Luis Alberni(1886-1962)

Spanish character actor Luis Alberni was born on October 4, 1886 in Cataluna Barcelona, Spain. His mother's maiden name was Malo, and his father was Judge John Alberni. Luis attended the University of Madrid and majored in Law. Bored with the prospects of long-winded trials, he ran away from home and joined a traveling circus in the south of France as a clown. It was around this time that he discovered his calling and began to get involved in acting. Intent on portraying dramatic characters, while acting in a Shakespearean play (Hamlet), the audience laughed and went hysterical. Due to the recognition he received, it was then that he decided to become a comedian.

In 1914 he emigrated to the United States on board a ship as a steerage passenger and soon went on a traveling road show. Around 1919, he met and married a drawling debutante named Charlotte Hall. Eventually they had three sons together - John, Luis, and Carlos. Around 1938 while still married, he started seeing a blonde from Texas. He soon got divorced from Mrs. Charlotte and married that blonde; she would turn out to be his last wife, Wanda Wilson. Despite having a very tumultuous marriage, they managed to stay together throughout the remainder of his life. They had no children, but Wanda's grand-babies looked to Luis as a grandfather. Around his early to mid-seventies, Luis lived in a home for the elderly devoted to actors, the Motion Picture Television Fund in Woodland Hills most of whom were from the Screen Actors guild or Masquers club. Luis passed away on December 23, 1962 and was buried at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California.

Now in recent years, Wanda Alberni's great-great-grandson actor Anthony Carrillo is developing a documentary on this great, great character actor's life; if you remember Luis at all, please contact Anthony.