| Luis Raúl | |
| Birth Name: | Luis Raúl Martínez Rodríguez |
| Birth Date: | 6 March 1962 |
| Birth Place: | Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Death Place: | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Medium: | Television, stand-up, film |
| Education: | Dr. Pila High School |
| Alma Mater: | Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (BA) Ofelia D'Acosta's School of Dramatic Arts |
| Active: | 1983–2014 |
| Parents: | Raúl Martínez Nilda Rodríguez |
| Notable Work: | ¿Que Es Lo Que Pasa Aquí? Ahh! En Casa de Luis Raúl Anda Pa'l Cará Que OJOnes |
Luis Raúl Martínez Rodríguez (March 6, 1962February 2, 2014), better known as Luis Raúl, was a Puerto Rican actor, comedian and television host.[1] [2] 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.
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,[3] he enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez to study chemical engineering.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6] 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.
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 Spanish; Castilian: "Chiquito Pero Juguetón" 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 Spanish; Castilian: "Chiquito Pero Juguetón: Da Muvi". After a brief hiatus, he returned in 2009 with another tour titled Spanish; Castilian: "La Cosa Está Peúla 3D". In 2010, he started a new tour called Spanish; Castilian: "Con Los Huevos a Peseta". He embarked on another stand-up comedy in 2011 called Spanish; Castilian: "Que Clase 'E Lengua". On March 5, 2012, he had a special program called Spanish; Castilian: "El Camino" on Telemundo, which he co-hosted with Maritza Baigés. His penultimate stand-up comedy was titled Spanish; Castilian: "A Cuero Pela'o" and ran from Autumn 2012 to Spring 2013.
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[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] [10] [11]
On January 13, 2014, Martínez was hospitalized after suffering bilateral pneumonia.[12] Two weeks later, his condition worsened and he was placed on a ventilator that provided artificial respiration.[13] 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.[14] [15] Several of his colleagues expressed their condolences shortly after the news was made public.[16] As per final wishes, Luis Raúl's family had his body directly cremated instead of holding a vigil.[17] 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.[18]
Aside from stand-up comedy, Luis Raúl also popularized six characters that he often portrayed on television and occasionally in his stand-ups:
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 1996 | Luis Raúl Está Que Pica | ||
| Todavía 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 |
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
| 1995 | The Perez Family | News photographer | [20] | |
| 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 | |
| 1988 | En 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 | |||
| 2008 | TV 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 | 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 | ||