Felipe Camiroaga

At 44 years old, Felipe Camiroaga has this physical status:

Felipe Camiroaga started working as a camera assistant at the press department of television channel Red de Televisión Universidad de Chile (RTU, now Chilevisión) in 1988, and later as a production assistant at the channel's production department. But he quickly went from off to on-camera; his first job was as a host in a music video programme called Videotop, that was previously hosted by Pablo Aguilera and Justus Liebig. Later, he presented Extra Jóvenes, RTU's teenage-oriented show, which he co-hosted with Katherine Salosny. His chemistry with Salosny proved successful and he became her co-host a few months later. In 1991 he declined an offer to become a news anchor and continued at Extra Jóvenes, now co-presenting with Claudia Conserva.

Camiroaga was hired by Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) in 1992 to co-host Buenos Días a Todos with Tati Penna, a breakfast programme first transmitted that year; however, the couple were later replaced by Margot Kahl and Jorge Hevia. Later, he had a brief television acting career, debuting in Jaque Mate, and later he portrayed an antagonistic character in Rojo y Miel. Despite being advised by actress Ana Reeves, Camiroaga did not receive good reviews for his acting performances.

At the same time, he hosted some unsuccessful programmes, such as La Gran Apuesta and El Chapuzón, and others with mixed results, such as Motín a Bordo and Contigo en Verano. However, at the end of the 1990s, he achieved success with prime time programme La Noche del Mundial, which was broadcast during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and Pase lo que Pase, a miscellaneous evening programme which he co-hosted with Karen Doggenweiler.

Camiroaga also hosted prime time programmes during the 2000s such as Con Mucho Cariño and Ciudad Gótica, both of which did not complete a full season for their "controversial contents", and the first two seasons of the reality show Pelotón. In 2004 he co-hosted Pasiones with Bárbara Rebolledo, but he left the programme later that year and was replaced by Martín Cárcamo. He returned to Buenos Días a Todos in 2005, sharing duties with Tonka Tomicic, then with Katherine Salosny, and finally Carolina de Moras. The replacement of Salosny by de Moras was not well received and the local entertainment media blamed Camiroaga for it, which later resulted in a mass booing while Camiroaga was being awarded a Premio Copihue de Oro for "Best TV presenter" at the Teatro Caupolicán in Santiago, in 2010. In 2006, he began hosting his own talk show, Animal Nocturno. In February 2009 he co-presented the Viña del Mar International Song Festival with Soledad Onetto, and also co-presented the 2010 edition.

In 2010, Camiroaga co-hosted Halcón y Camaleón with comedian Stefan Kramer. That same year, he received an offer from US television network Univisión to present a breakfast programme. Camiroaga rejected this offer and renewed his contract with TVN for three years.

Camiroaga proved to be versatile in his TV programmes, where he created characters such as El Washington, a poor man who lives on the street and survives on leftover food, distinguished by his humble origin. El Washington was created in Buenos Días a Todos, and subsequently developed in Pase lo que Pase, where it became popular in sketch comedies with Karen Doggenweiler, the Señorita Andrea. Camiroaga hosted a radio programme called El Almacén del Washington in Corazón FM, dedicated to the trading of articles.

One of Camiroaga's most recognized characters is Luciano Bello, a TV presenter native to Maracaibo, Venezuela. He is characterized by his large teeth and is coquettish with women. His typical phrase was: "You're hot and intelligent." ("Eres rica e inteligente.") His name parodies Chilean-Venezuelan humanist Andrés Bello, and some of his moves parody those of the singer of same nationality José Luis Rodríguez. Luciano Bello appeared for the first time in La Noche del Mundial in 1998. The character was strongly criticized by deputy Enrique Krauss, who called him vulgar. ("chabacano.")

Source

• 2006: Great Compipa of the Guachacas; Guachaca King.
• 2006–2011 (posthumously): Copihue de Oro Award to "Best TV Presenter".
• 2009:
  • APES Award to "Best TV presenter".
  • (and 2011, posthumously) TV Grama Award to "Best TV Presenter".
• 2011: Social Communicator Special Award, given by the National Council of Television.