Alfonso Zayas was an actor and comedian who died in 2021. He was famous for his work on several Mexican shows and films, including Transplante a la Mexicana and El Sexo Me Divierte.
He was most famous for appearing in Mexican ‘sex comedies.’ Upon his death, he had a net worth of approximately $1 million.
| Name | Juan Alfonso Zara’s Inclán (Alfonso Zayas) |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth: | June 30th, 1941 (80 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Hidalgo, Mexico |
| Height: | 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 meters) |
| Profession: | Actor, comedian, producer |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Children: | 9 |
| Parents: | Alfonso Zayas Zetina (father), María Dolores Inclán (mother) |
| Net Worth Estimate: | $1 million |
Net Worth
It is unclear what Zayas’s exact net worth was when he died. However, it is speculated to be around $1 million, or 19,908,480, in Zayas’s native Mexican pesos.
Zayas made the majority of his net worth from his work as an actor who appeared in numerous hit Mexican films and TV shows.
In total, he appeared in approximately 175 TV shows and films during the most popular portion of his career, between 1958 and 2017. He also worked as a producer on some of these TV shows (1).
Company
Zayas did not own his own company. Additionally, he does not appear to have had any investments or stakes in other companies.
Earnings
Zayas began acting from a very young age, first appearing in several theatre plays when he was less than nine years old. However, it is unclear if he earned anything from this role.
His next appearance was at the age of 9 in the film Azahares para tu boda. Again, as he was a child actor at this time, it is unlikely that he earned a lot from this work.
Almost a decade later, Zayas appeared in Piernas de Oro, another Mexican film. As he was almost an adult, it is likely that Zayas earned a little more from this appearance.
Zayas made several other television and film appearances during this time, including for the show La Tremenda Corte, El Show De Alejandro Suárez, and La Presidenta Municipal.
As these were merely guest appearances, his earnings at this time were likely to be low (2). In America, a guest star will usually receive approximately $5000 for a guest appearance in a half-hour show (3).
As Zayas’s shows were based in Mexico and filmed in the 1960s-70s, Zayas’s salary was likely to be substantially lower than this.
Zayas’s first leading role was in the 1975 movie Albures Mexicanos.
Again, his salary is unknown for this film (4). However, the average pay for an actor in Mexico is approximately 382,099 yearly in Mexican pesos, or $19,211 (5).
Zayas continued to appear in several other films, although his earnings for these were unclear. He appeared in films every year between 1975 and 2014.
One of his more successful films was the 1981 film La Pulquería. Although Zayas’s earnings for this film are unknown, the film was successful enough to warrant two sequels, suggesting that his earnings may have been fairly high.
Similarly, Zayas also appeared in the four El Vecindario movies between 1982 and 1985, as well as the four Los Verduleros movies between 1986 and 2011.
Between 1985 and 2004, Zayas had leading roles in several Mexican movies. He worked as the lead actor, producer, and director for the 1988 film El Sexo Me Divierte, so he likely had a substantial portion of the film’s profit.
As he was considered an experienced actor by this point, his salary was likely towards the higher end of the scale.
He may have been earning something between 381,124 MXN to 467,548 MXN or $19,169 to $23,516 (6).
One notable film was the 1998 movie El Detective Cazanachas en Acapulco, which had a budget of approximately $25,142. Zayas likely received a portion of these earnings (7). One of Zayas’s most recent films, El Crimen del Cácaro Gumaro, grossed approximately $4,757,098 worldwide. Zayas would have most likely received some of these earnings (8).
Real Estate
Around 1995, Zayas moved to Cuernavaca, a city in Mexico (9). The price of his house is unclear, but properties in the city range from $47,628 to $3,409,140.
Since Zayas lived with his wife, son, and daughter, his house likely had four bedrooms, meaning the house price was approximately $902,420 (10).
Early Life
Zayas was born on June 30th, 1941, in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico. His father, Alfonso, worked as a musician, while his mother, María, was a housewife.
Zayas came from a family of actors since his uncle, Raúl ‘Chato’ Padilla, was also an actor. At the same time, his aunt, Lili Inclán, was an actress. Similarly, his cousins Raúl ‘Chóforo’ Padilla and Rafael Inclán were actors as well.
Career
Zayas began his acting career at a very young age, first appearing in the play Irma La Dulce. He appeared with many iconic Mexican actors, including Alejandro Suárez and Silvia Pinal.
He made several television appearances as a teenager, including Piernas de Oro, La Trematoda Corte, and Gente Sin Historia. Zayas also took several minor roles in other shows and films like Pobre, Pedro Honrada! and La Presidenta Municipal.
It was not until 1975 that Zayas appeared in a hit movie, which was Albures Mexicanos. After this, Zayas appeared in numerous other erotic Mexican films like El Sexo Me Da Risa and La Criada Maravilla. As such, Zayas became well-known for starring in this genre of movie.
Between 1980 and 2011, Zayas appeared in several movies and their sequels, like the La Pulquería, El Vecindario, and Los Verduleros franchises.
In 1988, Zayas worked as the lead actor, director, and producer of the erotic film El Sexo Me Divierte.
He also appeared alongside his cousin for Los Plomeros Y Las Ficheras. One of Zayas’s most famous roles was in the television series Sábado Gigante, where he appeared alongside famous host Don Francisco.
Zayas made his last appearance in the movie Buscando Nirvana in 2017, where he played the role of the Professor.
However, in 2021, he did speak about meeting with individuals like Benito Castro, Alejandro Suárez, and Luis de Alba for future projects.
It is unclear if he managed to film any scenes with these actors or if these projects will continue without Zayas.
Career Highlights
- First film appearance at nine years old in Azahares para tu boda
- Appeared in the TV series Gente sin Historia and La Trematoda Corte as a teenager
- In 1975, he starred in the hit film Albures Mexicanos
- Appeared in mostly Mexican erotic movies beaten 1970 to 2004, including El Sexo Me Da Risa and La Criada Maravilla
- In 1988, he produced, directed, and starred in El Sexo Me Divierte
- Appeared in Sábado Gigante until the show’s cancellation in 2015
- His last appearance was in 2017’s Buscando Nirvana
Personal Life
Zayas was married to his wife Libia Garcia until his death. It is unclear when the pair married or how they met, but they were together for at least two decades. Garcia was approximately 30 years younger than Zayas when he died. The pair had one child together, Alfonso Zayas Jr.
Before marrying Garcia, Zayas had been married at least six times. Through these marriages, Zayas had eight other children. Zayas’s first son, whose name is unknown, was a former helicopter pilot who died in 2005 during a crash.
However, Zayas did not learn about his death until three days after the fact. At the time, Zayas was filming Sábado Gigante in Miami, Florida. His family chose not to tell him until filming was complete.
Naturally, Zayas later described this moment as one of the worst moments in his life. Shortly before Zayas’s own death in 2021, he spoke about the loss of his son, stating, “If I talk about him, I might cry because I’ll never forget him. It is a love that I had for my wonderful son.”
Zayas was a devout Christian like the rest of his family, despite the nature of his job.
On July 8th, 2021, Zayas died from respiratory failure. A number of celebrities shared their condolences to Zayas’s family, including members of Toros de Tijuana, a baseball team, Luis Manuel Avila, Juan Carlos Casanova, and many others.
Interesting Facts
- Originally, Zayas did not want to be an actor, as he feared he wouldn’t be able to provide for his family this way. In Zayas’s words, “I didn’t want to be an actor. I had already seen my whole family starving … it was very difficult to live off the tent.”
- Zayas occasionally went under the alternate name ‘Alfonso Sayas.’
Summary
Alfonso Zayas was a Mexican actor, producer, and director. He starred in a number of Mexican erotic movies and television shows.
He is best known for his work on Sábado Gigante and El Sexo Me Divierte. He passed away in 2021 due to respiratory failure. He had a net worth of approximately $1 million when he died.