Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes

Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 - 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas, was a Mexican comedian, actor and filmmaker. He is considered to have been the most widely accomplished Mexican comedian and is well known throughout Latin America and Spain. His humor, loaded with Mexican linguistic features of intonation, vocabulary and syntax, gave rise to a range of expressions based on his stage name, such as cantinflear and cantinflada. He often portrayed impoverished farmers or peasants of pelado origin, and Charlie Chaplin once commented that he was the best comedian alive, earning him the title "the Charlie Chaplin of Mexico".

Born in the Santa María la Redonda neighborhood of Mexico City and raised in Tepito, Moreno was one of eight children of an impoverished mail carrier. He acquired the nickname "Cantinflas" while performing in travelling tents, and by 1930 was involved in Mexico City's carpa circuit. As a pioneer of the cinema of Mexico, he helped usher in its golden era. To audiences worldwide, he is best remembered for co-starring with David Niven in the Oscar-winning film Around the World in 80 Days, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Beyond film, Moreno became involved in Mexico's labor politics, serving as president of the actors' guild Asociación Nacional de Actores (ANDA) and as first secretary general of the filmworkers' union STPC. His reputation as a spokesperson for the working class became important in the early struggle against charrismo. He married Valentina Ivanova Zubareff in 1936 and remained with her until her death in 1966, and following his retirement devoted his life to charity, especially organizations helping children.