POMPÍN IGLESIAS: BIOGRAPHY AND MAIN FILMS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2026

Pompín Iglesias (1926-2007) was a Mexican comedian of Colombian origin, famous for series like Mi secretaria and Sábados alegres. He has been considered one of the greatest comedians and received the award for best actor in comedies by TVyNovelas in 1985.

Pompín Iglesias was one of the most relevant figures in Mexican entertainment, recording countless movies and series that catapulted him to fame since the 1950s.

Pompín Iglesias. Image taken from: eluniversal.com.mx

His last participation was in the play A obsuras gives me laughter, where he played the role of detective. In an interview that the comedian gave Notimex before passing away, he pointed out that his greatest wish was to return to television with a comedy program.

The most famous phrase of Pompín and with which he became known, he pronounced it in the series My Secretary and was: What a beautiful family! What a beautiful family!

Biography

Early years

Alfonso Iglesias Soto, better known as Pompín Iglesias, was born in 1926 in Colombia, in the city of Bogotá. However, he would soon go to live in Mexico where he remained the rest of his life.

He had two children: Alfonso Iglesias, known as Pompín III; and Manuel Iglesias, who died in December 2005. He shared his love life with Isabel Martínez "La Tarabilla", with whom he had a relationship of more than 30 years.

He became known in theatrical comedy, which would be his specialization and area of ​​greatest domain in the world of acting.

The comedy

For Pompín Iglesias, comedy was always the genre where he felt most comfortable and where he knew he could exploit and put his full potential to the test. His comedies were full of entanglement and absurd situations that drew millions of laughter from the public.

In his later jobs as a comedian, he was no longer offered many lines in the scripts, as the requirement to memorize so much information was difficult. However, those who worked with him assure that, when he went on stage, he became another, and his spark, his gestures and his grace were not lost despite his advanced age. He still managed to make both young and old laugh.

Personal life

Isabel Martínez, better known as "La Tarabilla", was Pompín's partner for more than 32 years. They met on the set of the play El Tenorio Cómico. Lupita Pallás, who worked with him on this play and was the mother of another great Mexican comedian, Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo, was the one who introduced Pompín and Isabel.

Despite their long coexistence, Pompín and Isabel never married as they did not see the need to legally unite their lives. Within a year of working on the play, they became boyfriends.

Last years and death

Pompín's first health conditions were due to respiratory causes, due to the constant and sudden changes in temperature that his body did not support well. He was hospitalized for more than eight days for pneumonia.

In addition, Isabel says that Pompín smoked most of his life, which could also have complicated his constant respiratory diseases.

Pompín Iglesias died in the city of Cuernavaca, Morelos state at the age of 82, due to cardiac arrest. After the funeral, his coffin was transferred to the Dolores Pantheon, owned by the National Association of Actors (ANDA) and there he was buried.

The people who loved him in life went to say their last goodbye to Pompín to the sound of Las Golondrinas and México lindo y querida, two hymns of Mexican culture. The assistants chanted his famous phrase: What a beautiful family! His remains were deposited with those of his parents and one of his sons who died a year ago.

Pompín could not fulfill his dream of returning to the small screen, due to his health problems and because they no longer called him from the production companies to work. His last appearances were in the theater and his last performance was in Darkness gives me laugh, in which he played the role of a detective.

Productions

TV

- My secretary (1978)

- Madness Love (1953)

Films

- We arrived, washed them and left (1985)

- Some Decent Rascals (1980)

- The patrol boat 777 (next to Cantinflas) (1978)

- Autopsy of a ghost (1968)

- My Hero (1965)

- Dengue of love (1965)

- The Black Ghost Gang (1964)

- What a great father (1961)

- A trio of three (1960)

- The Super Skinny (1959)

- A Slacker Without a Job (1958)

- As long as the body endures (1958)

- From New York to Huapanguillo (1943)

Theater plays

- In the dark it makes me laugh (2006)

Pompín and Nacho

Pompín y Nacho was a series of comic-style comics launched by Editora La Prensa, which told the story of two Mexican comedians: Pompín Iglesias and Nacho Contla, already famous and recognized in those years, 1969-1970. This was a series of 10 full-color 32-page comic strips.

The comics were based on all kinds of adventures, always putting the protagonists in funny and comical situations; but above all, it emphasized the real personality of each of the comedians. Therefore, Pompín always threw very characteristic phrases that made all Mexicans enjoy.

Top Movies

My secretary

It was one of the most famous comedies in which Pompín Iglesias acted. In it he played Don Caritino Estudillo y Picoy, the head of the secretaries of the accounting department of an advertising agency. Thanks to this series, it gained worldwide fame and recognition, since it was broadcast in several Spanish-speaking countries.

Pompín immortalized the phrase what a beautiful family !, since in the series he pronounced it several times and then it would form a fundamental part of the character.

Likewise, he was in charge of naming Maribel Fernández, the actress who played Dulce as "La Pelangocha", being known worldwide by this nickname given by Pompín. The series ran for 10 years.

Ghost autopsy

Autopsy of a ghost is a comedy directed by Ismael Rodríguez in 1968. 400 years ago a man committed suicide and was condemned not to rest in peace, so his ghost roams the earthly world.

In order to get out of the abandoned house in which he is trapped, he is given four days to conquer the true love of a woman and have her sacrifice herself for him.

Pompín Iglesias is Vitola's nephew, one of the possible suitors who, under the influence of the devil, orders him to rob the bank where he works to undergo surgery.

References

1. They say goodbye to Pompín in the Dolores Pantheon. (2019). Taken from file.eluniversal.com.mx
2. Comedian Pompín Iglesias dies. (2019). Taken from elsiglodedurango.com.mx
3. The actor Pompín Iglesias, famous for the phrase What a beautiful family! Died; the death occurred due to natural causes, in Cuernavaca. (2019). Taken from cronica.com.mx
4. POMPIN Y NACHO (1969, LA PRENSA) - Tebeosfera. (2019). Taken from tebeosfera.com
5. Pompín Iglesias - IMDb. (2019). Taken from imdb.com