Eugenio González Derbez (; born September 2, 1961) is a Mexican actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films and television series, including The Book of Life, The Angry Birds Movie 2, and CODA.
In the 2010s, he appeared in many American films and television series, such as Jack and Jill, Girl in Progress, Rob!, and Miracles from Heaven. Derbez provided the Spanish dubs for many characters in the Spanish versions of American films, including Dr. Dolittle, Mulan, 102 Dalmatians, and the Shrek franchise.
Derbez was born and raised in Mexico City and expressed interest in acting at an early age, landing his first roles as soap-opera extras at age 12. He made his directing debut in 1997 with a Mexican soap opera named .
During the early 1980s, Derbez was a regular in , a Mexican television show. He also participated in , a children's television show.
In 1988, he got his first recurring television position when he played a number of roles in a comedy show called .
Derbez kept making movies during the 1990s. In 1992 he began hosting the variety show .
In 1997, Derbez made his directorial debut with the telenovela '. In 1999, he launched his own comedy sketch show, ', which became a hit on Mexican television. The following year, he had appearances in the children's telenovela ' and also starred in the youth series '. In 2003, Derbez created and produced the satirical television series XHDRBZ, which blended sketch comedy with parody news segments.
Continuing his success as a producer and actor, Derbez went on to produce several other television shows, including ' ("Countrymen Hospital"), the popular sitcom ' ("Neighbors"), and in 2009, the comedy series '. One of his most iconic roles came as the lead character in the sitcom ', a surreal comedy about a dysfunctional family living in a fictional, absurd world.
Derbez is one of the few Mexican actors to have achieved international acclaim, earning international award recognition as well as starring in commercial American films.
Derbez has appeared in a number of successful and critically acclaimed films including , which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2007 and his first non-comedy film, the indie smash hit (released as Under the Same Moon in English) directed by Patricia Riggen, with Adrián Alonso and Kate del Castillo.
In 2002, Derbez and Florinda Meza co-created a sitcom named XHDRBZ, which marked his debut as a producer. Also in 2002, Derbez co-created, co-directed, and starred in the family sitcom , which gained Derbez further recognition amongst the Mexican and Latin community.
In 2011, Derbez appeared as Felipe in Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill with Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, and Al Pacino; he also starred in Girl In Progress with Eva Mendes, directed by Patricia Riggen. He also starred in the CBS sitcom Rob! and on Broadway in Latinologues at the Helen Hayes Theater.
Derbez starred in Sony's Miracles from Heaven, with Jennifer Garner (also directed by Patricia Riggen), and he voiced the role of Rico in the animated feature Underdogs, directed by Juan J. Campanella.
In 2013, Derbez starred in and directed Instructions Not Included the most successful Spanish-language film in the U.S. and worldwide, which broke numerous box office records, earning over $100 million. The Spanish-language comedy-drama became a surprise $44-million hit in the U.S., and the third-highest-grossing film ($46 million) of the year in Mexico (only Despicable Me and Iron Man sequels did better).
In 2016, Derbez wrapped production on the Lionsgate/Pantelion feature How to Be a Latin Lover in which he starred with Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell, Raquel Welch, Rob Riggle, Linda Lavin, and Rob Huebel. It was written by Chris Spain and Jon Zack and directed by Ken Marino. The film, produced by Derbez and his producing partner Ben Odell, was released in the U.S. on April 28, 2017 and May 5, 2017 in Mexico.
Derbez is a partner of 3pas Studios with producer Ben Odell.
In 2021, via 3Pas Studios, he signed a first look deal with Univision, and he and Odell were executive producers on behalf of 3Pas Studios of the 2021 television series Acapulco, which stars Derbez. He appeared in the Academy Award-winning Apple TV+ film CODA, which won him, along with the rest of the cast, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 2022 he started as the main character in the movie The Valet as Antonio Flores and will be participating in the movie based in the International best selling book Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of The Universe.
Eugenio Derbez is one of Mexico's more successful comedic actors and directors. He was recognized by Variety in 2014 as the #1 most influential Latin American male in the world. On March 10, 2016, Derbez unveiled his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The ceremony was attended by thousands of fans.
In 2014, following the success of Instructions Not Included, Derbez partnered with former Pantelion President of Production Benjamin Odell to create 3Pas Studios, his film production company in Los Angeles.
Derbez was born in Mexico City to actress Silvia Derbez and publicist Eugenio González Salas. He now resides in Los Angeles with his wife: actress, model, and former Sentidos Opuestos singer Alessandra Rosaldo. He is father to Mexican comedic actress Aislinn Derbez by Gabriela Michel, Mexican actor and singer Vadhir Derbez by Silvana Prince, Mexican actor José Eduardo Derbez by actress Victoria Ruffo, and Aitana Derbez by Alessandra Rosaldo. He had a bulldog named Fiona.