Dick(II)
- Actor
Argentinean actor, comedian, acrobat, and writer of Jewish Russian ancestry born Bernardo Zalman Ver Dvorkin in Ekaterinoslav, Ukraine on June 1st, 1905. During the Russian Revolution of 1917, his family was persecuted for its ethnic background and had to flee Ukraine on foot under the most atrocious circumstances. A brother and a sister did not survive the ordeal, while another sister suffered nervous breakdowns for years and was finally committed to a mental institution in Buenos Aires.
Young Dick served in the Argentinean navy as a sailor and when he finished the service became an acrobat performing regularly in circuses, fairs and assorted events. in the 1930's he met Pepe Biondi, another struggling acrobat, and both decided to form an act they named Dick and Biondi.
They started mixing acrobatics, parodies, and satire but soon learned that comedy was what their audiences wanted. After a humble start in Argentina performing in sailor bars, burlesque, and vaudeville, they accepted a short term contract in Chile where Biondi had an accident that damaged his spine. Acrobatics were no longer possible so Dick & Biondi fine tuned the humor in their performances developing a highly polished act that was new and ingenious. Dick & Biondi got a big break in 1940 when they were booked in a legitimate theater in Mexico as the opening act for Josephine Baker. Their success was immediate and when La Baker returned to France, Dick & Biondi remained as headliners for many months by popular demand.
Soon they were performing all over Latin America and Spain achieving a reputation as one of the best comedy acts of the 20th century. Starting in 1952, the duo had an immense success with their own weekly television program called "El show de Dick y Biondi" in Mexico. By 1956 they were also doing their show on Cuban television as well as branching out to perform in theaters and television in various countries. During sold out performances in Madrid, Dick met and fell in love with actress Trini Alonso who shortly after became his wife. He brought Trini back with him to Cuba and, according to observers, she became his sole focus of attention to the point of missing his cues on performances when Trini was present in the audience.
This did not sit well with Biondi who saw the act undermined by his partner's wife. The crisis exploded when Dick began suggesting that the duo should become a trio to include Trini. This was too much for Biondi who decided immediately to dissolve the partnership that had been so successful for almost thirty years. Biondi went back to Argentina where he became a solo act with legendary success on television, while Dick decided to settle in Spain with his wife. There is no evidence of any activity by him after the break up, however his wife, Trini Alonso, proceeded with her acting career on stage and in films. It is uncertain of whatever happened to Dick but his legacy as one half of Dick & Biondi lives on.
Young Dick served in the Argentinean navy as a sailor and when he finished the service became an acrobat performing regularly in circuses, fairs and assorted events. in the 1930's he met Pepe Biondi, another struggling acrobat, and both decided to form an act they named Dick and Biondi.
They started mixing acrobatics, parodies, and satire but soon learned that comedy was what their audiences wanted. After a humble start in Argentina performing in sailor bars, burlesque, and vaudeville, they accepted a short term contract in Chile where Biondi had an accident that damaged his spine. Acrobatics were no longer possible so Dick & Biondi fine tuned the humor in their performances developing a highly polished act that was new and ingenious. Dick & Biondi got a big break in 1940 when they were booked in a legitimate theater in Mexico as the opening act for Josephine Baker. Their success was immediate and when La Baker returned to France, Dick & Biondi remained as headliners for many months by popular demand.
Soon they were performing all over Latin America and Spain achieving a reputation as one of the best comedy acts of the 20th century. Starting in 1952, the duo had an immense success with their own weekly television program called "El show de Dick y Biondi" in Mexico. By 1956 they were also doing their show on Cuban television as well as branching out to perform in theaters and television in various countries. During sold out performances in Madrid, Dick met and fell in love with actress Trini Alonso who shortly after became his wife. He brought Trini back with him to Cuba and, according to observers, she became his sole focus of attention to the point of missing his cues on performances when Trini was present in the audience.
This did not sit well with Biondi who saw the act undermined by his partner's wife. The crisis exploded when Dick began suggesting that the duo should become a trio to include Trini. This was too much for Biondi who decided immediately to dissolve the partnership that had been so successful for almost thirty years. Biondi went back to Argentina where he became a solo act with legendary success on television, while Dick decided to settle in Spain with his wife. There is no evidence of any activity by him after the break up, however his wife, Trini Alonso, proceeded with her acting career on stage and in films. It is uncertain of whatever happened to Dick but his legacy as one half of Dick & Biondi lives on.