Xavier López, better known as Chabelo, enjoys a vitality that never ceases to amaze all his fans. The friend of all children is already 87 years old, but retains an abundance that does not fade with time. His recent interview with Caras made it clear in a few words that he is aware of the moment he is living in and the mark he has left in the hearts of millions of viewers who still fondly remember En familia, a show that aired seven times years ago. .
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Born in Chicago, Xavier López has dual citizenship and received a very rigorous education from his father, who always wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and devote himself to the same thing as him: medicine. But with his arrival at Televicentro, led by Luis de Llano Palmer, Chabelo began to gain a foothold in the television world, gradually climbing positions until becoming a recurring character on various programs.
Perhaps, in those first few moments, Chabelo could not have imagined what he would achieve in the world of acting. Today he says that at the age of 87 he finds himself in a moment of total fulfillment while retaining a special taste for television. “Of course I watch TV, I really like football, movies and boxing. What I miss about television before is that there were more family programs,” he said in his conversation with Caras.
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After 48 years of airtime, En Familia ended forever on December 20, 2020. As if it were another symptom of the end of an era, its final broadcast aired on the same weekend that saw the end of analog television in Mexico. However, the image of Chabelo remains in the memory of Mexicans, and especially in many memes, the originality of which the actor himself emphasizes. “I really enjoy it and I applaud the ingenuity of those who make them,” he said.
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This was one of the factors why he was so vividly remembered by thousands of families: During those 48 years, Chabelo was the face of every Sunday morning. Invariably, children and adults turned on the television to watch this program, which combined jokes, audience participation and music, as well as guests who put big smiles on their faces because being there with Chabelo was everyone’s dream. , something real that had nothing to do with engagement visits.
Chabelo during a public event at the Zocalo in Mexico City (Photo by Hector Vivas/Jam Media/LatinContent via Getty Images)
Also, the closeness that Xavier López always showed to the audience was greatly appreciated by all those present, who at some point had the opportunity to win a prize that could range from an entire room to a simple supply of sweets, but imbued with the essence of the program and the generosity of a Chabelo, who made it clear Sunday after Sunday that he was enjoying this program, this real and dynamic contact with real people.
The conversation with faces made it very clear that Chabelo had a very close relationship with the press. He didn’t like talking in front of the cameras, and certainly not about his private life: he was often excited to hear questions about his privacy from the reporters who besieged him everywhere. Chatting with facesYour answers are very short. Many questions have more words than the answer itself, a fact that exemplifies Chabelo’s consistent demeanor whenever he makes public statements.
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Chabelo has stayed away from television since the end of his flagship program and has stayed away from new projects on the small screenbut he enjoyed, in his own words, good health and the legacy he had built for seventy years on a path he had chosen for himself and at the expense of going against his father’s will.