Marco Antonio Campos

Marco Antonio Campos was a Mexican comedian, actor, and singer best known as Viruta in the double act Viruta y Capulina with Gaspar Henaine. He was born in Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution and inherited his musical talent from his mother, who played piano and guitar and also had a beautiful voice. He began his career as an entertainer at the age of 18, working as a bar singer and joining various musical groups. He found his stage name when he expressed his desire to become a great dancer like Adalberto Martínez but his friends said he looked more like a woodchip (viruta) than a coil spring (resortes, Martínez's nickname). In the early 1950s, he started a singing duo with a performer named Chamula. He met Gaspar Henaine, who was also a singer and comedian, and they formed a friendship that led to their collaboration as Viruta and Capulina. They achieved success and enduring popularity in the mid-1950s with their movies, TV shows, radio programs, and stage appearances. They were known for their slapstick humor and musical talent, and they often played characters who were poor but honest and good-hearted. They worked together in 95 comedy films and one television series until they separated over work issues in 1969. Campos then began a short-lived solo career as a supporting actor before retiring from show business. He died in 1996 from an aortic aneurysm. He is remembered as one of the most beloved comedians in Mexican cinema history.