Gregorio Esteban Sánchez Fernandez, better known as Chiquito De La Calzada, was born in May 1932 in the Trinidad neighbourhood of Malaga and apart from being one of the most illustrious Malagueños, he is known for being one of the most charismatic characters of the nationalscene.
Chiquito De La Calzada genius and figure
Chiquito is one of Spain's best-loved comedians, but his career is rather curious, as he became a famous person in Spain at the age of 62. In Malaga, however, he first took to the stage at the age of 8. In fact, his nickname "Chiquito" was due to his precociousness and "De La Calzada" as it was the name of the street where he grew up.
He was developing his ability as a flamenco singer until he was forced for work reasons to move to Japan, where he lived for 2 years.
Chiquito De La Calzada jokes
It is curious that despite having devoted himself to music, in Spain he is not very well known for this facet but rather for his jokes. His first major television appearance was in a summer programme on Antena 3 in the summer of 1994 called "Genio y Figura" (Genius and Figure).
At first, Chiquito De La Calzada's phrases were limited but he quickly dazzled the audience and became the star of the show.
In fact, Antena 3 took advantage of Chiquito's media hype by increasing his participation in different programs.
To get an idea of the phenomenon that Chiquito De La Calzada's jokes were, he was the cover of the 1994 summer hits album, participated in several radio programs, and waseven the pregonero of the Malaga Fair in 1996.
Chiquito de La Calzada phrases
We all know Chiquito's catchphrases like fistro pecador, jandemor or pecador de la pradera. In fact, many of these phrases came to his mind during his time in Japan.
Chiquito de La Calzada movies
Chiquito's great fame also made him a star of the big screen and he participated in several Spanish comedy films such as "El Oro de Moscú", "Spanish movie" or his last appearance in 2014 in the film Torrente 5.
Chiquito Statue in Malaga
On February 25, 2021, was presented the new statue of Chiquito de la Calzada, which will adorn the park that bears his name in the coming months. The sculpture is 2 meters high and although in its presentation in Madrid it was a figure in clay, it will be bathed in bronze.
When did Chiquito De La Calzada die?
Chiquito died on November 11, 2017 in Malaga after failing to overcome various health problems such as angina pectoris and currently his ashes are in the Church of San Pablo in Malaga along with those of his wife.