Biographie
Member of the Spanish comedy duo "Cruz y Raya," alongside José Mota. They met during military service in 1985 and, after completing it, moved to Madrid seeking new opportunities. There, they launched their first show, '60 personajes en busca de humor' ('60 Characters in Search of Humor'), featuring impersonations of many famous figures. The show was a great success, leading to performances at 'Caribiana,' one of Madrid’s top nightclubs. They later secured a two-year contract at the 'Windsor' hall on Gran Vía, earning recognition as leaders of independent comedy.
Their radio career began with programs such as 'Viva la gente divertida' (Antena 3, hosted by Luis del Olmo) and shows with Javier Sardà, which expanded their audience. Hugo Stuven gave them their TV debut on Raffaella Carrà's 'Hola Raffaella.' In 1990, they entered cinema with the film Ni se te ocurra... (1991), warmly received by viewers. They then produced successful TV specials like 'Colón Pirata' and 'No Smoking,' the latter nominated for the 1993 'TP de Oro' award for Best Special Program. During that summer, their own show, 'Abierto por vacaciones,' topped audience ratings throughout its run.
Their major challenge came on New Year's Eve 1993, when the comic duo 'Martes y Trece' took a break, and TVE invited Cruz y Raya to host the New Year's Eve special. They accepted, presenting 'Este año, Cruz y Raya ¡Seguro!,' which was followed by the live broadcast of the 12 bell strikes. From then on, they had their own program on TVE. In 1994, they produced the series 'Perdiendo el juicio,' 'VayaTele,' and the summer special 'Aquí hemos venido a lo que hemos venido,' all highly successful.
Between September 1995 and April 1996, they entertained viewers with a 30-minute series combining sketches, impersonations, and musical segments, which achieved the number one spot in Friday night ratings. Due to this unexpected success for a comedy-only show, a second season followed the next year with a similar format. After a well-earned TV break, they returned to TVE in 1998 with the series 'Este no es el programa de los Viernes,' their most successful work to date. Their catchphrases became popular among the public, such as 'Ja me maaten' and 'Le quiero, Don Puente.'
In 1999, they launched the hit show 'Estamos en directo' and closed the year with the TVE 2000 New Year's Eve special 'En efecto 2000,' which captured an impressive 50% audience share. In 2000, they produced 'cruzyraya.com,' maintaining their classic format. They also hosted the 2001 TVE New Year's Eve special titled '2001: Aunque sea en el espacio,' which again achieved a 50% audience share.
In film, they lent their voices to several animated movies, including Goomer (1999), Mulan (1998) (José), and the parrot in 102 Dalmatians (2000) (José as well). Juan made his directorial debut with the film ¡Ja me maaten...! (2000), while José appeared in a minor role as a beach watcher in Torrente 2: Misión en Marbella (2001) and contributed to its soundtrack.
Currently, both are developing individual projects, though a split between them remains highly unlikely.
