Edgar Vivar

Édgar Ángel Vivar Villanueva (Mexico City, December 28, 1948) is a Mexican actor, comedian and doctor. He became famous for having played the character of Señor Barriga and Ñoño in El Chavo del 8 and Botija in Los caquitos, and he was also a voice actor in Walt Disney films from Pixar such as Ratatouille, where he lent his voice to chef Auguste Gusteau, and Up, where he voiced the dog Dug.

Biography

Beginnings

Edgar Vivar is the son of Ángel Vivar and Elia Villanueva Falcón, being the oldest of three brothers.

Vivar had problems with obesity since he was a child and was a victim of bullying because of it:

“I suffered from bullying in the primary school. It was terrible, it wasn't easy. I had nothing left but to fight with everyone or stand up, I refuted a lot in reading, I learned that the best companion I could have was a book.”

Edgar Vivar

Graduated from the University Theater Center, he began his career as a theater actor in 1964. He studied and graduated in medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

How do you order so many memories?
—I try to shape them first in a chronological way and then I will incorporate actions and interpretations. I've had a very rich life. Before I was an actor I studied medicine, and I had contact with death and with an environment totally different from that of the actors. During my time of working in the circus I met places and people in depth, especially in other countries.

Interview in the Chilean Program Behind the screen in 2008.

El Chavo

In 1970 —while he was working as a doctor— he was the second actor that Roberto Gómez Bolaños Chespirito called to act in his television program El Chavo del 8 —Gómez had already called Florinda Meza first —.

In these programs Vivar was known for his characters: Señor Barriga, Ñoño and the caquito Botija:

• Mr. Barriga—Zenon Barriga and Pesado—was the owner of the neighborhood where the Chavo lived; and Ñoño—acted by himself—was his son. Every time Mr. Barriga — a name created as a reference to his obesity— came to the neighborhood, was accidentally welcomed with a kick, stumble, trumpet or punch with an object thrown by the Chavo—when he wanted to hit Quico or play football or baseball. Mr. Barriga very rarely succeeded in charging Don Ramón's rent.
• Ñoño—Febronio Barriga Gordorritúa—was Mr. Bitch. This character was always used for fat jokes in the classroom. He only showed up outside school if any scene needed an additional child. Ñoño was a good student and had a good heart, but like most children, he is very naive. In later years, when Carlos Villagrán left the group, he also replaced the Quico character. In the animated series Ñoño replaces the Chilindrina. According to Vivar, Mr. Barriga and his son the Rhino are the same person, as Mr. Barriga was like Ñoño when kid and big Ñoño will be like Mr. Bitch. Ñoño was created by Édgar Vivar himself.
• The Botija—Gordon Botija Pompa and Pompa, Gordon Botija and Aguado, Boti Ja or Boti—was a thief in The caquitos, friend of Chómpiras — Achilles Esquivel Madrazo or Mimí Mickey Bisvirudolfo Esquivel Madrazo or Parangacutirimicuarodolfo Parangacutirimín, represented by Roberto Gómez Bolaños—, married to Chimoltrufia—María Expropriation Petronila Lascurain Y Torquemada De Botija, represented by Florinda Meza

This show by El Chavo became an international success, and Vivar toured Latin America, Spain and the United States with the group. He filmed several films in Mexico and the United States. In 1997 he acted in the Mexican telenovela Una vez siempre alas produced by his co-star Florinda Meza. For that participation he won the "Best Dramatic Actor" award that year.

Vivar participated in plays such as Marcelino, pan y vino and In Rome love is a joke, and played a comic role as a singer — he has a beautiful baritone voice — in the zarzuela Luisa Fernanda —with which he toured Miami, Boston and other cities in the United States—.

In 1992, he left the series Chespirito —by Roberto Gómez Bolaños— since his overweight had caused him cardiovascular problems. He then faced a glandular problem that led him to gain more weight. He checked into a clinic to lose weight, and then—thanks to continuous medical treatment—he managed to lose 42 kg, which saved his life.

That same year Édgar Vivar acted in La Paz, Bolivia, in a comedy play titled Un ñoño para dos Hermanas, alongside great Bolivian actors, actresses and comedians such as Rosa Rios, Agar Delós, Hugo Pozo, Raúl Villarroel, Daniel Gonzáles and other Bolivian actors. The main characters that he played in the play were those of El Chavo del 8: Mr. Barriga and Ñoño.

He continued traveling through countries where Chespirito's shows are broadcast on television. He participated in a circus in Argentina, although he suffered an accident when trying to get on an elephant as part of his performance.

2000s

Vivar suffered two serious pulmonary thromboembolisms that kept him in intensive care. Since 2003 he has been recovering - based on breathing exercises, the work of specialists and medications. He had to carry a portable oxygen tank — which he now uses only at night. Knowing his talents as a baritone singer and actor, producer Morris Gilbert invited him to participate in the musical comedy Fiddler on the Roof , but Vivar could not accept, as he required respiratory effort.

He works on the Board of Directors of the ANDI (National Association of Interpreters) of Mexico.

In 2002, he competed in the Venezuelan program The War of the Sexes hosted by Viviana Gibelli and Daniel Sarcos, being part of the male team as his character Ñoño and Mr. Barriga along with Adolfo Cubas and Bam Bam, a contestant on the reality show. Protagonists of novels. In 2005 she again participates as his mythical characters, this time alongside Amilcar Rivero and Andrés Mistage.

In 2003, Édgar Vivar traveled to Brazil and was on the program Falando Frankly, presented by Sônia Abrão on SBT, already in excellent health and where he received many tributes from fans of El Chavo—in Brazil baptized Chaves—and the station workers, especially the presenter of Bom Día & Company, Jackeline Petkovic, who was very excited to meet the actor, all of this taking place in the majestic city of Los Angeles, California. That same day he met his voice actor in Brazil, Mário Vilela—who died of diabetes on December 1, 2005.

In 2004 he dubbed the vampire Max in The Vampire Show, the most viewed short film in the history of Mexican cinema, with nine million viewers. There he worked together with Rubén Aguirre —Professor Jirafales—.

In 2005 he recorded the Mexican telenovela Amarte Así in Argentina, written by Enrique Torres. The program was successfully broadcast in South America, Spain and the United States. He plays the role of Don Pedro, a lonely man who works as a cashier at the restaurant—called El Frijol—of his stepson.

In 2006, Édgar Vivar appeared in the American film Bandidas with Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek.

In 2007 he was living in Buenos Aires where he participated in the filming of a film and a play. In May he participated in the recording in Mexico of the film All inclusive, by the Chilean director Rodrigo Ortúzar —Unfaithful Women (2004)— along with the actresses Mónica Cruz, Ana Serradilla, Leonor Varela and Valentina Vargas. In September she traveled to Colombia, where she made Tiempo final , an RCN miniseries that Fox broadcast in the rest of Latin America. At the end of the year she returned to her country, Mexico, where she rejoined Once y twelve —a work that is experiencing a second period of success—, along with Roberto Gómez Bolaños —El Chavo— and Florinda Meza. That year the film El orfanato was released, produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, where Vivar represents a parapsychologist obsessed with death.

In 2008 he appeared in an episode—"Human Resources"—of the Mexican version of the Argentine television series Los Simuladores, playing the role of a partner in a fictional dairy company.

In 2008, he had a special participation in the program Teatro en Chilevisión, on the Chilean channel Chilevisión.

Due to the health problems caused by obesity, he finally decided to undergo stomach surgery in January 2008 at a hospital in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. Since mid-2008 she participated in the television program Cuestión de peso —broadcast by Channel 13—, addressing his obesity.

In the midst of his travels across the continent, he wrote his autobiography, which includes his years with Chespirito, but also other stages of his life.

On Saturday, June 6, 2009, Vivar was admitted to a hospital in the Mexican capital due to coronary problems. Several by-pass were performed and two days later he was discharged. He immediately continued rehearsing the next play in which he acted, Las Leandras, which premiered on June 11, 2009 at the National Center for the Arts.

2010s

In 2011 he returned to Mexican television playing Máximo de la O in the miniseries Méteme gol.

In March 2012, through a video on YouTube he was seen with the cast of El Chavo Animated dubbing their famous characters, Mr. Barriga and Ñoño, for an episode of the sixth season of the series.

In 2013 he played the voice of Silas Pietraseron, a character in the film Despicable Me 2. He also played the voice of chef Auguste Gusteau in the film Ratatouille, and the voice of Dug in Up.

In October 2014 he starred in the play Réquiem por Agustín Lara (playing Lara himself) at the Mexico City Campus of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

In May 2015, in Lima (Peru), he participated in the play In the park with the Peruvian actor Ricky Tosso (1960-2016). That same year she acted in the Spanish version of The Normal Heart , a play by the American Larry Kramer (1935-2020), where she also shares the stage with the animators of Farándula 40, Pilar Boliver and Horacio Villalobos.

In 2017, the actor announced that he suffers from Alzheimer's.

In 2018 he made a special appearance in the Brazilian series Vai que cola, playing the character of Mr. Barriga.

In addition to his work in theater, film and television, Vivar has also lent his voice to projects such as reading stories to be heard through mobile applications.

In July 2022, during his tour of Peru, he announced that he was retiring from circus shows to dedicate himself solely to acting and film production.

Filmography

Awards and recognitions

TVyNovelas Awards

TV Addict Golden Awards