Luis Raúl Martínez (March 6, 1962 - February 2, 2014), a.k.a Luis Raúl, was a Puerto Rican actor and comedian. He was known for his stand-up comedyshows and for his various characters. He also hosted Univision's talk and variety show Anda Pa'l Cara from 2001 to 2003 and Telemundo's game show Pa' Que Te Lo Goces in 2006.

Biography

Luis Raúl was born in Ponce and showed his interest in acting since he was a child. During school, he would frequently participate in plays and shows. After graduating from high school at Escuela Superior Dr. Pila, he enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez to study chemical engineering. After two years, he transferred to Universidad del Sagrado Corazon and majored inBusiness administration, taking electives in theatre. In 1980 he graduated from Escuela de Arte Dramático de Ofelia D'Acosta.

In 1981, he moved to San Juan where he held several jobs to make ends meet. In the meantime, he studied at the Acting Academy of Ofelia D'Acosta and started performing at weekly shows. In 1983 he debuted in the play Los Títeres de Cachiporra. In 1985 he had his first starring role in Un Mismo Corazón (One Heart), a play that dealt with the subject of AIDS, something that was taboo at the time.

At the same time, he started appearing in several local telenovelas and other TV shows. In 1987 he joined actor Edwin Pabellón in producing the radio show Algo Mejor (Something Better). He also had sporadic appearances at the show En Serio con Silveriohosted by Silverio Pérez. After that, Perez recruited him for a new show called ¿Que es lo que pasa aquí? Ahhh! (What's Going on in Here? Humm!!! ), a show dedicated to political and social satire. It was this show that established Luis Raúl as a comedic figure.

In 1992, Luis Raúl retired from the program with the intention of moving to Los Angeles and try to find success there. In Los Angeles, he performed at several Hispanic commercials and shows, and also participated in various stand-up comedy and improvisation shows. However, he traveled to Puerto Rico constantly to perform his stand-up comedy show successfully around the island. In 1997 he also had his own show titled Pa' la Cama con Luis Raúl (To Bed with Luis Raúl) produced by Luisito Vigoreaux.

In 2000 he officially established himself back in Puerto Rico and had another show called En Casa de Luis Raúl (At Luis Raúl's Home) in Televicentro. In 2001 he was hired by Univision to replace long-time friend Silverio Pérez as host of their popular showAnda Pa'l Cara after Perez decided to leave. Luis Raúl hosted the show with Gricel Mamery until retiring in 2003.

In 2008, Luis Raúl kicked off a farewell tour called "Chiquito pero Juguetón" ("Little but Playful") with the intention of retiring afterward. The tour was highly successful around the island and one of the venues was taped and released in theatres titled "Chiquito pero Juguetón: Da Muvi". After a brief hiatus, he returned in 2009 with another tour titled "La Cosa Esta Pelua' 3D" ("Times are Hairy"). In 2010, he started a new tour called "Con los Huevos a Peseta" ("Eggs at a Quarter Each").

In 2011 he had another tour of Stand-Up Comedy called "Que clase e' Lengua" ("What kind of tongue")

On March 5, 2012 will have a special program called "the trail" for Telemundo. What will drive along with Maritza Baiges.

Luis Raúl became the first comedian to perform at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on September 14, 2013 with his final stand-up "Que OJOnes".

Death

On January 13, 2014, Martínez was hospitalized after suffering bilateral pneumonia. Two weeks later, his condition worsened and he was placed on a ventilator that provided artificial respiration. However, agravated by pre-existing conditions of diabetes and hypertension, his condition progressively worsened and his left lung was severely damaged. Consequently, he suffered renal failure which in turn led to cardiac and respiratory arrest, dying early in the morning of February 2, 2014. Several of his colleagues expressed their condolences shortly after the news were made public. Prior to falling ill, Martínez was involved in the filming of a movie named Un lío en dólares.

Characters

Luis Raúl popularized a vast array of characters that have made it into the popular culture of the island. Some of them are:

• Piquito - a naive kid with a speech impairment that works selling B.B.Q chicken.
• Tito Párpados - a celebrity and media reporter with a flamboyant hairdo and an Argentinian accent.
• El bebé - It is a loving baby during the day and night rascal.
• Malín - Luis Raúl's nuyorican cousin.
• Doña Mary Jane - an elderly pot-head woman. Her name is a reference of one of the slang terms that the pot or marijuana has.