Filipo Tirado

Who is Filipo Tirado?

Filipo Tirado is a noted Puerto Rican puppeteer.

Filipo's birth name was Carlos Filipo Tirado Perea. He was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, the youngest of five children of the late civil engineer Carlos J. Tirado and former beauty queen Graciela Esther Perea. Filipo became interested in puppetry and similar arts when he joined the Division of Community Education, directed by Don Leopoldo Santiago Lavandero. He took seminars on how to make and handle puppets and eventually started his own company, Titirimundi, Inc. He and another puppeteer, Francisco Torres, toured Puerto Rico and went to almost every public school on the island, where they presented their educational shows.

Filipo Tirado participated in several T.V. shows in Puerto Rico, among them "Ay Bendito", "Que Pueblito", directed by Elin Ortiz, "La Hora de Oro" with Hector Marcano, puppeteering two hilarious magpies at the same time, called Kilate & Pirita, among others. He also participated in children's shows with Luis Antonio Cosme and Sandra Zaiter.

After almost three decades of working in different shows in Puerto Rico, Filipo headed to Miami, Florida where he was contracted by Univision. There he created his now-famous character of "Pepe Locuaz." After his contract was up, Filipo and his "Pepe Locuaz" character went to work for Telemundo.