Roberto Tello (born 27 January 1969 in

Mexico City, Mexico 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 ...

) is a Mexican actor, comedian and director. He is best known for his characterization of "El Coreano" ("The Korean one"), a character that he usually plays alongside Carlos Miguel Suarez, who plays "El Coreano"'s best friend, "Poncho". The pair has acted as "Poncho" and "Coreano" in such

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 ...

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 ...

s as ''Volver a Empezar'' and ''Tú y Yo''.

Early life

Tello was born in Mexico City. As a young man, he studied acting at Televisa's CEA.

Acting career

Tello featured in telenovelas such as ''

Mi pequeña Soledad ''Mi pequeña Soledad'' (''My little Soledad'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Verónica Castro for Televisa in 1990. Verónica Castro starred as protagonist, while Rosa María Bianchi, Salvador Pineda, July Furlong and Roberto Balleste ...

'' ("Little Soledad"), ''

Muchachitas ''Muchachitas'' (English title: ''Girls'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Emilio Larrosa for Televisa in 1991. The telenovela was also shown on Univisión in the early 1990s. It stars Alejandro Camacho, Cecilia Tijerina, Tiaré Scanda, ...

'' ("Young Girls") and '' Magica Juventud'' ("Magic Youth"), before landing the role that made him famous, as "El Coreano", in ''Volver a Empezar'' ("Starting Again"), in 1994. ''Volver a Empezar'' was a major hit in Mexico and internationally, giving Tello fame in other places, such as the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. Tello then acted in ''

El premio mayor ''El premio mayor'', is a Mexican telenovela produced by Emilio Larrosa and written by Verónica Suárez and Alejandro Pohlenz. Carlos Bonavides, Laura León, Sasha Sokol and Sergio Goyri star as the main protagonists, while Claudio Báez, L ...

'', ("The Big Price"), which was another major hit in Mexico, the United States and the rest of Latin America. His other credits include ''

Dos Mujeres, un Camino ''Dos mujeres, un camino'' (English title: ''Two women, one path'') is a Mexican neo-noir telenovela produced by Emilio Larrosa for Televisa in 1993–1994. This production was exhibited in 47 countries, including Indonesia, had high viewer rating ...

'' ("Two Women, One Way"), ''Tú y Yo'', ''

La Piloto ''La Piloto'' is a Spanish-language crime 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, radi ...

'' ("The Pilot") and '' La Piloto 2''. In 2018, he was recognized by the Asociacion Nacional de Actores for his by-then 25-year career as an actor. He played "Romuanldo Brayan Donovan" in the television comedy, '' Una Familia de 10'' ("A Family of 10"). The actor has caused some controversy in Mexico for his theatrical run in which he plays a woman named "Queta Manon? (a name which in Spanish sounds like "how huge!"), a chubby lady.

''Hotel VIP''

Tello participated in a television reality show named '' Hotel VIP'', There was an incident in which he tried to help actress Manola DIez keep her balance during a competition and she responded by slapping him on the face. Diez complained to actor and show host

Roberto Palazuelos Roberto Palazuelos Badeaux (born January 31, 1967), better known as Roberto Palazuelos () or ('The Black Diamond'), is a Mexican actor, model, and producer best known for his work in Mexican telenovelas. Early life Roberto Palazuelos was bo ...

about Tello's behavior towards her. Diez and Tello had some tense moments during the show, leading to the incident. Tello quit on September 5, 2023, and Diez was eventually eliminated out of the show on November 15 of the same year.

Personal life

He is married to Gabriela Renata Cuevas. He has two children, including a daughter whom he was falsely accused of kidnapping in 2019. Tello has shared friendships with several co-workers in real life, including Monica Dossetti and Carlos Miguel Suarez, both of whom acted alongside him in ''Volver a Empezar''. He is seen frequently visiting Suarez at Suarez's taco stand.

Health issues

On June 2020, Tello suffered a car accident when he was driving towards Mexico City on the Toluca to Mexico City highway. He and his passenger were taken to a hospital for observation and tests but were reportedly uninjured. During 2022, Tello had a

gastric bypass surgery Gastric bypass surgery refers to a technique in which the stomach is divided into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower "remnant" pouch, where the small intestine is rearranged to connect to both. Surgeons have developed several differen ...

performed, in order to lose some weight.

References