Resortes, Adalberto Martínez (1916–2003)

Adalberto Martínez Resortes, known also by the nickname "Resortes Resortin de la Resortera," was a prominent figure in the Mexican entertainment industry, working primarily as a comedian but also as an actor and dancer for over seventy years. Resortes was born Adalberto Martínez Chávez on January 25, 1916, in Mexico City, and began his artistic career at the age of fifteen at the city's Teatro Hidalgo. He soon discovered his talent for tap dance and formed a duo, Los Espontáneos ("the spontaneous ones"), with fellow dancer and friend Juan Flores. When the partnership ended, his love for entertaining expanded into cinema. His first film role came in the 1946 feature Voces de primavera (Spring Voices) and was immediately followed by parts in Yo dormí con un fantasma (I Want to be an Artist; 1947), El rey de México (The Mexican King; 1955), Quiero ser artista (I Slept with a Ghost; 1957), and La chamaca (The Kid; 1960), among others. In 1992 he began a career in television, with a role on the telenovela El Abuelo y yo (The Grandfather and I). In 1987, he was honored by Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes for his exceptional career in the arts, and in 1994 he received a Golden Ariel (the Mexican equivalent of the Academy Awards) for his lifetime contributions to the industry. He died on April 4, 2003.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Falleció anoche el comediarte Adalberto Martínez Resortes." La Jornada Virtual. April 3, 2003. http://www.jornada.unam.mx.

                                      Stacy Lutsch