Background and career
Eugenio González Derbez (Spanish: [ewˈxenjo ðeɾˈβes]; born September 2, 1961) is a Mexican actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films and television series, including The Book of Life, The Angry Birds Movie 2, and CODA. In the 2010s, he appeared in many American films and television series, such as Jack and Jill, Girl in Progress, Rob!, and Miracles from Heaven. Derbez provided the dubs for many characters in the Latin-American Spanish versions of American films, including Dr. Dolittle, Mulan, 102 Dalmatians, and the Shrek franchise.
Derbez was born and raised in Mexico City, the son of Eugenio Salas, the founder of the first advertising company in Mexico (named Publicidad Salas), and Silvia Derbez, film and television actress. He expressed interest in acting at an early age, landing his first roles as soap-opera extras at age 12. He made his directing debut in 1997 with a Mexican soap opera named No Tengo Madre.
During the early 1980s, Derbez was a regular in Cachún cachún ra ra!, a Mexican television show. He also participated in En Familia con Chabelo, a children's television show. In 1988, he got his first recurring television position when he played a number of roles in a comedy show called Anabel.
Derbez kept making movies during the 1990s. In 1992 he began hosting the variety show Al Derecho y al Derbez. In 1997, Derbez made his directorial debut with the telenovela No Tengo Madre. In 1999, he launched his own comedy sketch show, Derbez en Cuando, which became a hit on Mexican television. The following year, he had appearances in the children's telenovela Carita de ángel and also starred in the youth series Cómplices al Rescate. In 2003, Derbez created and produced the satirical television series XHDRBZ, which blended sketch comedy with parody news segments. Continuing his success as a producer and actor, Derbez went on to produce several other television shows, including Hospital el Paisa ("Countrymen Hospital"), the popular sitcom Vecinos ("Neighbors"), and in 2009, the comedy series Ellas son... la alegría del hogar. One of his most iconic roles came as the lead character in the sitcom La familia P. Luche, a surreal comedy about a dysfunctional family living in a fictional, absurd world. Derbez is one of the few Mexican actors to have achieved international acclaim, earning international award recognition as well as starring in commercial American films. Derbez has appeared in a number of successful and critically acclaimed films including Sangre de mi Sangre, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2007 and his first non-comedy film, the indie smash hit La misma luna (released as Under the Same Moon in English) directed by Patricia Riggen, with Adrián Alonso and Kate del Castillo.
In 2002, Derbez and Florinda Meza co-created a sitcom named XHDRBZ, which marked his debut as a producer. Also in 2002, Derbez co-created, co-directed, and starred in the family sitcom La familia P. Luche, which gained Derbez further recognition amongst the Mexican and Latin community.
In 2011, Derbez appeared as Felipe in Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill with Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, and Al Pacino; he also starred in Girl In Progress with Eva Mendes, directed by Patricia Riggen. He also starred in the CBS sitcom Rob! and on Broadway in Latinologues at the Helen Hayes Theater. Derbez starred in Sony's Miracles from Heaven, with Jennifer Garner (also directed by Patricia Riggen), and he voiced the role of Rico in the animated feature Underdogs, directed by Juan J. Campanella. In 2013, Derbez starred in and directed Instructions Not Included the most successful Spanish-language film in the U.S. and worldwide, which broke numerous box office records, earning over $100 million. The Spanish-language comedy-drama became a surprise $44-million hit in the U.S., and the third-highest-grossing film ($46 million) of the year in Mexico (only Despicable Me and Iron Man sequels did better). In 2016, Derbez wrapped production on the Lionsgate/Pantelion feature How to Be a Latin Lover in which he starred with Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell, Raquel Welch, Rob Riggle, Linda Lavin, and Rob Huebel. It was written by Chris Spain and Jon Zack and directed by Ken Marino. The film, produced by Derbez and his producing partner Ben Odell, was released in the U.S. on April 28, 2017 and May 5, 2017 in Mexico.
