Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, born on September 23rd, 1917, in Hidalgo, Mexico, was the fifth of seven children. The family moved to Mexico City in the 1920s, where Rodolfo developed an interest in various sports, including baseball, gridiron, and eventually wrestling.
He made his professional wrestling debut in 1934 at Arena Peralvillo Cozumel, competing under various names such as "El Hombre Rojo", "Rudy Guzman", "El Demonio Negro", and "El Murcielago II". Initially, he competed as a "rudo" (bad or "heel" wrestler),but later became a "técnico" (good or "babyface" wrestler),a role he maintained for the next 50 years.
In 1942, his manager, Don Jesus Lomeli, invited Rodolfo to join a team of masked silver wrestlers, and he chose the stage name "El Santo" (The Saint). He first wrestled under this name at Arena Mexico on June 26th, 1942.
During the 1950s, a Mexican artist named Jose Guadalupe Cruz created a "fumetti" style "Santo" comic book, which ran for over 35 years and featured Santo fighting villains both real and supernatural.
Santo's film career began in the early 1960s, with his first appearance in Santo vs. the Zombies (1962),Santo vs. the Evil Brain (1961),and Santo vs. Infernal Men (1961),all shot in Cuba. His movie career exploded overnight, and he went on to star in dozens of films, often teaming up with fellow masked wrestler Alejandro Cruz (aka "Blue Demon").
Some of Santo's most popular films include Santo vs. the Vampire Women (1962),Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1970),and Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dr. Frankenstein (1974).
However, the change of power in the Mexican government in 1976 led to a decline in the popularity of the masked wrestler genre, and film funding was canceled, effectively ending Santo's career.
Santo's final film appearance was in The Fury of the Karate Experts (1982),filmed in Florida, and he officially retired from wrestling and acting on July 26th, 1982, at the age of 65.
After nearly 50 years of never being seen without his trademark mask, Santo appeared on the Mexican TV talk show "Contrapunto" on January 26th, 1984, and without warning, he unmasked and revealed his face. Sadly, Santo passed away from a heart attack less than two weeks later on February 5th, 1984.
Santo's funeral was attended by tens of thousands of fans, as well as many wrestling identities, and he was laid to rest at a mausoleum in Mexico City, wearing his beloved silver mask.
Throughout his life, Santo married twice and fathered 11 children. More than an actor or wrestler, he was a much-loved and venerated cultural icon to the Mexican people and beyond.
