Óscar Burgos

One of the greatest contemporary Mexican comedians, Burgos started at age eleven reciting poems on radio in Tampico, Tamaulipas,MX, where he's originally from, in 1970. His comedy is mainly aimed at adults, even though it was initially aimed at children. After a long and successful career as a businessman, cartoonist, newspaper columnist, DJ, TV and radio show host (during which he created "León Oscar," his first character), he was given the opportunity to write, direct and star in "Burundango y su Loca TV," which became the most popular children show in northern México, only after "Las Aventuritas de Pipo" (hosted and starred by the incredibly popular and influential actor José Marroquín Leal "Pipo"). His show was on the air for about 14 years. Later, he re-used those characters in a stand up and ventriloquy comedy show. He kept working on radio, TV, doing stand up comedy in different venues and even as a circus acrobat and host until in 2001 he had to undergo treatment for his alcohol and drug addictions after a suicide attempt. He's been clean ever since and has been working constantly, enjoying great success on TV and touring throughout México and the US as "El Perro Guarumo" with fellow comedian Luis Carlos Martínez "El Pato Vulka," and doing live shows with the likes of José Luis Zagar, Carlos Navarrete, Gary Show, Danny Guerra, Mike Salazar, and many others. He has also publicly shared his testimony as a rehabilitated addict in a series of conferences called "Angustia, Drogas y Alcohol," as well as the short film "Detrás de la Risa." He has helped launch the careers of many other comedians, including his ex-wife's Karla Panini, whom with Karla Luna were best known as their highly successful characters "Las Lavanderas," before an extremely painful break-up. Throughout his life, he has experienced tragedy in a number of ways but is known for his courage and strength of character to overcome them. He has divorced three times, experienced the loss of fellow host-comedians, including the legendary José Luis Cerda Meléndez "La Gata" at the hands of drug cartel hit men, and of Lalo "La Changa," due to chronic alcoholism. After a career which spans for over 40 years and in which he revolutionized Mexican comedy, he's barely gaining the much well-deserved international attention he deserves over the last few years.