Eddie Miró
Encyclopedia
Eddie Miró is a television show host in Puerto Rico of Sephardic origin. He is best known for being the host of Telemundo Puerto Rico
's variety show "El Show de las 12" ("The 12 pm Show") for over 40 years. Like Dick Clark in the United States, Miró is known for longevity in front of the cameras while aging relatively little physically.
During the long television run of "El Show de las 12", he came into contact with many famous entertainers, both local and foreign. Some of the local celebrities he worked with as co-hosts and guest stars, were 'Luis Antonio Cosme', Awilda Carbia
, Ángela Meyer
, Otilio Warrington
, Dagmar
, Lou Briel
, the members of El Gran Combo
, Machuchal and others. Foreign acts that he presented included Raphael
, Celia Cruz
, Julio Iglesias
, Rocío Jurado
, Sandro de América
, 'Marylin Pupo' (who resides in Puerto Rico but is Cuban
), José Luis Rodríguez
El Puma, and many others.
In Puerto Rico's competitive television market, Miró outlasted rival hosts Luis Vigoreaux
and his son Luisito
of WAPA-TV
, and, later on, Televicentro competition such and Luis Antonio Rivera
("Yoyo Boing"), who were among the of hosts of "El Show de las 12"'s main competitor, "El Show del Mediodia" ("The Midday Show"). It should be mentioned that Eddie Miró outlasted Luis Vigoreaux in part because of Vigoreaux's murder in 1983.
area of San Juan. In 1953, he graduated from high school
as one of the "most likely to succeed" students (his school picked more than one student for that title; Miró was chosen in the entertainment area).
Miró began in the entertainment business as a singer, writer and comedian. His big break in the entertainment business came in 1964, when the actor turned television producer Paquito Cordero
offered him a job as the host of "El Show de las 12", a new program that was about to begin at Telemundo, then known as "Telemundo channel 2". "El Show de las 12"s first broadcast was in January 1965.
He was a teen idol
across Puerto Rico for the next few years. He utilized his abilities as a comic during the show as well, mixing them with his work as show host. His style also gained him acclaim among Puerto Rico's television critics.
, such as Noche de Gala
, (Gala Night Ball), "Salsa, Sabado en la Noche" ("Salsa
, Saturday at Night"), and "Adelante Juventud" ("Come Forward, Youth!"). He also worked with hosts such as, Marisol Malaret
, and Deborah Carthy Deu, among others.
During the 1980s, "El Show de las 12"s opening consisted of a cartoon
version of Eddie Miró dancing salsa and smiling. In 1989, the show included a section in which he shared gossip with Kobbo Santarrosa's doll
, "La Condesa del Bochinche" ("The Countess of Gossip"), a doll which preluded Santarrosa's current doll, "La Comay".
The "La Comay" doll always had a segment within "El Show de las 12" and was the most watched part of the program that it prompted to have its on show titled "Xclusivo" with Miro as the host. The show was successful throughout the 90's until Santarrosa jumped ship to WAPA-TV in 1999. Santarrosa intended to bring Eddie Miró with him to co-host the show, now renamed "SuperXclusivo" but Miro's was very loyal to Telemundo and Paquito Cordero therefore rejected the offer.
Miro was one of the very few local figures to have never worked for any other network than Telemundo.
Miró, Rafael Hernández Colón
's spouse, and Raymond Dalmau
became spokespersons for the testing and prevention of colon cancer in Puerto Rico once Miró announced his recovery.
On January, 2005, shortly after celebrating forty years of "El Show de las 12" on the air, Eddie Miró was told the show could not continue on longer, due in part to the changes in Telemundo Puerto Rico's production department. The usually-cool Miró went on a radio station and angrily declared that he was not rich, calling Telemundo Puerto Rico's producer Tony Mojena the station's "golden boy". He and his wife Juanita "Ita" Medina, a former dancer and choreographer, were later charged with tax evasion by the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury. After a plea bargain
, Miró pleaded guilty of a minor tax evasion charge in early 2008, while given the chance to pay his tax debt and associated fines.
Telemundo Puerto Rico
The name Telemundo Puerto Rico may represent:* WKAQ-TV, a Telemundo station in San Juan, Puerto Rico* Telemundo Puerto Rico , a former Spanish-language cable network...
's variety show "El Show de las 12" ("The 12 pm Show") for over 40 years. Like Dick Clark in the United States, Miró is known for longevity in front of the cameras while aging relatively little physically.
During the long television run of "El Show de las 12", he came into contact with many famous entertainers, both local and foreign. Some of the local celebrities he worked with as co-hosts and guest stars, were 'Luis Antonio Cosme', Awilda Carbia
Awilda Carbia
Awilda Carbia was an actress, comedian, and impersonator.- Early years :Awilda Carbia started her acting career as a 7-year-old child, without ever suspecting that later in her acting career, 1970s, she would portray a children's television show host that was called: Estrella Galaxia, , broadcast...
, Ángela Meyer
Angela Meyer
Ángela Meyer is an actress, comedian and producer of television and theatrical works.-Early years:...
, Otilio Warrington
Otilio Warrington
Otilio Warrington, known popularly as Bizcocho is a comedian, best known for his roles of "Bizcocho" and "Cuca Gómez".-Early years:...
, Dagmar
Dagmar (Puerto Rico entertainer)
Dagmar , is a Puerto Rican television host, comedian and singer.-Early years:Dagmar Rivera was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Dorado, Puerto Rico. She started her career as a teenage singer in 1976. The only hit single of her first album was Soy la Mañana , by Puerto Rican composer Rafi...
, Lou Briel
Lou Briel
Lou Briel, is a Puerto Rican singer, composer, comedian, producer, pianist, and host, among other things.-Early Years with Anexo 3:...
, the members of El Gran Combo
El Gran Combo
El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, commonly known as El Gran Combo, is a Puerto Rican Salsa music orchestra. It is Puerto Rico's most successful musical group, and one of the most popular salsa orchestras across Latin America...
, Machuchal and others. Foreign acts that he presented included Raphael
Raphael (singer)
For the French singer Raphael see Raphaël HarocheMiguel Rafael Martos Sánchez , often simply referred to as Raphael, is a worldwide acclaimed Spanish singer and television, film and theatre actor...
, Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
, Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
, Rocío Jurado
Rocío Jurado
María del Rocío Trinidad Mohedano Jurado , was a Spanish singer and actress. She was born in Chipiona, Cádiz, Spain and was nicknamed "La más grande" . Jurado was once married to boxer Pedro Carrasco, with whom she had a daughter, Rocío Carrasco...
, Sandro de América
Sandro de América
Roberto Julio Sánchez , better known by his artist names Sandro/Sandro de América , Gitano , and the Argentine Elvis, was an Argentine singer and actor.-Biography:...
, 'Marylin Pupo' (who resides in Puerto Rico but is Cuban
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
), José Luis Rodríguez
José Luis Rodríguez
José Luis Rodríguez may refer to:*José Luis Rodríguez , , former Argentine football striker*José Luis Rodríguez González , El Puma, , Venezuelan singer and actor...
El Puma, and many others.
In Puerto Rico's competitive television market, Miró outlasted rival hosts Luis Vigoreaux
Luis Vigoreaux
Luis Vigoreaux Rivera was a Puerto Rican radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer. The son of a sugar worker, Vigoreaux became one of the most popular television entertainers in Puerto Rico's history....
and his son Luisito
Luisito Vigoreaux
Luis Vigoreaux Lorenzana is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He is the son of Luis Vigoreaux, a legendary Puerto Rican media personality and Rosaura Lorenzana Vilches...
of WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV is an independent television station located in San Juan, Puerto Rico transmitting over digital channel 27, virtual channel 4. The station is owned by InterMedia Partners and is branded as WAPA Television....
, and, later on, Televicentro competition such and Luis Antonio Rivera
Luis Antonio Rivera
Luis Antonio Rivera a.k.a. "Yoyo Boing" is a comedian, actor and television show host, who was also one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican television.-Early years:...
("Yoyo Boing"), who were among the of hosts of "El Show de las 12"'s main competitor, "El Show del Mediodia" ("The Midday Show"). It should be mentioned that Eddie Miró outlasted Luis Vigoreaux in part because of Vigoreaux's murder in 1983.
Early career
Miró grew up in the SanturceSanturce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santurce is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Summary:Santurce is one of the top ten most populated areas of the island holding Miramar, Loíza, Isla Grande, Barrio Obrero, and Condado as main cultural hot spots for art, music, cuisine, fashion, hotels, technology, multimedia, film, textile and...
area of San Juan. In 1953, he graduated from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
as one of the "most likely to succeed" students (his school picked more than one student for that title; Miró was chosen in the entertainment area).
Miró began in the entertainment business as a singer, writer and comedian. His big break in the entertainment business came in 1964, when the actor turned television producer Paquito Cordero
Paquito Cordero
Paquito Cordero , was a comedian and television producer and also one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican television.-Early years:...
offered him a job as the host of "El Show de las 12", a new program that was about to begin at Telemundo, then known as "Telemundo channel 2". "El Show de las 12"s first broadcast was in January 1965.
He was a teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
across Puerto Rico for the next few years. He utilized his abilities as a comic during the show as well, mixing them with his work as show host. His style also gained him acclaim among Puerto Rico's television critics.
Other shows
Miró expanded his career as a show host during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, hosting shows produced by Paquito CorderoPaquito Cordero
Paquito Cordero , was a comedian and television producer and also one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican television.-Early years:...
, such as Noche de Gala
Noche de Gala
Noche de Gala , was a television variety show produced by Paquito Cordero, originated in San Juan, Puerto Rico, broadcast by WKAQ-TV Telemundo, Channel 2 for as long as 25 years....
, (Gala Night Ball), "Salsa, Sabado en la Noche" ("Salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, Saturday at Night"), and "Adelante Juventud" ("Come Forward, Youth!"). He also worked with hosts such as, Marisol Malaret
Marisol Malaret
Marisol Malaret Contreras was the very first Puerto Rican woman to be crowned Miss Universe.-Biography:She started to work from an early age due to the death of her father and chronic illness of her mother...
, and Deborah Carthy Deu, among others.
During the 1980s, "El Show de las 12"s opening consisted of a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
version of Eddie Miró dancing salsa and smiling. In 1989, the show included a section in which he shared gossip with Kobbo Santarrosa's doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
, "La Condesa del Bochinche" ("The Countess of Gossip"), a doll which preluded Santarrosa's current doll, "La Comay".
The "La Comay" doll always had a segment within "El Show de las 12" and was the most watched part of the program that it prompted to have its on show titled "Xclusivo" with Miro as the host. The show was successful throughout the 90's until Santarrosa jumped ship to WAPA-TV in 1999. Santarrosa intended to bring Eddie Miró with him to co-host the show, now renamed "SuperXclusivo" but Miro's was very loyal to Telemundo and Paquito Cordero therefore rejected the offer.
Miro was one of the very few local figures to have never worked for any other network than Telemundo.
Family
Miró's daughters, Dana Miró Medina, Michelle Miró Medina, and Christie Miró Medina, went on to have careers in the entertainment business as actresses, show hosts and producers. Perhaps ironically, Dana married Luisito Vigoreaux during the 1990s, linking Miró with the family of his old competitor, Luis Vigoreaux.Illness and Tax Problems
In 2003, Eddie Miró was diagnosed with colon cancer. He refused to take time off work, keeping on his daily schedule of hosting "El Show de las 12" even as he had cancer.Miró, Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
's spouse, and Raymond Dalmau
Raymond Dalmau
Raymond Dalmau Pérez is a retired Puerto Rican professional basketball player. During most of his career, Dalmau played in the National Superior Basketball league. His sons Richie, Christian and Ricardo also played basketball on the highest level of Puerto Rican basketball.-Career:Dalmau...
became spokespersons for the testing and prevention of colon cancer in Puerto Rico once Miró announced his recovery.
On January, 2005, shortly after celebrating forty years of "El Show de las 12" on the air, Eddie Miró was told the show could not continue on longer, due in part to the changes in Telemundo Puerto Rico's production department. The usually-cool Miró went on a radio station and angrily declared that he was not rich, calling Telemundo Puerto Rico's producer Tony Mojena the station's "golden boy". He and his wife Juanita "Ita" Medina, a former dancer and choreographer, were later charged with tax evasion by the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury. After a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
, Miró pleaded guilty of a minor tax evasion charge in early 2008, while given the chance to pay his tax debt and associated fines.
