Iris Chacón

Iris Belia Chacón Tapia[1] (born March 7, 1950 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico (where she had a weekly variety show for more than a decade) and in other Latin American countries, as well as such U.S. locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Chacón and the second or maternal family name is Tapia.
Iris Chacón
Chacón in 1976
Born
Iris Belia Chacón Tapia

(1950-03-07) March 7, 1950
San Juan, Puerto Rico
OccupationSinger, dancer, entertainer
Years active1970s–present
Height5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1975)​

Junno Faria
​
​
(m. 1977; div. 2017)​
External audio
You may view scenes of the Iris Chacon Show on YouTube

Career

Chacón has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" (The Puerto Rican Bombshell),[2] and "La Vedette de América" (America's Showgirl). During her heyday in the 1970s and early 1980s,[3] she toured most of Latin America, the United States, Europe and Japan. She also starred in two movies and many telenovelas, such as Yo Sé Que Mentía.

Amalie Oil commercial

In 1982, AMCAR, Inc. hired her for a television commercial about Amalie Oil Company automobile coolant products, which became one of the most famous television commercials in Puerto Rico's history. The publicity surrounding the commercial landed her in a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal in June 1983 entitled "A Onetime Choirgirl Rules as Sex Goddess On Puerto Rican TV". The ad employed a play on words between the English word coolant and Spanish culón which means large derrière.[4]

Mid-1980s to present

From 1984 through the early 1990s, Iris Chacón appeared on such American TV shows as America Onstage, The Joan Rivers Show, The Merv Griffin Show, Geraldo Rivera Show, and David Letterman. Letterman described her as the Dolly Parton and Loni Anderson of Puerto Rico and joked about proposing to her. Griffin said of her that "she was the answer to 'Where's the beef?'", a reference to the Wendy's commercial of that time period. However, by 1984, Chacón reached her peak, and not being able to reach an "Anglo" market, ended her show in Puerto Rico by mid-1985 at the age of 35. Her show aired in syndication until the end of the 1980s.[5]

Outside of the U.S., Chacón appeared on various Spanish-language programs, including Anabel, Siempre en Domingo, Mala Noche No, and Al Ritmo de la Noche which were all Televisa productions.

Personal life

Chacón was married to Latin musician Junno Faria, from 1977 to 2017. They have a daughter together, Katiria. Iris divides her time between residences in Orlando and Puerto Rico.

References
  1. Our Conversation with Beloved Latina Legend Iris Chacón
  2. "Salsa Great Gilberto Santa Rosa to be Grand Marshall of NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade". Yahoo.
  3. "Our Conversation with Beloved Latina Legend Iris Chacón". NBC News.
  4. Febles, J. (2009). Into the Mainstream: Essays on Spanish American and Latino Literature and Culture. EBSCO ebook academic collection. Cambridge Scholars Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-4438-0665-7. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  5. Rivera, Daniel (December 1, 2016). "Iris Chacón on her career & why she's part of entertainment's revival mode". Fox News Channel.
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