Germán Valdés

Germán Genaro Cipriano Teodoro Gómez Valdés y Castillo (19 September 1915 – 29 June 1973), known professionally as Tin-Tan, was a Mexican actor, singer and comedian who was born in Mexico City but was raised and began his career in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. He often displayed the pachuco dress and employed pachuco slang in many of his movies, some with his brothers Manuel "El Loco" Valdés and Ramón Valdés. He made the language of the border Mexican, known in Spanish as fronterizos pachucos, famous in Mexico. A "caló" based in Spanglish, it was a mixture of Spanish and English in speech based on that of Mexicans on the Mexican side of the border, specifically Ciudad Juarez.

Origin of name
Tin-Tan began his career by calling himself Topillo (slang for the trickster), which a friend of his stated sounded too vulgar and uncouth for a comedian. He suggested instead the nickname "Tin-Tan" (based on the sound of bells ringing), which Valdés originally disliked but grew to like and use professionally for his whole career.

Career
Valdés's film career came as a complete surprise to everyone. He used to work as a sweeper for the XEJ station in Ciudad Juarez when he decided to try to mimic the radio announcers for fun. Unbeknownst to him, the actual announcer had left the microphone on. His quick wit and funny personality garnered him acclaim and he was quickly promoted to the main radio announcer himself. It was under these circumstances that legendary ventriloquist Paco Miller contacted him to act in films, and his career began.

He usually acted alongside his "carnal" (blood brother), Marcelo Chávez, who also accompanied Tin-Tan with a guitar. He was a prominent figure during his golden years in film, from 1949 onward. His 1948 film, Calabacitas tiernas, a comedy, was chosen as one of the best in Mexican cinema.

Valdés boasted of his record of "having kissed the most actresses" in his career, some of them considered the beauties of their day. His co-stars were Marga López, Rosita Quintana, Silvia Pinal, Amalia Aguilar, Meche Barba, Ana Bertha Lepe, María Antonieta Pons, Tongolele and many more. He also collaborated closely with actress and comedian Fannie Kauffman, who was also known as Vitola, during their careers.

He was also one of several people who were originally intended to be on the front cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but declined the invitation. He requested that Ringo swap him for a Mexican tree known as "El Árbol de la Vida", the Tree of Life, which he did.

He was the voice of Baloo the bear and Thomas O'Malley the cat in the Mexican Spanish dubbing of the Disney films The Jungle Book and The Aristocats; both roles were originally voiced by Phil Harris.

Valdés was the subject of the 2005 documentary, Ni Muy Muy... Ni Tan Tan... Simplemente Tin Tán, by Manuel Márquez and Carlos Valdés, son of the comedian.

Death
Valdés became ill with hepatitis, which degenerated into cancer. He then fell into a hepatic coma and died on 29 June 1973 (at age 57).

When he died he did not leave a fortune, just a testament to his wife Rosalía and his children Rosalía and Carlos.

He left behind a legacy of over a hundred films, 11 records, and two short films. The only recognition he received was the Virginia Fábregas Medal, a medal given for 25 years' professional service by the Association of Actors of Mexico.

Legacy
On 19 September 2019, the 104th anniversary of his birth, Tin-Tan was honored with a Google Doodle that reached Central America, Iceland, Italy and Sweden.

Selected filmography

 * El que la traga, la paga (1943)
 * Summer Hotel (1944)
 * The Disobedient Son (1945) as Germán Rico / Tin Tan
 * Song of Mexico (1945) as Tin Tan (uncredited)
 * The Noiseless Dead (1946)
 * Music Inside (1947) as Tin Tán / Hortensia
 * The Lost Child (1947) as Agustín peón Torre y Rey; Tincito
 * Music, Poetry and Madness (1948) as Tin Tan
 * Tender Pumpkins (1949) as Tin tan
 * Rough But Respectable (1949) as Tin Tan
 * No me defiendas, compadre (1949) as Tin Tan
 * El rey del barrio (1950) as Tin Tan
 * The Mark of the Skunk (1950) as Tin / El vizconde de Texmelucan
 * También de dolor se canta (1950) as Tin Tan
 * Sinbad the Seasick (1950) as Simbad
 * El revoltoso (1951) as Tin Tan
 * Oh Darling! Look What You've Done! (1951) as Tin Tan
 * Kill Me Because I'm Dying! (1951) as Tin-Tan
 * When Women Rule (1951)
 * Las locuras de Tin-Tan (1952) as Tin-Tan
 * Snow White (1952) as Valentín Gaytán
 * Chucho the Mended (1952) as Tin Tan / Valentín Gaytán
 * Mi campeón (1952) as Tin Tan
 * The Beautiful Dreamer (1952) as Triquitrán
 * You've Got Me By the Wing (1953) as Tin Tan
 * The Island of Women (1953) as Tin Tan
 * The Vagabond (1953) as La Chiva
 * God Created Them (1953) as Tin Tan
 * The Unknown Mariachi (1953) as Agustín / Tin Tan
 * Reportaje (1953) as Pachuco composer
 * El vizconde de Montecristo (1954) as Inocencio Dantés
 * El hombre inquieto (1954) as Germán Valdés / Abel Caim
 * Bluebeard (1955) as Ricardo
 * Look What Happened to Samson (1955) as Tin Tan / Sansón
 * Barefoot Sultan (1956) as Sultán Casquillo
 * El vividor (1956) as Atliano Valadez
 * El médico de las locas (1956) as Apolonio Borrego
 * Teatro del crimen (1957) as Germán Valdés, cantante
 * Las aventuras de Pito Pérez (1957) as Pito Pérez; Jesús Pérez Gaona
 * El campeón ciclista (1957) as Cleto García
 * Puss Without Boots (1957) as Agustín Tancredo (El Gato) / Don Victorio Tancredo
 * Locos peligrosos (1957) as Federico
 * Los tres mosqueteros y medio (1957) as Federico
 * Escuela para suegras (1958) as Tin Tan
 * Refifi entre las mujeres (1958) as Refifí
 * Viaje a la luna (1958)
 * Quiero ser artista (1958) as Tin Tan
 * Música de siempre (1958)
 * A Thousand and One Nights (1958) as Ven Aquí
 * La odalisca No. 13 (1958) as Quintín
 * Paso a la juventud (1958) as Casimiro
 * Tres lecciones de amor (1959) as Germán Valadez
 * Vagabundo y millonario (1959) as Antonio García / Andrés Aguilar
 * El cofre del pirata (1959)
 * Ferias de México (1959)
 * El que con niños se acuesta (1959) as Chon / Encarnación Bernal
 * Dos fantasmas y una muchacha (1959) as Germán Pérez
 * Escuela de verano (1959) as Casimiro Bellavista y Manduriano
 * Vivir del cuento (1960) as Crisoforo Pérez (Choforo)
 * La casa del terror (1960) as Casimiro
 * Variedades de medianoche (1960) as Germán Gómez
 * Rebel Without a House (1960) as Teodoro Silva
 * La tijera de oro (1960) as Pablo Emilio Campos
 * Tin-Tan y las modelos (1960) as Marcos Alonso Chimalpopoca
 * Una estrella y dos estrellados (1960) as Tin Tán
 * El violetero (1960) as Lorenzo Miguel
 * The Phantom of the Operetta (1960) as Aldo / Baldomiro Valdes
 * El pandillero (1961) as Pepe Álvarez del Monte
 * El duende y yo (1961) as Modesto Fauno
 * Locura de terror (1961) as Pacifico otero
 * ¡Suicídate, mi amor! (1961) as Raúl González
 * Viva Chihuahua (1961)
 * Pilotos de la muerte (1962) as Octano Pérez y Pérez
 * ¡En peligro de muerte! (1962) as Marshall Nylon
 * El tesoro del rey Salomón (1963) as Tin Tan
 * Fuerte, audaz y valiente (1963)
 * Tin-Tan el hombre mono (1963) as Tin Tan
 * Face of the Screaming Werewolf (1965) as Man Who Sleeps in Wax Museum and Saves Woman in Apartment
 * Tintansón Crusoe (1965) as Tin-Tan Cruz / Guaraní
 * Los fantasmas burlones (1965) as Cyril Ludovico Churchill
 * Especialista en chamacas (1965) as Don Guille
 * Puerto Rico en carnaval (1965)
 * Loco por ellas (1966) as Ángel Macías / Alberto Macías / Padre de Ángel y Alberto
 * El ángel y yo (1966) as Rito
 * Detectives o ladrones (1967) as Harry
 * Seis días para morir (1967) as José - Globero
 * Chanoc (1967)
 * Duelo en El Dorado (1969) as Compadre Barrera
 * Gregorio y su ángel (1970) as Devil
 * El capitán Mantarraya (1970) as Capitán Mantarraya
 * Chanoc en las garras de las fieras (1970) as Tin Tan / Tsekub Baloyán
 * El quelite (1970) as Proculo
 * Trampa para una niña (1971)
 * En estas camas nadie duerme (1971)
 * El ogro (1971) as Sabas
 * Caín, Abel y el otro (1971)
 * Chanoc contra el tigre y el vampiro (1972) as Tsekub Baloyán
 * The Incredible Professor Zovek (1972) as Chalo
 * Los cacos (1972)
 * Las tarántulas (1973) as Tsekub Baloyán
 * La Disputa (1974)
 * Acapulco 12-22 (1975) as Pirata
 * La mafia amarilla (1975) as Germán
 * Noche de muerte (1972) as Germán (final film role)