Luis Raúl

Luis Raúl Martínez Rodríguez (March 6, 1962February 2, 2014), better known as Luis Raúl, was a Puerto Rican actor, comedian and television host. He was known for his stand-up comedy and his various characters. He also hosted TeleOnce's talk and variety show Anda Pa'l Cará from 2001 to 2003 and Telemundo Puerto Rico's game show Pa' Que Te Lo Goces in 2006. He died early in the morning of February 2, 2014, from kidney failure which in turn led to cardiac and respiratory arrest.

Life and career Early years and education Luis Raúl was born in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico to Raúl Martínez and Nilda Rodríguez. As a young child, he showed interest in acting. During school, he would frequently participate in plays and shows. After graduating from Dr. Pila High School,Ponce desborda su cariño por Luis Raúl. Reinaldo Millán & Omar Alfonso. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 32. Issue 1577. Page 10. 19 February 2014. he enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez to study chemical engineering."Hacer reír es más difícil que hacer llorar". Geovanny Ábrego. 7 June 2012. CentroTampa.com Retrieved 21 February 2013. After two years, he transferred to Universidad del Sagrado Corazón and majored in business administration, taking electives in theatre. In 1980, he graduated from Ofelia D'Acosta's School of Dramatic Arts. Gladyra I. Archilla. El Sur a la Vista. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2013.

Early career: 1981–1997 In 1981, he moved to San Juan where he held several jobs to make ends meet. Among them, he worked by selling popcorn and hot dogs in two theaters. In the meantime, he studied at Ofelia D'Acosta's School of Dramatic Arts and started performing at weekly shows. In 1983, he debuted in the play Los Títeres de Cachiporra. In 1985, he had his first starring role in Un Mismo Corazón (One Heart), a play that dealt with the subject of AIDS, something that was taboo at the time.

At the same time, he started appearing in several local telenovelas and other TV shows. In 1987, he joined actor Edwin Pabellón in producing the radio show Algo Mejor. He also had sporadic appearances at the show En Serio con Silverio hosted by Silverio Pérez. After that, Perez recruited him for a new show called ¿Que Es Lo Que Pasa Aquí? Ahh!, a show dedicated to political and social satire. It was this show that established Luis Raúl as a comedic figure.

In 1992, Luis Raúl retired from the program with the intention of moving to Los Angeles and seek success there. In Los Angeles, he performed at several Hispanic commercials and shows, and also participated in various stand-up comedy and improvisation shows. However, he traveled to Puerto Rico constantly to perform his stand-up comedy show successfully around the island. In 1997, he also had his own show titled Pa' la Cama con Luis Raúl produced by Luisito Vigoreaux.

TV and stage return: 2000–2012 In 2000, he officially established himself back in Puerto Rico and started another show called En Casa de Luis Raúl in Televicentro. In 2001, he was hired by Univision to replace long-time friend Silverio Pérez as host of the popular late night show Anda Pa'l Cará upon Perez's departure; he hosted the show with Gricel Mamery until 2003.

In 2008, Luis Raúl kicked off a farewell tour called with the intention of retiring afterward. The tour was highly successful in Puerto Rico and one of the venues where the show was taped was released as a film in theatres in the island titled . After a brief hiatus, he returned in 2009 with another tour titled . In 2010, he started a new tour called . He embarked on another stand-up comedy in 2011 called . On March 5, 2012, he had a special program called on Telemundo, which he co-hosted with Maritza Baigés. His penultimate stand-up comedy was titled and ran from Autumn 2012 to Spring 2013.

Final show and posthumous film: 2013–2014 His final stand-up comedy show was a one night only performance titled "Que OJOnes" at Puerto Rico's renowned José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, where Luis Raúl became the first comedian to perform at the venue on September 14, 2013,Luis Raúl al Coliseo de Puerto Rico - El Nuevo Día.com and the first show to be broadcast live from the venue over the internet. This performance marked the final show he performed before his death.

One of Luis Raúl's final wishes as a stand-up comedian, was to use the footage recorded from "Que OJOnes" and turn it into a film. On March 23, 2014, the film plans were confirmed undergoing post-production at the time.Luis Raul - Facebook.com On May 5, 2014, the posthumous film was given a theatrical release for June 5, 2014, in Puerto Rico and select theaters in the United States at a later date, marking Luis Raúl's final film.¡Qué ojones! a punto de llegar al cine - El Nuevo Día.comEspectáculo “¡Qué ojones!” de Luis Raúl irá a la pantalla grande - Primera Hora.comSe cumple el sueño de Luis Raúl - Metro.PR

Death On January 13, 2014, Martínez was hospitalized after suffering bilateral pneumonia. Two weeks later, his condition worsened and he was placed on a ventilator that provided artificial respiration. However, aggravated by pre-existing conditions of diabetes and hypertension, his condition progressively worsened and his left lung was severely damaged. Consequently, he suffered from kidney failure, which in turn led to cardiac and respiratory arrest, dying early in the morning of February 2, 2014.Luis Raúl Martínez Dies of Pneumonia Several of his colleagues expressed their condolences shortly after the news was made public. As per final wishes, Luis Raúl's family had his body directly cremated instead of holding a vigil. Prior to falling ill, Martínez had filmed scenes in a supporting role for the Dominican film Un lío en dólares; his character was recast after his death.

Artificial intelligence revival On May 27, 2026, José "Pepe" Dueño, a long-time friend, collaborator and producer of Luis Raúl's stand-up shows, announced the "resurrection" of the comedian via artificial intelligence. The stand-up comedy production, titled Estoy Vivo Kbr*ne$!! (stylized to read ¡estoy vivo cabrones!, which is a literal translation of "I'm alive, fuckers!"), was staged August 7–9, 2026 at the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center, written by Silverio Pérez, also a long-time friend of Luis Raúl, featuring Pérez, Dueño, Tita Guerrero, Herbert Cruz, Giselle Ortiz and Gil René, who directed. The production was reported to have been in plans with Dueño's event production company over the course of three years and was approved and supported of the late comedian's family. A video announcement for the production, published through social accounts of Dueño's company, featuring an artificial intelligence-generated deepfake image, likeness and voice of Luis Raúl, was immediately met with high criticism and opposition through social media. Many have called out Dueño and those involved in the project out of respect of the late comedian.

The production is now scheduled to be staged at the Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas and the Complejo Ferial de Puerto Rico, in Luis Raúl's hometown of Ponce, in November 2026.

Characters Aside from stand-up comedy, Luis Raúl also popularized six characters that he often portrayed on television and occasionally in his stand-ups: Piquito: a naive kid with a speech impairment who makes a living selling barbecue chicken. Though Piquito tried selling other products, he always ended up back to selling barbecue chicken, where he was happy to be at. Tito Párpados: an Argentinian celebrity and media reporter with a flamboyant hairdo. El Bebé: a loving baby during the day but a perverted rascal at night. Malín: Luis Raúl's nuyorican cousin who constantly claims she performs "Off-off-off-off-Broadway... almost in Queens". Doña Mary Jane: an elderly pot-head woman; her name is a reference to one of the slang terms for marijuana. Junito Puppy Love: a flirting Don Juan who spends his time calling one of his many girlfriends and expressing his love with certain puns.

Stand-up shows Year Title Notes 1996 Luis Raúl Está Que PicaTodavía Me Queda Cuerito 1998 Tengo Arena Hasta En El Cuello Ensarta'o En La Vara 1999 El Encontronazo De Fin De Siglo With Silverio Pérez A Que Me La Hago En Navidad 2003 20 Años Y Sigue... Para'o Celebrating 20 years of his stand-up career 2004 Lo Tengo Largo y Me Gusta 2005 Lo Tengo Largo y Me Lo Voy a Cortar 2005 Me Pasaron Por La Piedra 2006 Sóplame Este Velón 2007 El Bello y La Bestia With Raymond Arrieta 2008 Chiquito Pero Juguetón 2009 La Cosa Está Pelúa 3D 2010 Con Los Huevos a Peseta 2011 Que Clase 'E Lengua 2012 A Cuero Pela'o 2013 Que OJOnes Celebrating 30 years of his stand-up career; final official show

Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1995 The Perez Family News photographer Luis Raul on the IMDb - imdb.com 2000 Café Mambo Gilberto Boys Life 3 Autograph seeker "Inside Out" segment 2006 East Side Story Salvador 2008 Chiquito Pero Juguetón: Da Muvi Himself and various Stand-up comedy film 2012 Broche de Oro Norberto 2013 200 Cartas Pedro Final acting role 2014 Que OJOnes Himself Posthumous stand-up comedy film; final film role Television Year Title Role Notes 1988En Serio con Silverio Various Few episodes 1989 ¿Que Es Lo Que Pasa Aquí? Ahh! Recurring appearances 1997 Pa' la Cama con Luis Raúl Himself Host; variety show and TV lead debut 2000 En Casa de Luis Raúl Host; variety show 2001–2005 Anda Pa'l Cará Host 2006 Pa' Que Te Lo Goces Vanished Gregorio Rey 2008TV Ilegal Himself Guest 2009–2013 Día a Día Guest co-host; various episodes 2012 El Reguero de Luis Raúl Variety show 2012–2013 Noche Ilegal Guest host; 2 episodes Theater Year Title Role Notes 1983 Los Títeres de Cachiporra 1985 Un Mismo Corazón First starring role 1986 El Patito Feo El Patito Feo

Luis Raúl

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