Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, writer and activist who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chongduring the 1970s and early 1980s with Tommy Chong and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez, on Nash Bridges. He has also voiced characters in several Disney films, including Oliver & Company, The Lion King, the Cars series, Coco and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
He portrayed Felix Gumm in Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.
Early life[]
Marin was born in Los Angeles, California, to Mexican American parents, Oscar Marin, a policeman in the LAPD, and his wife Elsa (Meza), a secretary.[1] Marin was born with a cleft lip, which was repaired. He speaks some Spanish and uses it in his movies, but he is not fluent.[2]
Marin's nickname "Cheech" is short for "chicharron", a fried pork skin that is a popular snack and an ingredient in Mexican cuisine.[3] In a 2017 NPR interview, Marin attributed the nickname to his uncle: "I came home from the hospital, I was like a couple days old or something, my uncle came over and he looked in the crib and he said [in Spanish], 'Ay, parece un chicharrón.' Looks like a little chicharrón, you know?"[4]
Marin graduated from Bishop Alemany High School and then studied at San Fernando Valley State College (now California State University, Northridge), where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. He dropped out before graduating. Marin auditioned to sing for Frank Zappa in 1967, but he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in September to dodge the draft during the Vietnam War.[5] Marin met his future comedic partner, Tommy Chong, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.[6]
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References[]
- ↑ https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/41254188.html?dids=41254188:41254188
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100825000328/http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#1098
- ↑ http://comedycouch.com/interviews/cmarin.htm
- ↑ https://www.npr.org/2017/03/13/519653517/cheech-marin-on-how-his-famed-comic-collaboration-was-like-chicano-ar
- ↑ Marin, Cheech (2009). Greasy Love Songs (Media notes). Frank Zappa. Zappa Records.
- ↑ http://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/local-arts/tommy-chong-talks-comedy-pot-politics-and-his-days-as-a-calgary-herald-paper-boy