Biografia
Member of the Spanish comedy duo "Cruz y Raya," alongside Juan Muñoz. 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 numerous famous personalities. The show was a hit, leading to performances at 'Caribiana,' one of Madrid's top nightclubs, and later at the 'Windsor' hall on Gran Vía, where they entertained audiences for two years and earned the title of kings of independent humor.
They then transitioned into radio with programs like 'Viva la gente divertida' on Antena 3 (hosted by Luis del Olmo) and shows with Javier Sardà, which broadened their audience. Hugo Stuven gave them their TV debut with a segment on the program _"Pero ¿esto qué es?" (1989)_ on TVE. Following this, they secured their own show on Tele 5 and later returned to TVE to collaborate on Raffaella Carrà's 'Hola Raffaella.'
In 1990, they made their film debut with Ni se te ocurra... (1991), warmly received by viewers. They continued on TV with specials such as 'Colón Pirata' and 'No Smoking,' the latter earning a 'TP de Oro' nomination for Best Special Program in 1993. That summer, their show "Abierto por vacaciones" maintained the top audience spot throughout its run.
Their first major challenge came with hosting the 1993 New Year's Eve special after the comedy duo 'Martes y Trece' took a break. TVE invited them to present the event, leading to the program 'Este año, Cruz y Raya ¡Seguro!', which featured the live broadcast of the famous 12 bell strikes. From then on, Cruz y Raya consistently had their own TVE programs.
In 1994, they created the series 'Perdiendo el juicio,' 'VayaTele,' and the summer special 'Aquí hemos venido a lo que hemos venido,' all highly successful. From September 1995 to April 1996, they hosted a 30-minute series blending sketches, impersonations, and musical performances, which topped Friday night ratings. Due to its popularity, a second season followed in 1997 with a similar format.
After a break from TV in 1998, they returned to TVE with 'Este no es el programa de los viernes,' their most successful show to date. Their catchphrases became widely recognized, including 'Ja me maaten' and 'Le quiero, Don Puente.' In 1999, they launched another hit, 'Estamos en directo,' and concluded the year with the TVE 2000 New Year's Eve special 'En efecto 2000,' which garnered an impressive 50% audience share.
In 2000, they produced the series Cruz y raya.com, maintaining their classic style. They also hosted the TVE 2001 New Year's Eve special, '2001 aunque sea en el espacio,' which again achieved a 50% share. Their work in cinema included dubbing roles in animated films such as Goomer (1999), Mulan (1998) (José), and the parrot in 102 Dalmatians (2000) (José). 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: Mission in Marbella (2001) and contributed to its soundtrack.
Currently, both are developing individual projects, though their split seems unlikely.
