Pedro Infante Cruz (November 18, 1917 – April 15, 1957), better known as Pedro Infante, is a legendary Mexican actor and ranchera singer. The Mexican ranchera genre is a unique amalgam of boleros, waltzes, and cha-cha-cha stylized by distinctively mariachi instrumentation and singing, immortalized by Pedro Infante’s signature voice.

Infante is (arguably) the most renowned and beloved actor/vocalist of the genre and the Golden Age of Mexican cinema (1933 to 1964), for which classic ranchera/mariachi music became intrinsic as the films progressed. Infante was catapulted to fame in the context of these romantic dramas, or dramatic/comedic blends for which Infante’s voice, charisma, and flair for the histrionic and comedic Mexican prototype made him a cultural icon whose adulation is relatively unmatched (although this may be a function of his early death, his work was prolific, with over 60 movies and approximately 350 songs).

As an idol in Mexico and Latin America, his contemporaries Jorge Negrete and Javier Solís, were dubbed the Los Gallos Más Caros (the Three Mexican Roosters).

Pedro’s hobby was flying planes, which tragically led to his early death at the age of 49. Various shrines throughout Mexico attract fans of every age, the most renowned of which is in the Panteón Jardín of Mexico City.

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