Xavier Cugat

Biography

Xavier Cugat was a catalan musician and bandleader, born in Spain (Girona, 1 January 1900 – Barcelona, 27 October 1990) who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. In New York City, he was the leader of the resident orchestra at the Waldorf–Astoria before and after World War II. He was also a cartoonist and a restaurateur. The personal papers of Xavier Cugat are preserved in the Biblioteca de Catalunya (Barcelona). His family emigrated to Cuba when he was three years old. He studied classical violin and worked as a violinist at the age of nine in a silent movie theater to help pay for his education. He was first chair violinist for the Teatro Nacional Symphonic Orchestra. When he was not performing, he started drawing caricatures. On 6 July 1915 he and his family arrived in New York City on the SS Havana. Cugat appeared in recitals with Enrico Caruso, playing violin solos. In the 1920s, he led a band that played often at the Coconut Grove, a club in Los Angeles. Cugat's friend, Charlie Chaplin, visited the club to dance the tango, so Cugat added tangos to the band's performances.[5] Seeing …

Movies & TV Shows

1. That's Entertainment! (1974) — (archive footage) (uncredited)
2. You Were Never Lovelier (1942) — Xavier Cugat
3. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) — Violinist in Tango Bar Scene (uncredited)
4. The Merry Widow (1926) — Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
5. That's Entertainment! III (1994) — (archive footage)
6. The Eddy Duchin Story (1956) — Xavier Cugat (uncredited)
7. The Bachelor (1955) — Xavier Cugat
8. Neptune's Daughter (1949) — Xavier Cugat
9. Bathing Beauty (1944) — Orchestra Leader
10. What's My Line? (1950) — Self
11. The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) — Self
12. A Date with Judy (1948) — Xavier Cugat
13. Chicago Syndicate (1955) — Benny Chico
14. Stage Door Canteen (1943) — Xavier Cugat
15. On an Island with You (1948) — Xavier Cugat
16. Go West Young Man (1936) — Orchestra Leader
17. Donatella (1956) — se stesso
18. Week-End at the Waldorf (1945) — Xavier Cugat
19. The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) — Self
20. The Phynx (1970) — Xavier Cugat
21. Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) — Xavier Cugat
22. The Merv Griffin Show (1962) — Self
23. The Heat's On (1943) — Xavier Cugat
24. Holiday in Mexico (1946) — Xavier Cugat
25. The Monitors (1969) — Bug for Culture
26. This Time for Keeps (1947) — Xavier Cugat
27. Luxury Liner (1948) — Xavier Cugat
28. The Steve Allen Show (1956) — Self
29. Nunca en horas de clase (1978) — El presidente
30. The Lash (1930) — Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
31. Mighty Manhattan, New York's Wonder City (1949) — Self
32. Susanna and Me (1957) — Xavier Cugat
33. Sex, Maracas & Chihuahuas (2016) — Self - Musician (archive footage)
34. A Rose in the Wind (1984) — Xavier Cugat
35. Cavalcade of Bands (1950)
36. The George Burns Show (1958) — Self
37. A sud niente di nuovo (1956)
38. Art Ford's Greenwich Village Party (1957) — Self

Directed

1. Charros, gauchos y manolas (1930) — Director