José Miguel Agrelot

Born

1927-04-21

Died

2004-01-28

Birthplace

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Biography

Giuseppe Michel Agrelot (April 21, 1927 - San Juan, Puerto Rico, January 28, 2004) known as José Miguel Agrelot or Don Cholito was a popular comedian and radio and television presenter from Puerto Rico. Agrelot was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico of Italian descent.2 3 He was the third of four children of Felipe Agrelot and Ana Luisa Vilá; his sister Ana Mercedes, later also became a part-time comedy actress. He started working at radio stations when he was 14 years old. At that time, he was an employee of the radio businessman Tomás Muñiz, then general manager of WIAC-AM and father of the then producer and actor Tommy Muñiz. During this period Agrelot developed his first comic character, Torito Fuertes, a mischievous eight-year-old boy for a family comedy program sponsored by Borden, Inc. and evaporated suleche (the name Torito Fuertes was a pun with "strong stingray", a desirable consequence of drinking good milk). Later, the character took his own life in a radio program first called Professor Colgate (sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive's flagship toothpaste) and then called El Colegio de la Alegría (The School of Joy). This program introduced Tommy Muñiz as the school teacher of a rather dysfunctional classroom.