Carlos Villagrán Eslava (born 12 January 1944) is a Mexican actor, comedian, and former journalist best known for playing Kiko in the Televisa sitcom El Chavo del Ocho.
Life and career
Villagrán started off as a photographer for the Mexico City newspaper El Heraldo, with this position leading him to become friends with screenwriter and future co-star Rubén Aguirre. Aguirre had been hired by Chespirito (Roberto Gómez Bolaños) to play the role of Professor Jirafales in the then upcoming El Chavo del Ocho television series for Televisa. Aguirre held a party for family and friends at his house to celebrate, and Villagrán impressed him after expanding his cheeks out of proportion during one of the party's comic steps. As a matter of a fact, that movement would later become a trademark of the character he'd play in El Chavo.
Aguirre recommended Villagrán to Chespirito, and - impressed by the photographer - Villagrán was given the role of Quico, Chavo's rival, in the show. He also appeared on Chespirito's other hit show, El Chapulín Colorado. Both of Chespirito's shows became major international hits all over Iberoamerica, Spain, the United States and other countries, catapulting Villagrán into popularity.
thumb|left|Villagrán dressed as [[Quico (El Chavo del Ocho)|Quico in 2010.|200x200px]]
Villagrán left the shows in 1978, for reasons never officially confirmed; speculation suggests it was because he and Chespirito were engaged in a legal battle over the rights of the Quico character. At that same time, Ramón Valdés also left the two shows. This marked the beginning of the end of active creating for both productions, although re-runs of the program continue to this day.
After El Chavo
Villagrán went to Venezuela, where he acted in various Radio Caracas Televisión shows: El niño de papel (1981), Federrico (1982), Las nuevas aventuras de Federrico (1983), El circo de monsieur Cachetón (1985) and Kiko Botones (1986). These were not successful as Chespirito's productions had been in Mexico. He and Valdés were reunited in Mexico when production company Telerey hired them to make the short-lived television show ¡Ah qué Kiko! for Imevisión.
In 2017, Villagrán starred in the Brazilian film adaptation of TV presenter Danilo Gentili's Como se Tornar o Pior Aluno da Escola in the role of Ademar, the director of the school and antagonist of the film.
Villagrán returned to the role of Quico in late 2023 for a public service announcement produced by the United States Embassy in Mexico against illegal immigration. The campaign was criticized in social media by individual citizens.
Personal life
Villagrán has been married three times. He has four sons and three daughters. In 2022, Villagrán confirmed that one of his daughters had overcome breast cancer.
In a 2013 interview with the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Villagrán proved to be insightful on his aging and his role, suggesting that he had been considering retirement:
On November 17, 2023, Univision journalist Inés Moreno revealed that the actor would be going under treatment for prostate cancer. In 2025 he announced that his cancer was now in remission.
In popular culture
In 2025, Villagrán was portrayed in the series Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose by Juan Lecanda under the pseudonym Marcos Barragán. He did not give his consent for his name to be used in the series, and he asked producer Roberto Gómez Fernández to change it, so a fictional name and character based on him were chosen.