Arturo "Benito" Castro Hernández (5 June 1946 – 11 September 2023) was a Mexican musician, actor, and comedian. He was a member of

Los Hermanos Castro The Castro Brothers (Los Hermanos Castro) are a male singing quartet originated in Mexico City, Mexico in the mid-1950s. The original group: "Los Panchitos" The original group was formed in the mid-1940s and was called "Los Panchitos." The group w ...

(The Castro Brothers), a male singing quartet.

Early life

Castro was born to Arturo Castro and Rosa Hernandez de Castro. He has two sisters. His first cousin is

Gualberto Castro Gualberto Antonio Castro Levario (12 July 1934 – 27 June 2019) was a Mexican singer, actor and television presenter. Castro was best known for singing with Los Hermanos Castro (aka "The Brothers Castro"), for his portrayal of Tony in the 197 ...

, who was one of the original members of

. His third cousin is actress and singer Daniela Castro.

Los Hermanos Castro

As a teenager, Benito joined his cousin's musical group,

. The original group started in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

during the late 1950s with three brothers, Arturo, Javier, and Jorge Castro. A few years later, their first cousin,

entered the group. The group enjoyed a great deal of success throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. Benito joined the group while they were performing under a long-term contract in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. This made it possible for one of the Castros to take time off, when needed. Benito sang harmony and played guitar, but he also gave the group a new "zing" with his on-stage antics and comedy. His personality gave the group a new dimension. According to Benito, he "fell in love with a dancer in a show in Las Vegas," they married, and he became a "father at a young age." When Los Hermanos Castro returned to Mexico, Castro continued to play gigs with Los Hermanos Castro, but also formed a musical duo with Kiko Campos. "Benito and Kiko" played in nightclubs throughout Mexico, recorded albums, and still performed together in nightclubs and concerts when Benito was not performing with Los Hermanos Castro.

Television

Benito created the personality "Kin Kin from Acapulco" for the Mexican television show La Carabina de Ambrosio from 1979 to 1983. His comedy skits portraying a sun-tanned, raggedy cut-off jean, flip-flop-wearing beach bum in Acapulco were a take-off of

Bob Denver Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'' and Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television serie ...

's role on "Gilligan's Island." His ability to imitate and mimic others like Bob Denver, politicians, and singers opened the door for Benito to participate in another Mexican television show called "La Ensalada de Locos" (Crazy People Salad). Here, he outrageously imitated people in the public eye and poked fun at their peculiarities so much that the show was removed from television. Benito had a working relationship with the radio and television personality

Paco Stanley Francisco Jorge Stanley Albaitero (3 July 1942 – 7 June 1999), known by his stage name Paco Stanley, was a Mexican television entertainer who worked for Televisa and TV Azteca. He also participated directly, for a time, in political activ ...

and "how terrible it was for him to learn of the death of his friend." Later in the 1980s, Castro wrote the theme for the television series ''

Anabel Anabel is a feminine given name. It is the Spanish language, Spanish version of Annabel (disambiguation), Annabel. People Notable people with this given name include: * Anabel Alonso (born 1964), Spanish comedy actress * Anabel Conde (born 197 ...

,'' and continued to appear in other television series. He first teamed with

María Elena Saldaña María Elena Saldaña (; born 23 July 1963), also known as La Güereja, is a Mexican television actress whose career dates back to the mid-1980s. Saldaña, who has dwarfism due to an undetermined illness, has achieved fame over the years with her ...

on Paco Stanley's ''Andale!'' in 1993, creating the character "El Papiringo." His comedy skits portraying him as the father of Saldana's "La Güereja" character led to two television series, ''La Güereja y algo más'' and ''La Güereja de mi vida,'' which ended in 2001. Despite the death of Stanley and the departures of Saldana and

Anabel Ferreira Anabel Ferreira (born ''Anabel Ferreira Batiz''; 26 September 1962, in Aguascalientes) is a Mexican actress and comedian. Ferreira has been with Televisa from 1981 until 1996 and again since 2008. In between, she spent a decade at TV Azteca. Most ...

(Ferreira returned to Televisa in 2008), Castro continued to appear in other

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

-produced series.

Death

Benito Castro died from injuries sustained from falling down the stairs of his home on 11 September 2023, at the age of 77.

Credits in film, and television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Benito 1946 births 2023 deaths Male actors from Mexico City Mexican impressionists (entertainers) Mexican male entertainers Mexican male comedians Singers from Mexico City 20th-century Mexican male singers Accidental deaths from falls Comedians from Mexico City