María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, professionally known by her

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Charo, is a Spanish-born actress, singer, comedian, and flamenco guitarist who rose to international prominence in the 1960s on American television, as well as starring in several films. Charo began playing classical (Spanish-style) guitar at the age of nine, training under the famed guitarist Andrés Segovia. In 1966, she married 66-year-old bandleader Xavier Cugat and moved to the United States with him. In the late 1960s and 1970s, she became a ubiquitous presence on

American television Television is one of the Mass media in the United States, major mass media outlets in the United States. In 2011, 96.7% of households owned television sets; about 114,200,000 American households owned at least one television set each in August ...

, frequently appearing as a guest star on series such as '' Laugh-In'', '' Fantasy Island'', '' The Love Boat'', and '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. She is known for her uninhibited and exuberant manner, high energy levels, vague age, heavy Spanish accent, and catchphrase "cuchi-cuchi". She frequently pokes fun at herself, while also pointing out the potential judgment of others, through her accent. As a musician, Charo has performed and recorded in various styles for five decades. She released a series of

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

recordings in the 1970s with Salsoul Records, most notably ''Dance a Little Bit Closer'' (1977). In 1995, her flamenco album ''Guitar Passion'' (1994) was awarded Female Pop Album of the Year at the ''Billboard'' International Latin Music Conference, and was named Best Female Latin Pop Album by '' Billboard'' Magazine.Ruíz, Vicki and Virginia Sánchez Korrol.
Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia
'. Indiana University Press (2006), p. 144. In an interview, Charo has said, "Around the world I am known as a great musician. But in America, I am known as the cuchi-cuchi girl. That's okay, because cuchi-cuchi has taken me all the way to the bank."

Early life

Charo was born in the city of Murcia,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Her birth date has been a matter of some dispute (see ' Birth year controversy' below). Her Spanish passport gives her name as María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza. Charo has claimed she was enrolled in a convent school until the age of 15, when a nun told her that she belonged in show business. In the most colorful version of her childhood, Charo's grandmother hired a music professor to give her weekly

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

lessons, and he became the first man to enter the convent. In a 2005 interview, she reminisced:

"The institution had great young teachers and students. Everything was a charity. Mr. Segovia, between concerts that's when he'd come, and if you'd been there a year and you weren't good, you'd go out and they would give your place to another young kid."

Charo has stated in several interviews that she graduated with honors at age 16.

Bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

Xavier Cugat "discovered" her while in Spain filming a television special in 1964. They wed on August 7, 1966. An April 1966 column by Earl Wilson on the couple's wedding plans announced:

"Sixty-year-old Xavier Cugat and his 20-year-old Spanish girlfriend and singing star Charo hope to marry in San Cugat, Spain, in a few days if Cugat can convince church authorities his two divorces should not be counted against him since he wasn't married in church."

They were the first couple to be wed at Caesars Palace 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 ...

. Charo later claimed that her marriage to Cugat was merely a business contract, a way for him to legally bring her to the United States."Fin del 'cuchi cuchi', principio del arte"
''La Opinión Digital'', February 17, 2005

Birth year controversy

Charo's year of birth is the subject of dispute. Her Spanish birth certificate and passport, as well as her American naturalization papers, give her birthdate as March 13, 1941. She later claimed she was born in 1947, then changed it to 1949. In 1977, she asserted in a court hearing that her passport and naturalization papers were incorrect and that her birthdate was January 15, 1951. Several newspaper articles around the time of her 1966 wedding to Cugat gave Charo's age as 17. Others referred to her as Cugat's "18-year-old protégée".Earl Wilson. "It happened last night" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', September 16, 1964, section 4, Ataahua's song An April 1966 column on the wedding plans stated that she was 20 and Cugat was 60.Earl Wilson. "It happened last night" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 18, 1966, page D18. Many sources identified her as 21 on the day of her wedding.Francis Raffetto. "Las Vegas Opens Caesar's Palace", ''After Dark'' column, ''The Dallas Morning News'', August 8, 1966, page A14Paul Steiner. "Jackie followed trend of May–December", ''The Dallas Morning News'', October 27, 1968, page E9 Later, when asserting her birthdate was 1951, she claimed her parents allowed her to falsify her age to appear older when marrying Cugat. However, that would have made her 15 at the time, contradicting her claim to have graduated from school at 16, not yet having begun her performing career. She has never clarified the discrepancy.John Beck. "Ageless persona: Vegas headliner Charo thrills fans at Sonoma County Fair: Cuchi-cuchi time at the fair", ''The Press Democrat'' (Santa Rosa, California), August 1, 2002, page B1. In October 1977, the same year in which Charo filed for divorce from Cugat and became a naturalized American citizen, judge Roger Foley in Las Vegas adjudicated the 1951 birth year to be official. Charo provided sworn affidavits from her parents,Larry Powell (column). "Exact age for Charo leaves plenty of wiggle room", ''The Dallas Morning News'', February 7, 1999, page 38A"Charo, Sister 'Younger'"
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', November 10, 1977. although the claim has been viewed with skepticism. Commenting on the disputes over her age, she has said that the public's disbelief could prove advantageous:

"But if people really believe I'm older, that's fine. Don't be surprised if I come out with my own cosmetics, a new energy bar, and maybe some vitamins."

Career

Charo was highly visible throughout the 1970s, appearing ten times on '' The Love Boat'', and on variety and talk shows such as '' Donny & Marie'',''Donny & Marie'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices", ''The Dallas Morning News'', February 27, 1976, pg. C7 (with George Gobel); December 3, 1976, pg. B11 (with

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...

); December 2, 1977, pg. A16 (with Milton Berle and the Sylvers) '' Tony Orlando and Dawn'',''Tony Orlando and Dawn'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices", ''The Dallas Morning News'', July 10, 1974, pg. C7 (with Lloyd Bridges); March 5, 1975, pg. D4 (with Tony Randall); January 28, 1976, pg. C9 (with Freddy Fender). '' The Captain and Tennille'',''The Captain and Tennille'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices", ''The Dallas Morning News'', March 7, 1977, pg. B7 (with John Byner,

Ben Vereen Benjamin Augustus Vereen (né Middleton; October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. He gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received ...

, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and LeVar Burton). '' The John Davidson Show'', ''

The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' is an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland in 1961 before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went i ...

'' (which she guest-hosted at least once)Rena Pederson (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', December 3, 1976, pg. B11; refers to Charo as "the dizzy Spanish sexpot-songstress". and the short-lived '' The Brady Bunch Variety Hour''. In 1975, ''Dallas Morning News'' critic Harry Bowman wrote that the ABC network had "penciled in . . . a half-hour comedy starring the uninhibited wife of Xavier Cugat" and commented, "This is probably the worst idea of the season."Harry Bowman. "New season guessing" ("Broadcast Beat" column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 22, 1975, pg. A12 By October of that year, Charo was promoting a TV special slated for November,Earl Wilson. "Hackett 'Teaching' Charo" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', October 13, 1975, pg. D5. but it did not actually appear until May 1976.Harry Bowman. ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 27, 1976, page C5UPI. "Charo special looms as family sizzler", ''The Dallas Morning News'', May 24, 1976, pg. B7. A television listing for August 24, 1976, shows what appears to be an unsold pilot airing on ABC at 8:30 p.m. CST: "''Charo and the Sergeant''—Situation comedy starring Charo Cugat. Charo's first U.S. job is to be a dancer at an off-limits nightclub, and her conservative Marine Corps husband finds out. The few episodes that were taped ended up being broadcast on the American

Armed Forces Network The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the United States Armed Forces provides to soldiers stationed or assigned overseas, and is headquartered at Fort Meade in Maryland. AFN comprises two sub ...

overseas." Writer Bruce Vilanch wrote about his work on ''Charo and the Sergeant'' in his 2025 memoir '' It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time''. By the late 1970s, Charo was being mentioned as an example of how overexposure could damage a celebrity. One such article quoted the " Q score" of Performer Q, Steve Levitt's celebrity popularity rating service, to show that her popularity declined slightly even as her familiarity increased: Charo black dress

She was named Best Flamenco Guitarist in '' Guitar Player Magazine''s readers' poll twice. Charo returned to the dance-music scene in June 2008 with the single "España Cañi", which was released through Universal Wave Records. On March 1, 2017, Charo was revealed a contestant for Season 24 of '' Dancing with the Stars'', paired with professional dancer Keo Motsepe. On April 3, 2017, they were the second couple eliminated from the competition and finished in 11th place.

Personal life

In 1977, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States. That year, she filed for divorce from Cugat, which was granted on April 14, 1978.Roger Piantadosi. "Personalities" (column), ''The Washington Post'', April 15, 1978, page C3. On August 11, 1978, she married her second husband, producer Kjell Rasten, in South Lake Tahoe, California. He soon became her manager. They had one child, son Shel Rasten (born 1981), who is the drummer for the heavy metal band Treazen. He is also an actor and producer, known for ''The Boulevard'' (2013), ''FAMOUS (and on the List)'' (2010) and '' CSI: Miami'' (2002). They moved to Hawaii, but eventually moved back to

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

.Corinthios, Aurelie; White, Chelsea (2019, February 19). "Charo's Husband Kjell Rasten Dies by Suicide: 'He Was an Amazing Man,' Star Says". ''People'', 19 February 2019. Retrieved on 2019-03-11 from https://people.com/tv/charo-husband-dies-suicide/ . Kjell Rasten died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

on February 18, 2019, at the age of 78. Charo publicly stated:

In recent years, his health began to decline and he developed a rare and horrible skin disease called bullous pemphigoid. He also became very depressed. That, along with the many medications he needed to take, became too much for him, and he ended his suffering.

Discography

Albums

* ''Cuchi-Cuchi'' (1977) (with the Salsoul Orchestra) * ''Olé Olé'' (1978) (with the Salsoul Orchestra) * ''Bailando con Charo'' (''Dancing with Charo'', 1981) (with the Salsoul Orchestra) * ''Guitar Passion'' (1994) * ''Gusto'' (''Pleasure'', 1997) * ''Charo and Guitar'' (2005)

Singles

* 1976: "La Salsa" * 1977: "Dance a Little Bit Closer" – US Dance No. 18; UK No. 44 * 1978: " Mamacita, ¿dónde está Santa Claus?" ("Mommy, Where's Santa Claus?") * 1978: "Olé Olé" – US Dance No. 36 * 1979: "Sha Na Na" * 1979: "Stay with Me" – US Dance No. 55 * 1979: "Hot Love" * 1981: "La Mojada (Wet Back)" * 2003: "Prisionera De Tu Amor" (with Seductive Souls) * 2008: " España Cañi" – US Dance No. 14 * 2011: "Sexy Sexy" – US Dance No. 24 * 2013: "Dance a Little Bit Closer" (Charo & the Salsoul Orchestra vs. the Cube Guys Remix)

Filmography

Television

* '' The Danny Kaye Show'' (October 6, 1965) * ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' (four episodes; 1965–67) * '' Ironside'' (one episode; S05E19 "Find a Victim", 1972) * '' The Carol Burnett Show'' * '' The Cher Show'' (May 14, 1975) * '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' * '' Rowan & Martin's Laugh In'' * '' Donny & Marie 1976 * '' The Hollywood Squares'' (semiregular panelist; 1972–78, 1986–89, 1998–2004) * ''The Charo Show'' (1976; unsold pilot for variety series) * '' Chico and the Man'' (cast member from 1977 to 1978) -- Aunt Charo * '' Sha Na Na'', Season 3 * '' The Love Boat'' (guest-starred in 10 episodes, 1977–84) -- April Lopez * '' Flying High'' (guest-starred in episode #9, 1978–1979) * '' Fantasy Island'' (guest-starred in four episodes, 1981–84) * '' The Facts of Life'' (guest appearance in 1985) * '' The Jeffersons '' (January 8, 1985) * '' The Tortellis '' (March 8, 1987) * '' Marblehead Manor'' (February 18, 1988) * '' Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special'' (guest star; 1988) * '' Mickey Mouse Works'' (special guest voiceover) * '' That '70s Show'' (special guest appearance: " Red Sees Red" in 2000) * '' The Brak Show'' (special guest star; 2001) * '' The Surreal Life'' (cast member; 2004) * '' So NoTORIous'' (Season 1, Episode 5 in 2006) * '' I Love the '70s: Volume 2'' (appearances in 2006) * '' Chappelle's Show'' (guest appearance in 2006) * ''

'' * '' Viva Hollywood!'' (new reality show on VH1; May 11, 2008) * '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' (special appearance April 17, 2008) * '' Chelsea Lately'' (special appearance; July 24, 2008) * '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' (special appearance; December 18, 2008) * ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

'' (special guest, " Absolut Drag Ball"; March 9, 2009) * '' The Suite Life on Deck'' (special appearance as Esteban's mother; 2010) * '' The Wendy Williams Show'' (Episode 363; aired October 5, 2010) * '' Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23'' (special appearance May 17, 2013) * '' Hell's Kitchen'' (dining-room guest; May 26, 2015) * '' Celebrity Wife Swap'' (aired June 17, 2015) * '' Jane the Virgin'' (special appearance March 28, 2016) * ''

'' (special appearance April 4, 2016) * '' Dancing with the Stars'' (contestant during Season 24, 2017) * ''

'' (special appearance March 13, 2020) * ''

'' (special appearance March 3, 2023: " 50/50's Most Gagworthy Stars") * '' Generation Gap'' (special appearance September 21, 2023)

Notes

References

External links

* * * * "Charo Baeza" episode of ''El Tiempo Vivido'' , first broadcast on 7RM in Murcia, Charo's home town
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Charo 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women Actors from Murcia Actresses from Beverly Hills, California Age controversies American dance musicians American television actresses American voice actresses American women comedians American women guitarists American women singers Flamenco guitarists Las Vegas shows Living people Naturalized citizens of the United States Singers from the Region of Murcia Spanish dance musicians Spanish emigrants to the United States Spanish television actresses Spanish voice actresses Spanish women comedians Spanish women singers Women classical guitarists Women in Latin music Year of birth missing (living people)