The Spanish born entertainer Charo turns 74
She became one of the biggest names in the American entertainment during the 1970’s
The Spanish born entertainer Charo turns 74
Charo was born Maria Rosario Pilar Martinez Molina Baeza on January 15, 1951, in Murcia, Spain. Known for her long blonde hair, sexy clothes and trademark phrase, “Cuchi-cuchi,” Charo first made a big impression on American audiences in the 1970’s. She started out, however, as a serious musician. As a child, she studied classical guitar and was mentored by one of that field’s great performers, Andres Segovia. As a teenager, Charo was discovered by Latin bandleader and ‘Rumba King,’ Xavier Cugat, and soon joined his orchestra as a singer and dancer. Despite a more than 40-year age difference, Charo and Cugat wed in 1966. Charo appeared both with Cugat and alone on The Ed Sullivan Show several times in the late 1960’s. In Las Vegas, she initially performed with her husband and later developed her own popular nightclub act. She made her film debut in “Tiger by the Tail” (1968) with Tippi Hedren. By the early 1970’s, she had begun to break out on her own and continued to make guest appearances on such shows as Rowan & Martin’s “Laugh-In,” “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Hollywood Squares.” Charo was also a regular guest on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”. In 2017, Charo made a television comeback, appearing on the 24th season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
By Ken Warren
Look back at Charo performing the classic “Malaguena” in 1977
Watch some recent performances of Charo on the TV show “Dancing with the Stars”
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