Elín Ortíz, Puerto Rican actor, comedian, and producer, Died at 81

  Actor

Elín Ortiz was born on December 14, 1934, and died on June 12, 2016.

He was a Puerto Rican actor, comedian and producer.

He started his career as a radio and stage actor while still studying at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, sharing credits with Luis Antonio Rivera (Yoyo Boing), Walter Mercado, Adela Villamil, Jacobo Morales and many others.

In 1954, from the beginning of TV, participated in local soap operas (telenovelas), comedy programs and televised stage plays, as well as cultural programming on WIPR, the radio and television government operated stations where he also worked as writer and director.

On stage, he was known to be one of the most versatile actors of his generation, due to his talent for both, drama and comedy. With Morales, Myrna Vazquez, Marcos Betancourt and Alicia Moreda, Ortiz was a founder of El Cemi Theater Company.

During the 1960s, he was a star of many of the programs produced for Telemundo by Paquito Cordero on a weekly basis, especially ‘La Taberna India’, in which he played Reliquia, an ancient (although Ortiz was in his 20s) small town smart aleck lawyer who victimized the everyday countryman (jibaro) played by Adalberto Rodriguez (Machuchal) through money making schemes created by Reliquia’s corrupt mind.

That show became very popular one for more than a decade.

During the early 70s, Elín Ortíz began a production of his own TV shows at Telemundo, among them the first Astrology related program starring Walter Mercado and segments designed to showcase the talents of dancing/singing bombshell Iris Chacon, who later became his second wife.

His first marriage was to a lady not related to the artistic world with whom he later had two daughters.

However, it was unfortunate that both girls were afflicted by diseases which tragically claimed their lives while still in their teens.

After he divorce, he was briefly married to dancer/singer Iris Chacón during the early 1970s.

During 1978, he got married to singer/composer Charytín, a Dominican native who had lived in Puerto Rico for many years.

During 1979, the couple had their first son, Shalim.

The couple decided to move in Miami, Florida during the late 1980s and in 1990 their twins, Sharinna and Alexander were born.

Elín Ortíz took time out from acting to manage his wife’s career and later retired completely to spend more time with his family.

Elín’s son, Shalim has gone on to become an international singing star and a spokesman for the American Diabetes Association.

He also suffered from Diabetes during his last years.

He died due to Alzheimer’s Disease.