Freddy Beras Goico
| Freddy Beras-Goico | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Freddy Reinaldo Antonio Beras-Goico November 21, 1940 Santa Lucía, El Seibo, Dominican Republic |
| Died | November 18, 2010 (aged 69) New York City, New York, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Pancreatic cancer |
| Occupation | comedian, TV presenter, writer |
| Years active | 1958-2010 |
Freddy Reinaldo Antonio Beras-Goico (November 21, 1940 – November 18, 2010), popularly known as "Freddy Beras" or just "Beras-Goico", was a Dominican comedian, TV presenter, writer and media personality for over 30 years. He hosted the TV show El Gordo de La Semana and he was a staple of primetime (and late night) TV. He was one of the most recognized personalities in the Dominican Republic.
During the 1950s, his family fled the Dominican Republic due to the brutal regime of the Trujillo dictatorship and settled in Colombia, where he spent several years before returning to his homeland. These experiences would shape his comedic style, making him a well-known entertainer for years to come. He was also tortured by the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.
Early in his career Beras-Goico's comedic style was mainly based on sketch comedy vignettes in several daytime TV shows, later moving on to having his own personal show, El Gordo De La Semana (lit. The Fat Guy of The Week), which matured into a successful TV variety show. The show's roster of comedians and personalities included: Cuquín Victoria, Milton Peláez, Roberto Salcedo, and others.
The origin of the Beras (his father’s family name) is Lebanese, and originally it was spelled as Bárah; and the origin of Goico (his mother’s family name) is Russian, originally spelled as Goicovich (Гойкович). By his mother he also had French and Serbian ancestry.
Beras Goico married twice, first to the singer Luchy Vicioso, and then to his now widow Pilar Mejía. He had several children. He was nephew of the archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Octavio Beras; and cousin of Spanish-language television star Charytín Goyco.
In his late years, he converted to Christianity.
Beras Goico returned to the Dominican Republic in the sixties. He started his career working as cameraman. Then in advertising but was always linked to television. Many times, Beras-Goico and the crew would laugh themselves to tears.
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