Coco Legrand

Alejandro Javier González Legrand, better known as Coco Legrand (Santiago, July 28, 1947), is a Chilean comedian, actor and social critic.

His repertoire consists mainly of monologues that show everyday experiences that allow us to review the most typical psychological traits of society, satirizing them and thus rediscovering the profile of the average Chilean citizen. Consistent with this, the topics that the scripts address correspond to family, work and sexual problems, among other contingency problems. While presenting various situations, gestures, postures and typical phrases, he denounces attitudes and rescues the dignity of the Chilean people against them.

Biography

Origins and beginnings

He is the son of José González Videla, brother of President Gabriel González Videla, and Raquel Legrand. However, the father of his heart was always Amado Paredes Cárdenas, founder of Metalpar and Viñedos Torreón de Paredes. He was a fundamental pillar to later dedicate himself to humor.

He studied at Liceo 7 in Ñuñoa and at the Colegio Hispano Americano in Santiago Centro. He wanted to study theater, but finally decided on Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Chile. Additionally, he studied at Home Union College, in Kosciusko, Mississippi (United States), where he specialized in die-casting. He returned with a degree and worked for a year in the press rooms of the workshops that the French brand Citroën owned in Arica, in the north of Chile.

The comedian began professionally in 1970 in Arica, where he showed his first works and immediately stood out for the quality and variety of his characters that he introduced into routines that led him to be known, each one with signs of complete current according to the time. Then, he received very positive support from specialized critics and the public, as well as from journalist Alfredo Lamadrid, who represented him for several years.

Coco Legrand moved to Santiago, where he performed in the most varied entertainment centers. This is how she began to identify with youth and with women and men of all ages. His monologues, short jokes, & # 34; stories & # 34; as he calls them, they were liked by Moors and Christians; also his unmatched humorous interpretations of "type" or typical of any Chilean social stratum.

His presentations at the now defunct magazine theater Bim bam bum in Santiago were memorable, as were his performances on television and radio. Coco Legrand's definitive consecration came with his memorable presentation at the XIII International Song Festival of Viña del Mar, in 1972, with characters such as "Lolo Palanca" and "Cuesco Cabrera."

In 1977, according to a publication in the newspaper El Mercurio of that year, Legrand would have been part of the so-called '77 young people from Chacarillas', attending a ceremony held in that town. The act was an explicit personal tribute to Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, Legrand, however, has denied having attended such a ceremony.

In the 1980s, their forte were café concerts, six in total. He took three of his café concerts to the phonogram: With the T-shirt on , Don't vote for me and The decade of a Coco . Added to them is the volume A Sing with Coco Legrand.

The cut routine

On February 11, 1980, the last night of that year's Viña del Mar International Song Festival, the artist's presentation was abruptly cut off by TVN to make way for Neil Sedaka's performance in time to meet the deadlines. satellite transmission commitments. While the public asked for the comedian's return to the stage, Coco Legrand was detained, in the midst of the struggles, by the station's producers and the journalists who were trying to interview him. That night, Coco Legrand swore never to set foot on the stage of the Viña del Mar Festival again.

Between 1980 and 1981 he worked in Argentina, where he filmed three comedy films, two of them with Alberto Olmedo and Jorge Porcel.

The oath of Viña del Mar was maintained for 20 years, until the year 2000. At the XLI International Song Festival, the reunion took place between the comedian and the audience of the Quinta Vergara. He also appeared in the 2006 and 2010 editions of the contest, winning the highest awards from the public.

Later years

In 2002, Legrand would co-host the stellar Finally It's Monday alongside Margot Kahl on Channel 13. He would leave the program after the first season to focus on his live shows. Between 2003 and 2004, she hosted the program Ciudad Gótica, on National Television of Chile (TVN), along with Felipe Camiroaga and Carla Ballero. In 2008, she also had her own star show on the same channel, broadcast on Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m., called El día del Coco .

Coco Legrand was manager and owner of Circus Ok, a theater and entertainment company. His friend, the actor Jaime Azócar, was the art director. In 2012, the theater was demolished along with other neighboring properties to construct a building. The "Coco" moved its offices to Av. Apoquindo in Las Condes.

Did you mean:

En 2016, repasa su carrera en el programa 45 años de un Coco, transmitido por TVN.

One of Coco Legrand's hobbies is Harley Davidson motorcycles, of which she has had several, naming them after well-known national women due to some important characteristic. Among them are: Chechi Bolocco, Raquel Argandoña, Fernanda Hansen, Pamela Díaz, Gladys Marín and Faloon Larraguibel.

Did you mean:

En el filme de animación Condorito: la película de 2017, el comediante puso la voz al personaje de Doña Tremebunda.

In 2019, a wax statue of his figure was placed in the comedians' area of the Las Condes Wax Museum.

In November 2020 he launched his own online theater website.

Monologues

• XXI Viña del Mar Festival (1980)
• Smoked in cash (1981)
• Laughing for recession or force (1982)
• You're sorry, what you're sorry about (1983-1985)
• With the shirt on (1986-1987)
• Do not vote for me (1988-1989)
• The Decade of a Coco (1990-1992)
• What are weary? (1993-1995)
• To hell with everything! (1996-1999)
• XLI Festival de Viña del Mar (received Gold Gaviota and Silver Gaviota - 2000)
• We're here only (2002)
• XLVII Festival de Viña del Mar (received Silver Torch, Gold Torch and Silver Gaviota - 2006)
• The Coquitos say (shared stage with their son, actor Matías González - 2007)
• LI Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar (received Silver Torch, Double Gold Torch and Silver Gaviota - 2010)
• Earthlings, Corrupts But Organized (T-CPO) (2010-2014)

Other jobs

• Centralize, rooster, in high tension (Canal 9, 1978-1979)
• Surgeons are leaving their hands (Argentine comedy film, 1980)
• Women are handsome. (Argentine comedy film, 1981)
• Open day and night (Argentine comedy film, 1981)
• Middle world (TV actor, Canal 13, 1985)
• Of the good... Coco (Megavision, 1990)
• Teleton 1992
• Wonderful (TV, Canal 13, 1995-2002)
• Teleton 1998
• Finally it's Monday (co-animator with Margot Kahl, Channel 13, 2002)
• Beyond humor (book, 2002)
• To hell with everything! (DVD, 2003)
• Cesante (voz; animated film by Ricardo Amunátegui, 2003)
• Teleton 2006
• With the Coco on the couch (book in conjunction with Pilar Sordo - 2007)
• The day of the Coco (presenter, TVN, 2008)
• Lokas (Gonzalo Justiniano film, 2008)
• 45 years of a Coco (presenter, TVN, 2016)
• Condorito: the film (Vice animation film by Alex Orrelle and Eduardo Schuldt, 2017)
• Old shit (along with Jaime Vadell and Tomás Vidiella - 2016-presente)

Awards and nominations

• 2000 - Gold and Silver Gaviota, Festival de Viña del Mar.
• 2006 - Silver Torch, Gold Torch and Silver Gaviota, Viña del Mar Festival.
• 2010 - Silver Torch, Double Gold Torch and Silver Gaviota, Viña del Mar Festival.
• 2016 - National Humor Prize of Chile.