Who Is Pedro Infante? Google Doodle Celebrates Legend's 100th Birthday

Google Doodle celebrated on Saturday the 100th birthday of Mexican singer and actor Pedro Infante.

Infante has been compared to other greats, like Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, and Elvis Presley. He is one of the most beloved artists in Mexico and Latin America.

The Mexican legend was born on Nov. 18, 1917, in Mazatlán and was raised in Guamúchil, Sinaloa. Infante worked as a carpenter, but learned skills from his father, who was a music teacher. He was part of his father’s band, “La Rabia,” while he was teenager. Infante was good with instruments, even creating his own guitar. However, his biggest feature was his voice, which can be recognized immediately.

Infante left carpentry and went off to be a actor and musician. During his 14-year career, Infante acted in 60 films and recorded 366 songs.

In 1943, he performed in the film "La Feria de las Flores," and also created his first musical record, "El Soldado Raso." He starred in movies during the Golden Era of Mexican cinema, including “Nosotros Los Pobres,” “Ustedes Los Ricos,” “A Toda Máquina,” “Escuela de Vagabundos,” “El Inocente” and “Pepe El Toro,” where he played as a boxer. The last film Infante starred in was “Tizoc” next to another Mexican legend, Maria Felix. He was posthumously awarded a Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival for "Tizoc."

Infante died in 1957 at the age of 39 in a plane crash in Mérida, Yucatán. The Mexican government declared a day of national mourning, and his death sparked numerous conspiracies from fans who couldn’t accept he had passed away.

Besides being a legend, Infante was also loved for his humble beginnings and for remaining down-to-earth after achieving success.

Infante had numerous nicknames: "El Rey de Rancheras” (the King of Rancheras), "El ídolo de Guamúchil” (the Idol of Guuamúchil) and "El Inmortal" (The Immortal).

“Today we celebrate what would have been the artist’s 100th birthday with scenes illustrating the vibrant parallels between his life and work — all beginning with a classic Infante pose,” Google said in a blog post.

Twitter Reacts To Pedro Infante Google Doodle

Users on social media, many of whom were born after Infante died, were excited to see his birthday celebrated by Google Doodle.

Infante’s Music

One song that many Latinos know (and probably hear every year) is “Las Mañanitas,” which is played during birthday celebrations. One of the YouTube clips for the song has more than 31 million views, while other videos of the same song also have millions of views.

Here are other clips on YouTube of Infante singing: