VALENTÍN PIMSTEIN: BIOGRAPHY AND MAIN PRODUCTIONS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Valentin Pimstein Weiner (1925-2017) was a Chilean telenovela producer adopted by Mexico as the pioneer of the pink soap opera. In his legacy there are more than 90 dramas for the small screen that marked an era in different generations.

Among his most outstanding productions are The rich also cry, Live a little, Wild rose, Carousel, Love has the face of a woman, The home that I stole, Soledad, Toy world, Chispita, Simply María and La fiera, among many others.

Valentín Pimstein is considered "the father of the pink soap opera." Photo by El Universal / GDA

Biography

Pimstein was born in Santiago de Chile into a very numerous Jewish family of Russian descent, being the seventh of nine siblings.

His mother, a fan of radio soap operas -which were very popular during Valentine's childhood-, was a clear influence so that years later he found his passion and amazed the Hispanic world.

He married Victoria Ranioff, with whom he had three children: Viviana, Verónica and Víctor.

He left Santiago for Mexico when he was just coming of age, to start working in the cinema as an assistant director.

He also worked in a nightclub, where on a casual night he met Emilio Azcárraga Milmo, who by then was in charge of the Telesistema Mexicano chain, the current Televisa.

Since then, he began the journey that led him right where he should be: in a television studio.

Like love, success at first sight

Described by those close to him as a fan of romanticism and melodrama, he made his debut in 1958 with the novel Gutierritos, to then deliver a transcendental blow of authority with his essence by creating productions that today are considered classics.

In Gutierritos, his first television job, he told the story of Ángel, a hard-working and caring man who is humiliated by his friends, co-workers and even by his wife.

One day he falls in love with a new colleague and, overcome by shyness, is unable to express his feelings to her. To achieve this, he writes a book in which he confesses his love for the beautiful woman. He entrusts the secret to his friend Jorge, who steals the book, publishes it in his name and usurps all his credit.

But what hurts Ángel the most is that through the book, Jorge conquers and steals his girlfriend. Henceforth, the protagonist tries to reveal the truth at all costs and show that he is the author of the book and therefore the one who deserves the love of the most desired.

This is how Pimstein's plot unfolded over 50 episodes, setting the course for the next five decades of soap operas with a style that would conquer the hearts of millions of viewers throughout Latin America.

Main productions

Love Has a Woman's Face (1971)

The success of Gutierritos was followed -among his most outstanding works- El amor es cara de mujer (1971). This one in particular marked a milestone by becoming one of the longest novels in the history of Mexican television with a total of 400 episodes between 1971 and 1973, a true "soap opera" that lasted more than two years.

In it, a group of women joined their friendship ties between anecdotes and everyday events, some more shocking than others, shaping a very heterogeneous mix of social patterns and diverse tastes, undoubtedly one of the keys to its success.

Toy World (1974)

Toy world (1974) did not give respite to his perpetual streak: now with a children's soap opera he has earned the respect and admiration of the medium, beyond the rating.

The Rich Also Cry (1979)

In 1979, five years later, his myth rose even more with The Rich Also Cry, starring Verónica Castro, a star who made the great leap to fame thanks to Pimstein's ingenuity.

This dramatic catapulted Mexican soap operas towards internationalization, beyond Aztec lands.

And not only Verónica Castro became a figure of the hand of Pimstein. The select group of celebrities who excelled is made up of Ofelia Medina, Angélica Aragón, Lucía Méndez, Edith González and Victoria Ruffo.

Colorina

In the 1980s, he continued with Colorina, starring Lucía Méndez in the role of a prostitute.

Live a Little (1985)

With Angélica Aragón he made Vivir un poco (1985), in which he unloaded to the maximum the characteristic melodrama of his style with a story of homicide, mystery and investigation linked by the character of Aragón (Andrea Santos), a woman imprisoned for decades because of of a crime he did not commit.

Carousel (1989)

Carrusel (1989) marked a time culminating in the 1980s with a group of adorable children who, guided by their teacher, cope with all kinds of problems that arise in childhood, in school classrooms and in families. It is considered one of Pimstein's most momentous hits.

Simply Maria

That same year, Simply María aired, starring Victoria Ruffo. It was another great success of the father of the pink soap opera.

Maria Mercedes (1992)

After his departure from television, Pimstein returned to his homeland Chile. There he lived with his family and died at the age of 91.

Among the connoisseurs of the television industry in Latin America and North America, Valentín Pimstein left an indelible mark. It marked the beginning of a mass phenomenon that continues to this day in other dimensions: the popular culture of soap operas.

Today they are still consumed by millions of viewers around the world, even with retransmissions of their classics, unforgettable and very peculiar stories that inspired many others.

But none like those of Pimstein, who had the power to provoke all kinds of emotions in the viewers, who stayed in suspense every afternoon waiting in front of the television for a new episode and prayed that the end of the plot was as far away as possible.

References

1. Valentin Pimstein, a soap opera life. Milenio newspaper article. millennium.com/espectaculos/valentin-pimstein-una-vida-de-telenovela.
2. The best soap operas of Valentín Pimstein. Vanguardia newspaper article.
3. Valentin Pimstein, producer of hierarchy who reinvented. The day newspaper.
4. Farewell to Valentin Pimstein. The Miami Herald.
5. Telenovelas: a Latin American success story. Rogers EM; Antola L (1985).