Édgar Ángel Vivar Villanueva (born 28 December 1948) is a Mexican actor and comedian. He is best known for his characters of Señor Barriga and his son Ñoño from El Chavo del Ocho, and El Botija from Los Caquitos and Chespirito.
Life and career The son of engineer Ángel Vivar and Celia Villanueva Falconi, Vivar started his acting career in 1964 as a theater actor. He toured the United States with some of his plays. This gave him vast experience in the acting field.
In 1970, Chespirito needed a robust person to play Señor Barriga as well as Ñoño in his upcoming Televisa production of El Chavo del Ocho, and Vivar was hired for the job. Both shows became major international hits, allowing Vivar to become known beyond Mexico and to tour all over Latin America, Spain and the United States. He also made an attempt at becoming a telenovela actor, participating in his co-star Florinda Meza's production, Alguna vez Tendremos Alas.
His weight caused him serious heart-related issues after the half-hour Chespirito productions were over in 1980 (it is believed that his temporary absence from the show may have related to his weight; and was explained that his character, el Botija, had gone to a weight-loss clinic). In 1992, he left the hour-long Chespirito program briefly for therapy at a weight-loss clinic. He lost a great amount of weight, which helped save his life. He kept touring the countries where Chespirito shows were kept on television as re-runs after the show was over.
In 2006, Vivar appeared in the film Bandidas as a bank manager. He also co-starred in a telenovela made in Argentina, Amarte Así, that became a major success in South America, Spain, and the US. He had a role in Guillermo del Toro's production of El Orfanato, filmed in Spain and released in October 2007. He would later voice Auguste Gusteau and Dug in the Latin American versions of Disney-Pixar's Ratatouille and Up (2009).
In 2008, Vivar underwent gastric bypass surgery at a clinic in Colombia, and lost approximately 165 pounds. Following his surgery, he has become an advocate for healthy living, particularly for overcoming obesity.
Following his weight loss surgery, Vivar retired all of his Chespirito characters, stating that because of his weight loss, they were no longer appropriate. He would, however, reprise the voices of Señor Barriga and his son Ñoño for an episode of the animated adaptation of El Chavo, the only cast member from the original series to do so.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1979 El Chanfle Dr. Nájera 1982 El Chanfle 2 1983 Don Ratón y Don Ratero El más valiente del mundo 1984 Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie Feldwebel Erstarren 1987 Escuadrón sida 1988 Musica de viento 1992 Gordo Gordo Short film 2004 El show del vampiro Vampiro Max Short film, voice role 2006 Bandidas Bank manager 2007 El orfanato Dr. Balabán 2008 All Inclusive Taxi driver 2011 Juan & La Borrega Short film 2015 Cementerio General 2 Psychiatric hospital director2018OverboardPapi's Gatroenterologist2021The Mighty VictoriaDon Edgar2023Soy inocenteFran2024El roomieHomemade
Television Year Title Role Notes 1971–1973; 1980–1995Chespirito Sr. Barriga, Noño, El Botija 1973–1979El Chavo del Ocho 1973–1979El Chapulín Colorado Various characters 1974 Mundo de juguete 1997 Alguna vez tendremos alas Sebastián Medina 1998 ¿Qué nos pasa? Navidad fabuloja Rey mago 2000 No contaban con mi astucia Himself Guest 2002 De pe a pa 2005 Amarte así Don Pedro Aplausos Himself Guest Chespirito: 35 años en el corazón de México 2010–2011 Para volver a amar Renato 2012 La familia P. Luche Doctor Episode "La enfermedad de Federica" 2025 Chespirito: Sin Querer Queriendo Director Agustín P. Delgado Episode 2
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