Known by fans as the Wild Rooster, Luis Aguilar was one of the most popular singers and actors in his native Mexico and in the Spanish-speaking world. He frequently co-starred in films featuring Pedro Infante.
The stocky Aguilar was born in Hermosillo, in the Mexican state of Sonora. He was discovered by Raul de Anda and made his feature film debut in Sota, Caballo y Rey in 1943 and went on to appear in over 200 feature films and several straight-to-video movies. His nickname came from two popular films, El Gallo Giro (The Rooster Rolls) (or The Black and White Gamecock) (1948) and Dos Gallos de Pelea (Two Gamecocks) (1949). Aguilar was best known for his Westerns and rancheras and he only occasionally ventured out into other genres. In the '60s, Aguilar began playing more character roles. In the mid-'70s, the actor took an almost decade-long hiatus from films. Upon his return, Aguilar resumed playing character roles in features and in telenovelas until his death from heart failure in October 1997. For his performance in Los Años de Greta (1991), Aguilar earned the Arial award (the Mexican Oscar). The group gave him a special award in 1996. In his later years, Aguilar commonly appeared on telenovelas in addition to his feature films.
