Melwin Cedeño
Encyclopedia
Melwin Cedeño is a Puerto Rican
actor, comedian, merengue
musician, and singer. Cedeño is better known for his comedic character role as Chevy, el Ponzonu
, a Nuyorican
teenager.
Cedeño began to pursue his pre-med
studies at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
in Ponce
. However, he dropped out, and moved to study Drama
at the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras
.
While studying, Cedeño joined a merengue
orchestra called Los Nenes de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Kids). His partners in the orchestra later became the members of the popular merengue
and reggaeton
group, Límite 21 (Limit Twenty One).
He also joined the university theatre group working in several plays during his incumbency with Los Nenes.
He also debuted in television
shows in dramatic
roles in soap operas such as, Alejandra (Alexandra), and Apartamento de Solteras (Single's Apartment). He achieved recognition for his dramatic role as a young drug addict in the telenovela
Andrea.
At the end of the 1980s, Cedeño started working as a comedian
at popular shows like Show del Mediodía (The Midday Show) and Kiosko Budweiser ( The Budweiser Small Market). It was during this time that his character of Chevy, el Ponzonu
was born. His popularity spawned a daily show titled Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País
(With What This Country Counts On), broadcast by Telemundo
Puerto Rico
, and produced by Hector Marcano
, which remained among the top shows in audience ratings for several years.
In the early 1990s, Cedeño hosted the comedy game show
Alto Voltaje (High Voltage), also produced by Marcano in Telemundo
. After the end of the series, Cedeño decided to retire briefly from public life. He moved to the United States
exploring offers from Telemundo
and Univision
.
In the late 1990s, Cedeño returned to Puerto Rico and took up again, working in theatre productions and television comedies. He produced a film titled Chevy... Episodio I (Chevy...Episode One), which marked the come-back of his popular character. In 1999, he started hosting a new show for kids titled Pégate con Chevy (Stick with Chevy) which received the acknowledgment of Puerto Rican
children's audiences. However, in 2001, the show was cancelled, for unknown reasons, despite its favorable reviews.
Cedeño still works regularly in television and theatre, and his character of Chevy remains popular among children.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
actor, comedian, merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
musician, and singer. Cedeño is better known for his comedic character role as Chevy, el Ponzonu
Chevy, el Ponzonu
Chevy, el Ponzoñú is a fictional Puerto Rican television character, played by Puerto Rican comedian Melwin Cedeño. It debuted on Puerto Rican TV in 1990....
, a Nuyorican
Nuyorican
Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Rican diaspora located in or around New York State especially the New York City metropolitan area, or of their descendants...
teenager.
Cedeño began to pursue his pre-med
Pre-medical
Pre-medical is a term used to describe a track an undergraduate student in the United States pursues prior to becoming a medical student...
studies at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico is a Roman Catholic university located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses in the areas of education, business administration, arts and human studies and science, leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate Degrees. Its campus is also home...
in Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
. However, he dropped out, and moved to study Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
at the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus
The University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras , also referred to as UPR-RP, is a public research university located on a campus in Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico...
.
While studying, Cedeño joined a merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
orchestra called Los Nenes de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Kids). His partners in the orchestra later became the members of the popular merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
and reggaeton
Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
group, Límite 21 (Limit Twenty One).
He also joined the university theatre group working in several plays during his incumbency with Los Nenes.
He also debuted in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows in dramatic
Dramatic
Dramatic may refer to:* Drama, a literary form involving parts for actors* Dramatic, a voice type classification in European classical music, describing a specific vocal weight and range at the lower end of a given voice part...
roles in soap operas such as, Alejandra (Alexandra), and Apartamento de Solteras (Single's Apartment). He achieved recognition for his dramatic role as a young drug addict in the telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
Andrea.
At the end of the 1980s, Cedeño started working as a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
at popular shows like Show del Mediodía (The Midday Show) and Kiosko Budweiser ( The Budweiser Small Market). It was during this time that his character of Chevy, el Ponzonu
Chevy, el Ponzonu
Chevy, el Ponzoñú is a fictional Puerto Rican television character, played by Puerto Rican comedian Melwin Cedeño. It debuted on Puerto Rican TV in 1990....
was born. His popularity spawned a daily show titled Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País
Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País
Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País was a popular Puerto Rican comedy sitcom that capitalized on the popularity of its main character named Chevy Con Lo Que Cuenta Este País (in English, What The Country's Counting On) was a popular Puerto Rican comedy sitcom that capitalized on the popularity of its main...
(With What This Country Counts On), broadcast by Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and produced by Hector Marcano
Hector Marcano
Hector Marcano is a Puerto Rican comedian, producer, and game show host in Puerto Rico.Hector Marcano was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on November 3, 1956. Marcano's career took off after Luis Vigoreaux's death...
, which remained among the top shows in audience ratings for several years.
In the early 1990s, Cedeño hosted the comedy game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Alto Voltaje (High Voltage), also produced by Marcano in Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
. After the end of the series, Cedeño decided to retire briefly from public life. He moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
exploring offers from Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
and Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
.
In the late 1990s, Cedeño returned to Puerto Rico and took up again, working in theatre productions and television comedies. He produced a film titled Chevy... Episodio I (Chevy...Episode One), which marked the come-back of his popular character. In 1999, he started hosting a new show for kids titled Pégate con Chevy (Stick with Chevy) which received the acknowledgment of Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
children's audiences. However, in 2001, the show was cancelled, for unknown reasons, despite its favorable reviews.
Cedeño still works regularly in television and theatre, and his character of Chevy remains popular among children.
External links
- Biography from Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular (an agency of the Puerto Rican Department of State)