Juan Orol

Juan Rogelio García García, better known as Juan Orol (August 4, 1897 in Lalín, Pontevedra, Spain – May 26, 1988 in Mexico City, Mexico) was a Mexican-Spanish actor, producer, screenwriter and film director. He was known as The King of the Mexican Film noir. He was also known as The Involuntary Surrealist. He was a pioneer of the Mexican cinema's first talkies and one of the main promoters of the Rumberas film in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. His films have been described as cult films.

Biography

Early life

Juan Rogelio García García was born on August 4, 1897 in the parish of Santiso, in the town of Lalin in Pontevedra, Spain. His father was a commander of the Spanish armed forces. His mother, a woman of peasant origin, was a single mother. Later, she married a man who didn't want to take care of another man's son, so she sent Orol to Cuba to live with a friend.

In Cuba, Orol lived in the low neighborhoods, known in Cuba as "solares". There, he had a lot of contact with people of African origin, who taught him all his dance techniques. Young Orol had many occupations at the same time: boxer, mechanic, racing driver, journalist, actor, bullfighter and police officer. He abandoned boxing when his face was disfigured. In his racer role, was about to drive in Indianapolis, but he lacked a few tenths to the mark of 118 miles per hour. In his role as a bullfighter, he passed through South America under the name of Espartero or Esparterito. Later, he moved to Mexico, where he was also part of the secret police. His biography is absolutely bizarre, full of impossible and unconnected episodes. But despite his poor cultural training, he survived. His steps in the bullfight arena and the police order were a great inspiration for subsequent film work. His premature widowhood put on face with a parental responsibility. He started working on the radio as artistic director and publicist while he contacting with the nascent Mexican film industry.