El Santo

El Santo

1917-09-23 – 1984-02-05 (age 66) Tulancingo, Hidalgo, México
View on IMDb ↗

Biography

Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta debuted in the ring in 1934, but his legend began to be woven on July 26, 1942 in the legendary Arena México. That night the robust fighter - who over the years made a career under the names Hombre Rojo, Enmascarado, Murciélago II and Demonio Negro, among others - debuted a brand new personality under a shiny silver mask. El Santo, the Silver Masked Man, was born.

The legend of El Santo was never the product of chance. His tenacity and versatility in the ring earned him the respect of his opponents and the admiration of the respectable public that night after night filled the coliseums where the Silver Masked Man gave an account of his fearsome rivals. He was rough and technical but, above all, he was an honest fighter who did not have to resort to tricks or scandals to increase his well-deserved fame.

From the ring to the screen, the route that El Santo followed to become an idol of Mexican cinema led him first to the world of comics. Thanks to the inventiveness of the cartoonist and editor José Guadalupe Cruz, Santo was the first fantastic character in popular Mexican literature and one of the most beloved, along with the legendary Kalimán.

The Silver Masked Man made his film debut in 1952. In that year, the popularity of wrestling in Mexico was increasing thanks to the broadcasts of this sport-spectacle on television. At the same time, the comics starring Santo, the Silver Masked Man - printed on that unforgettable sepia-colored paper - invaded magazine stands throughout the country and sold thousands of copies every week. A few years later, the circulation of Santo's adventures would reach more than a million weekly magazines.

Photos

Known For

Suicide Mission
Suicide Mission

1973

as Santo

The Vampire and Sex
The Vampire and Sex

1969

as El Santo

Anonymous Death Threat
The Man Behind the Mask
The Man Behind the Mask

2013

as Self (archive footage)

Santo in the Treasure of Dracula
Santo in the Treasure of Dracula

1969

as Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata

Santo vs. Infernal Men
Santo vs. Infernal Men

1961

as Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata

Baron Brakola
Baron Brakola

1967

as Santo

Santo in the Wax Museum
Santo in the Wax Museum

1963

as Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata

The World of the Dead
Santo vs. the Vampire Women
Santo vs. the Vampire Women

1962

as Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata

The Fury of the Karate Experts
The Fury of the Karate Experts

1982

as Santo El Enmascarado de Plata

Mystery in the Bermuda Triangle
Mystery in the Bermuda Triangle

1979

as Santo (as Santo El Enmascarado de Plata)

Operation 67
Operation 67

1967

as Santo

Santo vs. the Riders of Terror
The Fist of Death
The Fist of Death

1982

as Santo

Santo in the Hotel of Death
Santo in the Hotel of Death

1963

as Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata

Tales of Masked Men
Tales of Masked Men

2012

as Self (archive footage)