longtime professional partner, Marco Antonio "Viruta" Campos Contreras. In 1951 they started filming together, the two comedians made 26 movies. At first they started imitating the style in comedy of Laurel and Hardy, thanks to their physical resemblance to them, with time they developed their own characteristic comedy style. Many rumors surfaced when the two co-workers stopped making movies together; some suggested that Viruta felt underpaid, but Capulina attributed the separation to a feud between the two which had been caused by lack of movie jobs towards the end of their working relationship. Although he admitted to both he and Viruta feeling some animosity against each other during their last six movies together, Capulina also felt deep sorrow when Viruta died. A sufferer of three previous heart attacks, Viruta died after his fourth heart attack.
Capulina went on to make a total of 84 movies, 58 of them after separating from Viruta. He also has recorded 12 music albums. One of his most famous movies was 1972's El Santo Versus Capulina, where he co-starred with Mexican wrestling legend El Santo.
Capulina was also a theatrical actor and stand-up comedian. He toured with his act until 1997, when he retired, claiming that he was feeling too old to go on.
Henaine died of complications with pneumonia and a gastric ulcer on September 30, 2011.[3]