Xavier López

Xavier López

Born: February 17, 1935
Died: March 25, 2023
in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Xavier López Rodríguez (17 February, 1935 - 25 March, 2023), better known as Chabelo, was a Mexican-American actor, comedian and television host. He hosted a children's program entitled En familia con Chabelo, which aired for forty-eight years.

He studied medicine, which he practiced for four years in a private sanatorium where he was a partner. At the same time and while still studying, he missed classes in order to make frequent visits to the facilities of the building known as Televicentro, inaugurated in 1952, owned by the alliance of Mexican radio stations, Telesistema Mexicano, which would later become Televisa. There he met the producer, Luis de Llano Palmer, who offered him work as a production assistant, a job he accepted and opted to abandon his career in medicine. At the same place, he also worked as a cameraman and floor manager. This experience was what helped him make the decision to become an actor and later he began to study drama for four years. Later, he would begin to have brief appearances in television broadcasts called teleteatros (of which there is not much information), and in which he would participate as a substitute for actors who were late or absent. He got his nickname after telling a joke about a boy named Chabelo and would embody that boy as a character for most of his acting career.

He participated in 10 television programs, 34 movies and 4 soap operas, in addition to recording several albums as his character "Chabelo". In 2003 he was awarded a Diosa de Plata for his artistic career. In 2005 he received the Legend Award from the MTV Movie Awards Mexico. In 2006 he received the Gaviota International Award for his artistic career.

In June 2010, at the Lunas del Auditorio Awards, he received the special recognition Una Vida en el Escenario (A Life on Stage). During the last broadcast in 2012, he received a tribute for his two thousand three hundred programs of En familia con Chabelo. During that same broadcast, he was awarded two Guinness World Records: the first for the longest career as host of a children's program (forty-four years), and the second for the longest time representing a character, Chabelo (fifty-seven years), "the friend of all children".

On March 25, 2023, Chabelo passed away in Mexico City at the age of 88, due to a septic shock caused by an acute abdominal condition. The following day, his body was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.

Movies for Xavier López...

The Mongolian Conspiracy
Title: The Mongolian Conspiracy
Character: El Coronel
Released: April 18, 2019
Type: Movie
1963, the Soviet Union intercepts a rumour that China pretends to assassinate the president of the US in his visit to Mexico. Filiberto Garcia, a local policeman, has 72 hours to investigate the Mongolian Conspiracy.
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The Crime of Cacaro Gumaro
Title: The Crime of Cacaro Gumaro
Character: Mecha-Chabelo
Released: March 15, 2014
Type: Movie
After their fathers death, two brothers dispute the inheritance: the local movie theater known as Linterna Mújica. Their dispute may or not bring the town to its apocalypse, but it will for sure turn it upside-down.
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Flying low
Title: Flying low
Character: Bruno Sánchez Félix
Released: November 15, 2013
Type: Movie
Chuyín Venegas and Cornelio Barraza were the biggest stars of popular music and cinema of the 80's. "The Goldfinches of Rosarito" had no equal as musical superstars, but after ten years of success, they parted ways. Now held in a mansion in Paris, Chuyín is launching a new album and international tour. But the ghosts of the past and the loneliness will make him change his solo plans and return to the seaside village where he and Cornelius met as children, to live the last musical adventureof "The Goldfinches of Rosarito".
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Misión W2M
Title: Misión W2M
Released: November 1, 2013
Type: Movie
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Cartas a Elena
Title: Cartas a Elena
Character: Don Jacinto
Released: June 8, 2012
Type: Movie
In the beautiful hills of the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico, a young boy (Emilio) is adopted by the mailman (Teo). As part of their daily tasks, they not only deliver the mail but read letters to the villagers, as well as take dictation, since most are illiterate. Young Emilio quickly learns to read and write but feels saddened by the mostly difficult stories sent by relatives, that moved north to Denver, Colorado in pursuit of a better future. One day Teo becomes disabled and Emilio takes over the mail route and with great imagination, he changes the letters to happy and optimistic stories. Within days, the village is transformed. The elders, once hopeless, lonely and sad, are now happy and enthusiastic, enjoying the "supposed" success their loved ones write from the United States. But the enjoyment is short lived, as they realize that all the wonderful stories are the same...
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Amar
Title: Amar
Character: Benito
Released: February 27, 2009
Type: Movie
Five stories blend with love, sex, the emptiness of being unloved, passion and desire: Carlos and Susana go to some uncle´s apartment to make love. Meanwhile, Benito, an 80-year-old, performs a serenade to his wife. His neighbor Adela is told that her mother has Alzheimer and that she will be relocated since the Buenos Aires building she lives in will be demolished. Amado catches his son Carlos stealing his money. Gabriel asks Martha´s parents for her hand in marriage but they condition them to get married at their favorite church. And Patricia, 40, a creative agent, sexually abuses Joel, who directs a beer commercial.
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Club eutanasia
Title: Club eutanasia
Character: Mauro
Released: April 22, 2005
Type: Movie
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Title: Conversando con Cristina Pacheco
Character: Self
Released: September 26, 1997
Type: TV
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La Chilindrina en apuros
Title: La Chilindrina en apuros
Character: Chabelo
Released: April 29, 1994
Type: Movie
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Mi fantasma y yo
Title: Mi fantasma y yo
Released: October 27, 1988
Type: Movie
A family of three moves to a haunted house. The couple's 10-year-old son runs into the ghost of the house but isn't scared. He tells the ghost that since his father is a writer of horror novels he lost fear of horror stories. The ghost then confides in the boy that he is a lonely ghost on account of the modern world focused on so many material priorities. Child and ghost become best friends, playing together, telling stories and helping the ghost pay his rent by scaring people every month.
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Dos machos que ladran no muerden
Title: Dos machos que ladran no muerden
Released: September 8, 1988
Type: Movie
Constancio has to leave his wife and son because they're making him crazy. He leaves his fortune behind and falls in love with another woman.
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La tumba de Matías
Title: La tumba de Matías
Released: May 14, 1988
Type: Movie
Gambler with a heart condition races the clock to get his mausoleum finished. His wife and her lover wait on the sidelines.
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Agente 0013: Hermelinda linda II
Title: Agente 0013: Hermelinda linda II
Character: Bebé
Released: January 1, 1986
Type: Movie
A sophisticated device falls into Hermelinda's hands and when the Soviets and Arabs try to retrieve it, an international witchcraft war breaks out.
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Los pepenadores de aca
Title: Los pepenadores de aca
Released: July 3, 1985
Type: Movie
Street-vendor believes he's wanted for a murder he didn't commit, so he hides among the "gleaners" at the city dump.
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Macho que ladra no muerde
Title: Macho que ladra no muerde
Released: January 1, 1984
Type: Movie
An old man punishes his son for not having children, so he tells him his inheritance will go to someone else if he doesn't have a child in a year.
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Title: La Carabina de Ambrosio
Released: January 1, 1978
Type: TV
La Carabina de Ambrosio was a variety television program broadcast between 1978 and 1987 presented as a Comic-Magical-Musical Show. It was produced by Humberto Navarro. It was hosted by figures such as Gualberto Castro, César Costa, Fito Girón and Manolo Muñoz. Some of the sketches of the broadcast were Guillo and the altar boy (Chabelo and the host in turn), La escuelita (Gualberto Castro, La pájara Peggy, Guillo, el Vulgarcito), the ventriloquist and Pujitos (César Costa and Chabelo), La Palabra Canta (Alejandro Suárez) and Mercado de Lágrimas (parody of Valle de Lágrimas and soap operas of the time) and parodies of the musical hits of the moment.
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Chabelo y Pepito detectives
Title: Chabelo y Pepito detectives
Character: Chabelo
Released: February 14, 1974
Type: Movie
A commanding friend Pepito and Chabelo ask them to help uncover a gang who kidnaps children. They accept and are out to steal to join the band. Whenthey find that the band mesmerizes children with toys and then the kids are controlled by young boys and they controlled in turn by strangers with long hair and blue eyes.
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Chabelo and Pepito vs. the Monsters
Title: Chabelo and Pepito vs. the Monsters
Character: Chabelo
Released: August 2, 1973
Type: Movie
An ordinary day's hike gets rough when two youngsters escape from the main group into the woods and, after finding a grotto, discover that there is more to it than just darkness.
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Pepito y la lámpara maravillosa
Title: Pepito y la lámpara maravillosa
Released: June 22, 1972
Type: Movie
Pepito The child misbehaves because his stepfather is scolding. Buy a sauceboat but when his cat rubs it a genie appears. The child understands that it is the magic lamp and asked all sorts of goodies and the solution of their tasks, but when he needs money stepfather tells of genius. The stepfather asked to topple his partner's plane. Pepito refuses and flees with the lamp and throws it into a river to avoid falling into its power. The stepfather drowns while trying to rescue him.
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La criada bien criada
Title: La criada bien criada
Released: February 2, 1972
Type: Movie
Saucy-but-naive country girl moves to the big city to look for work.
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Bang bang al hoyo
Title: Bang bang al hoyo
Released: September 30, 1971
Type: Movie
Parody western about a poofy gunslinger and his brothers.
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El aviso inoportuno
Title: El aviso inoportuno
Released: May 17, 1969
Type: Movie
The farce starring Polivoces , creative Mexican comedians duo formed by Enrique Cuenca and Eduardo Manzano, in the roles of characters and Gordolfo Naborita respectively. When the child Gordolfo question the identity of his father, devoted Naborita recounts the story of his family in five innings , located in the contexts of the Stone Age , the Roman Empire , incursions of English pirates in the Caribbean , West American and the space race of the years after World War II .
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La princesa hippie
Title: La princesa hippie
Released: May 14, 1969
Type: Movie
Twins separated at birth; one grows up to inherit the crown of San Marciano, and the other works in a pawnshop in Mexico City.
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Autopsy of a Ghost
Title: Autopsy of a Ghost
Released: November 7, 1968
Type: Movie
Satan offers a weary ghost a chance for redemption through true love.
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Los dos rivales
Title: Los dos rivales
Character: Javier Gobardilla (as Javier López 'Chabelo')
Released: December 22, 1966
Type: Movie
Ranchera comedy -- the hero thinks his girlfriend has another suitor... but the suitor is really she herself in man-drag.
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Los reyes del volante
Title: Los reyes del volante
Character: Chabelo
Released: November 25, 1965
Type: Movie
Comedy film starring Viruta and Capulina.
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Escuela para solteras
Title: Escuela para solteras
Character: Photographer
Released: March 25, 1965
Type: Movie
All-star ranchera fest, rom-com style. Four charros, four eligible young ladies.
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¡Buenas noches, año nuevo!
Title: ¡Buenas noches, año nuevo!
Character: Bailarín
Released: December 17, 1964
Type: Movie
Backstage comedy; singer-dancer and her songwriter husband pretend to have an open relationship, because it makes them look smart and modern.
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El Extra
Title: El Extra
Character: Panchito
Released: October 4, 1962
Type: Movie
Cantinflas is a man who hangs around the studios and helps anyone who needs his advice while at the same time envisioning his own versions of how certain scenes should be shot. Both angles provide ample opportunities for very witty, subtle barbs at the foibles of the industry.
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Vuelve Chistelandia
Title: Vuelve Chistelandia
Released: October 30, 1958
Type: Movie
Collection of comedy sketches and blackout gags edited into feature-length movie. Laugh-In style.
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Nueva Chistelandia
Title: Nueva Chistelandia
Released: October 28, 1958
Type: Movie
Sketch comedy and blackout gags -- format like Laugh-In. Number two in a series.
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Chistelandia
Title: Chistelandia
Released: October 26, 1958
Type: Movie
Short-attention-span sketch comedy and black-out gags, assembled into a movie. Structured like TV show "Laugh-In". First of three in series.
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Trip to the Moon
Title: Trip to the Moon
Character: Babyface
Released: April 2, 1958
Type: Movie
In this movie a couple of comedians try to disappear for a while and end up in an asylum, where confused as the mad, and try to escape, but one of them falls in love and that complicates things.
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Title: Cero en Conducta (1999)
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: TV
Jorgito is a rebellious and insolent student who doesn't mince words when it comes to making fun of his teachers. Maestra Canuta and Director Rigoberto Patiño are the butt of all his jokes and they do not hesitate to give him severe punishments when they realize that Jorgito's sharp tongue is attacking them. This comedy program shows a group of irreverent students who, through their jokes, make fun of the current political and social situation in Mexico. Nobody is saved from the ridicule and the occurrences of these kids who, behind their harmless appearance, hide sharp criticism and double meaning jokes.