Pedro Infante could fly his own plane, owned automobiles, and was one of Mexico's most popular actors. But when he spoke about fame, he chose to recall a very different time, when he still worked to help support his family.

He did so in early 1957, during the final months of his life. By then, the icon of Mexican Golden Age Cinema had spent years headlining films and had recorded hundreds of songs.

Pedro Infante, icon of Mexican Golden Age Cinema, made a confession about fame: "Inside, in my heart, I haven't changed"

"I earn money, I have automobiles, I enjoy flying my own plane; but inside, in my heart, I haven't changed," Pedro Infante wrote in Historia de mi vida, published on January 10, 1957.

The phrase came after reflecting on where he had come from. Infante recounted that he had been born into a family with few resources and that from a young age he had to work to contribute at home.

In that account, he stated that his first earnings came as a laborer at a business dealing in plows. He remained there for three years before learning other trades.

Carpentry ended up having a direct connection to music. Since he had no money to buy a guitar, he decided to build one while learning the trade and also receiving some musical instruction.

Decades later, that scene was difficult to separate from the man who already owned automobiles, properties, and a company linked to aviation. During that visit to Peru, he even spoke to the press about his planes and other assets.

From building his own guitar to singing on the radio

Pedro Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, on November 18, 1917, and spent much of his adolescence in Guamúchil. He was one of the children of Delfino Infante and Refugio Cruz.

Music appeared early. By the age of 14 he was already performing in an orchestra, and in 1937 he appeared as a vocalist in Culiacán. Shortly afterward, he traveled to Mexico City to try to make his way as a singer.

The breakthrough came through radio. After various auditions, he secured work at XEB and began to become known for his voice. In October 1943, he recorded the waltz Mañana for the Peerless label.

Cinema advanced almost in parallel. After his first appearances, director Ismael Rodríguez found in Infante one of his central actors, and together they built some of the most memorable titles of his career.

Among them were Los tres García, Nosotros los pobres, Ustedes los ricos, Los tres huastecos, and Pepe el Toro. His characters could be workers, charros, lovers, or men confronting family conflicts.

The figures behind Pedro Infante's fame

Pedro Infante's career in Mexican Golden Age Cinema was brief but extraordinarily intense. Mexico's Cultural Information System records more than 60 films and approximately 310 songs.

In 1956, he received the Ariel Award for Best Actor for La vida no vale nada. His performance in Tizoc, alongside María Félix, also received international recognition at the Berlin Film Festival.

By that point, aviation had already taken on another important role in his life. Infante did not merely travel by plane: he was a pilot and had taken part in business activities related to air transportation.

He died on April 15, 1957, in Mérida, Yucatán, when the plane he was traveling in crashed shortly after takeoff. He was 39 years old and was still in the midst of an active film and music career.

Clarín Newsletter