Melwin Cedeño (born in Ponce) is a Puerto Rican actor, comedian, host, and dancer. Cedeño is better known for his comedic performance as

Chevy Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

Early years and studies

Melwin Cedeño was raised in

Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico Santa Isabel () is a Santa Isabel barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Coamo, Puerto Rico, Coamo; east of Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico, Juana Díaz; a ...

. His parents are Noel Cedeño and Lilina Irizarry. During childhood, he enjoyed making people laugh and admitted he was frequently "kicked out of school for making jokes in the classroom". Cedeño began to pursue

pre-med Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students mostly in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med ...

studies at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico) is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Docto ...

in Ponce. However, he dropped out, and moved to study

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

at the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras.

Career

While studying, Cedeño joined a local merengue orchestra called ''Los Nenes de Puerto Rico''. His partners in the orchestra later became members of the popular group

Límite 21 Limi-T 21 (sometimes spelled as Limi-T XXI) is a popular merengue group from Puerto Rico. The group was formed in 1990. The group consists of three members: Angel Ramiro Matos, Javier Bermúdez, and Elvin F. Torres Serrant. They released their f ...

. He also joined the university theatre group working in several plays like ''La Celestina'' and ''Bodas de Sangre''. Cedeño also debuted in television shows in

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

tic roles in

soap operas A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originated from radio dramas original ...

such as ''Alejandra'', ''Karina Montaner'', and ''Apartamento de Solteras'' . He achieved recognition for his dramatic role as a young

drug addict Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

in the

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

''Andrea''. At the end of the 1980s, Cedeño started working as a

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

in popular shows like ''Show del Mediodía'' and ''El Kiosko Budweiser''. It was during this time that his character of

was born. According to him, he had played a

Nuyorican Nuyorican is a portmanteau word blending "New York" (or "Nueva York" in Spanish) and "Puerto Rican," referring to Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, their culture, or their descendants (especially those raised or currently livin ...

character in the play ''Tres hombres y un bébe'', which prompted actress Yasmín Mejías to invite him to participate in one segment of a

Luisito Vigoreaux Luis Vigoreaux Lorenzana Jr. (born July 1, 1951) is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He is the son of Luis Vigoreaux, a Puerto Rican media personality and Rosaura Lorenzana Vilches. He is the brother of Roberto Vigoreaux, former senator, tel ...

show called ''Cafetería la 15''. "They were looking for a 'son' for the character of Georgina Borri ... Luis didn't want me to play 'Chevy', but one day he wasn't at work, I put on the glasses and the handkerchief... the place was about to fall down." The popularity of the character spawned a daily show titled ''

Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País ''Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País'' (in English, ''What The Country's Counting On'') was a popular Puerto Rican comedy sitcom that became a hit based on the popularity of its main character named ''Chevy'' (played by Melwin Cedeño). The show b ...

'', which debuted in 1991. It was broadcast by

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and produced by Hector Marcano. The show remained among the top shows in audience ratings for several years until its cancelation in 1993. After that, Cedeño hosted the comedy

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

''Alto Voltaje'', also produced by Marcano in

, but the show was canceled after just three months. After the end of the series, Cedeño decided to retire briefly from public life. He moved to the United States exploring offers from

and

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...

. Eventually, he returned to Puerto Rico and continued working in theater and with brief comedic appearances in shows like ''Eso Vale''. In the late 1990s, Cedeño made a film titled ''Chevy... Episodio I'', along with producer Gabriel Suau, marked the come-back of his popular character. As a result of the response to the film, Cedeño received an offer to host a new show for kids titled ''Pégate con Chevy''. The show debuted in 2000, and received the acknowledgment of Puerto Rican children's audiences. However, in 2002, the show was canceled despite its favorable reviews. Cedeño still works regularly in television and theatre, and his character of ''

'' remains popular among Puerto Ricans. He is currently a co-host in the show ''Pégate al Mediodía'', along with

Angelique Burgos Angelique Burgos (also known as La Burbu,(17 September 2009)Como toda una reina “La Burbu”, ''El Nuevo Día'', Retrieved December 3, 2010 born December 17, 1978) is a broadcaster and actress.(19 April 2010)La Burbu saca la cara por Larry Ayuso ...

, Jaime Mayol, and Natalia Rivera. Cedeño was initially brought in as a guest host but was made permanent when Mayol left to work on another show.

Personal life

Melwin is currently married to former model and actress Phaedra Michalzik. They have two children together: Xander and Ackerly. Melwin has an adult son, Melwin Ahmed, from a previous relationship.

References

External links

*
Biography
from Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular (an agency of the Puerto Rican Department of State) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cedeno, Melwin 1964 births Living people People from Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican male soap opera actors Puerto Rican male stage actors Puerto Rican male television actors 20th-century Puerto Rican male singers 20th-century Puerto Rican singers Puerto Rican comedians University of Puerto Rico alumni 21st-century American comedians

Early years and studies

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links