Federico Arturo Guízar Tolentino (; 8 April 1908 – 24 December 1999), known professionally as Tito Guízar, was a Mexican singer and actor. Along with Dolores del Río, Ramón Novarro and Lupe Vélez, as well as José Mojica, Guízar was among the few Mexicans who made history in the early years of Hollywood.
Career In a career that spanned over seven decades, Guízar trained early as an opera singer and traveled to New York City in 1929 to record the songs of Agustín Lara.
In addition, Guízar performed both operatic and Mexican popular songs at Carnegie Hall, but he succeeded with his arrangements of popular Mexican and Spanish melodies such as Cielito Lindo, La Cucaracha (The Cockroach), Granada, and You Belong to My Heart (English version of Solamente una Vez). In 1936, his song "Allá en el Rancho Grande" ("There on the Big Ranch") launched the singing charro in Mexico after appearing in the film of the same name, succeeding as well in the United States.
Guízar made numerous television appearances, toured in most of Latin American countries, recorded a significant number of songs, and had his own radio show in Los Angeles, Tito Guízar y su Guitarra (Tito Guízar and his Guitar).
Films
He also appeared in dozens of films, including The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938), Tropic Holiday (1938), St. Louis Blues (1939), The Llano Kid (1939), Brazil (1944), and The Gay Ranchero (1948), playing with such stars as Evelyn Keyes, Dorothy Lamour, Ray Milland, Ann Miller, Martha Raye, Roy Rogers, Mae West and Keenan Wynn. In the 1990s, he continued starring in series in Mexican television.
Death Guizar died of respiratory failure (of natural causes) on December 24, 1999, in San Antonio, Texas. He was survived by his three children, Nina, Lillya, and Tito Jr.
Partial filmography
Under the Pampas Moon (1935) - Café Singer Allá en el Rancho Grande (There on the Big Ranch) (1936) - José Francisco Ruelas Poppy of the Road (1937) - Antonio Rosales The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) - Specialty Tropic Holiday (1938) - Ramón Mis Dos Amores (My Two Loves) (1938) - Julio Bertolin El trovador de la radio (1938) - Mario del Valle St. Louis Blues (1939) - Rafael San Ramos Bachelor Father (1939) - Carlos del Rio The Llano Kid (1939) - Enrique Ibarra aka The Llano Kid El rancho del pinar (1939) - Alberto Galindo Allá en el Trópico (Back in the Tropics) (1940) - José Juan García De México llegó el amor (1940) - Tito Blondie Goes Latin (1941) - Manuel Rodríguez Beautiful Michoacán (1943) - Ernesto Amores de ayer (1944) - Tito Brazil (1944) - Miguel Soares Adiós, Mariquita linda (1944) Marina (1945) - Jorge 'Como México no hay dos'! (1945) Mexicana (1945) - 'Pepe' Villarreal The Thrill of Brazil (1946) - Himself On the Old Spanish Trail (1947) - Rico - aka The Gypsy The Gay Ranchero (1948) - Nicci Lopez El Gallero (1948) - Gabriel En los Altos de Jalisco (In the Highlands of Jalisco) (1948) - Juan Chávez Ahí viene Vidal Tenorio (1949) De Tequila, su mezcal (1950) - Tito Sindicato de telemirones (1954) - Luis Manrique De ranchero a empresario (1954) - Tito El plagiario (1955) The Sin of Being a Woman (1955) - Javier Morales Los hijos de Rancho Grande (1956) - José Francisco Locura musical (1958) - Himself Music and Money (1958) Música en la noche (1958) The Time and the Touch (1962) - Max Allá en el rancho de las flores (1983) Reclusorio (1997) - Tito Iriarte (segment "Eutanasia o asesinato") Marimar (1994) - Papa Panco Maria la del Barrio (1995) - Father Honorio La Usurpadora (1998) - Don Panchito
References
External links
Tito Guizar singing with the actress Alma Rosa Aguirre in the film El Pecado de Ser Mujer (The Sin of Being a Woman) on archive.org Tito Guizar singing with orchestra on record albums archived on archive.org Tito Guizar recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.