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Walter Mercado

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Family name hatnote Template:Infobox artist

Walter Mercado Salinas<ref name="loses" /> (March 9, 1931 – November 2, 2019),<ref name="loses"/><ref name="prpop" /><ref name="imdb-most">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> also known by his stage name Shanti Ananda, was a Puerto Rican astrologer, actor, dancer, and writer, best known as a television personality for his shows as an astrologer. His astrological prediction shows began airing in Puerto Rico, eventually spreading to Latin America and the United States. Walter became known as a cultural phenomenon in the Hispanic community.

Early yearsEdit

Mercado was born on March 9, 1932,<ref name="imdb-most" /> in Ponce, Puerto Rico,<ref name="imdb-most" /> where he spent his early childhood. His parents were José María Mercado, from San Germán, Puerto Rico, and Aída Salinas from Catalonia, Spain.<ref name="prpop" /> Mercado believed that he had spiritual abilities, even as a child.<ref name="McBride">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He attended university majoring in pedagogy, psychology and pharmacy, and used these skills to teach others, to study the human mind and to learn about the healing properties of medicinal plants.<ref>De Walter Mercado a Shanti Ananda: Metamorfosis del astrólogo más famoso de América Latina. El Nuevo Dia. 11 January 2012. Archived.</ref>

Professional careerEdit

Dancing and actingEdit

Mercado Salinas studied singing and had a talent for dancing. He also studied classical and modern ballet. He was one of the most prolific dancers in Puerto Rico.<ref name="end">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was the dancing partner of comedian Velda González.<ref name="end" />

Walter Mercado worked as an actor in the 1960s Puerto Rican telenovelas Un adiós en el recuerdo (A Farewell to the Memory) and Larga distancia (Long Distance),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and also had a dramatic arts school called Walter Actors Studio 64.<ref name="end" /><ref name="FNCP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

AstrologyEdit

Template:Quote box His TV debut as an entertainer came when Puerto Rican producer Elín Ortíz invited him to perform on his TV show when one guest artist did not show up. Walter Mercado happened to be at the station and Ortiz asked Mercado to use the 25-minute allotment scheduled for the other guest, to make astrological predictions wearing colorful and extravagant robes. After that, Mercado was made a regular in the show making astrological predictions.<ref name="end" /> He would frequently appear in heavily decorated costumes and capes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1970, Mercado started his regular astrology segment in El Show de las 12. He enhanced his studies with formal study into astrology, tarot, and other occult disciplines. Mercado hosted a weekly astrology television show at WKAQ-TV, Channel 2/Telemundo. After several years, when the network changed its programming, Mercado moved his show to WRIK-TV (channel 7 in Ponce) where he hosted it for many years.<ref name="end" /> Westinghouse was a steady and long-time sponsor.<ref name="prpop" /> In the 1980s, his show was seen on several TV channels throughout Latin America and the United States.<ref name="end" /> When Tommy Muñiz bought WRIK-TV, Mercado stayed for two years then moved his show to WKBM-TV, Channel 11/Tele Once (later renamed WLII-TV/Univision). In addition to the TV programs, Mercado also wrote his predictions for newspapers, magazines, and web pages. He was a syndicated writer in the Miami Herald.<ref name="prpop" /> He also appeared on various radio segments.<ref name="end" />

In 1986, Mercado was awarded the title Mr. Televisión by the Asociación de Cronistas del Espectáculo de Nueva York (Association of Latin Entertainment Critics of New York). By the end of the 1980s, Mercado had authored seven books, of which one, Más allá del horizonte (Beyond the Horizon), was published in Spanish, English and Portuguese.<ref name="end" />

From the mid-1990s until 2010, Mercado's show aired in the Univision network throughout the Americas, but on 8 January 2010, after a fifteen-year relationship, he announced that he and Univision had parted ways.<ref>Walter Mercado sin Univisión en su futuro. Template:Webarchive Ana Enid López Rodríguez. Primera Hora. 8 January 2010.</ref> He was managed by entrepreneur Bill Bakula.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2005, he was invited to appear on Welsh singer/songwriter Lisa Scott-Lee’s show Totally Scott-Lee to give her a special reading.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> From 1994 to 2009, he also appeared on Primer Impacto, which airs on the Univision network in the United States.

Other ventures Mercado was involved with in the mid-2010s included a dating website; a line of Zodiac-themed soaps and hygiene items; and a popular personal website and app offering daily horoscopes and more.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His eponymous website received over 1 million visits in the first month.<ref name="Línea Cautivadora">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On a limited basis, Mercado continued to make public appearances during this time period as well.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Name change and legal challengeEdit

In October 2010, Mercado changed his name to "Shanti Ananda", a translation in Sanskrit of "peace happiness."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He said a "being of light" imparted a spiritual revelation to him, which he referred to as his "authentic mystic name."

In January 2012, Mercado lost a lawsuit against Bart Enterprises International. He was trying to prevent it from using his name and likeness in future commercial ventures. Mercado signed a contract with the company in 1995. He severed ties with the company in 2006, which resulted in litigation being filed by both parties against each other. Chief Judge Sandra Lynch of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that Bart Enterprises can continue using Mercado's name and likeness in future commercial projects.<ref name="loses" /> When asked about his legal case over the rights to his name, he replied, "I worked for many years, and gave some releases without thinking much about human wickedness."<ref name="noconociolamuerte">Walter Mercado: Vengo de la Tumba. Template:Webarchive Patricia Vargas. El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 15 February 2012. Page 74.</ref><ref name="vlex">Vengo de la Tumba. vLex Puerto Rico. Retrieved 24 February 2012.</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

In 2003, he announced that he maintained a "spiritual relationship" with the Brazilian actress and dancer Mariette Detotto, with whom he shared a TV program. In archival and recent interview clips on his life shown in a 2020 documentary, Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, Mercado defined himself as androgynous and insisted that the primary relationship of his life was with his fans; he also joked about being a virgin into his 80s. He always maintained his residence in Puerto Rico.<ref name="end" />

Decline in health and deathEdit

File:Señorial Memorial Park and Funeral Home, Cupey, San Juan, Puerto Rico.jpg
Señorial Memorial Park in Cupey is Mercado's burial place.

In January 2012, Mercado was flown to Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, with cardiac problems.<ref name="noconociolamuerte" /><ref name="vlex" /> He said he "had gone and seen death and came back to life again". Since the experience he said he had changed. He said he wanted to work with Puerto Rican youth, he planned to establish the Shanti Ananda foundation, create a mystic center, and donated three of his capes to a museum. Most of his capes had already been sold at auctions.<ref name="noconociolamuerte" /><ref name="vlex" />

Mercado died on the night of Saturday, November 2, 2019, at the age of 88, reportedly from kidney failure, at Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to hospital spokeswoman Sofia Luquis.<ref name="Wood">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is buried at Señorial Memorial Park in Cupey barrio, San Juan, Puerto Rico.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

AccoladesEdit

  • Awarded Mr. Televisión title by the Association of Latin Entertainment Critics of New York.<ref name="Walter Mercado.">Walter Mercado. Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 6 July 2014. Accessed 19 March 2017.</ref>
  • Awarded Señor Televisión title at the 1972 Festival de Codazos in the Dominican Republic.<ref name="Walter Mercado." />

WorksEdit

TelevisionEdit

  • Historia de mi vida (1963)<ref name="Muere el astrólogo Walter Mercado">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Ana Rosa (1965)<ref name="Muere el astrólogo Walter Mercado" />
  • La mujer de aquella noche (1968)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Recordar (1968)<ref name="Muere el astrólogo Walter Mercado" />
  • Entre el puñal y la cruz (1969)<ref name="Muere el astrólogo Walter Mercado" />
  • Una sombra (1970)<ref name="Muere el astrólogo Walter Mercado" />
  • La intrusa (1970)<ref name="Muere el astrólogo Walter Mercado" />
  • Renzo el gitano (1971)<ref name="Walter Mercado, Celebrity Astrologer, Is Dead">Template:Cite news</ref>
  • Totally Scott-Lee (2005)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Doritos advertisement (PepsiCo, 2016)<ref name="Walter Mercado Has Just Blessed Us With This Doritos Commercial">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

TheatreEdit

Source:<ref name="Walter Mercado - Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DiscographyEdit

Source:<ref name="Walter Mercado - Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular" />

  • Walter '84 (1984)
  • Walter '86 (1986, Sonotone)
  • Walter Mercado (1986)
  • Guía para una vida mejor (1997)

FilmographyEdit

  • Una mujer sin precio (1966) (choreographer)<ref name="Actuación, danza y la historia detrás de la fama de Walter Mercado que no conocías">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

BooksEdit

  • Mensajes Para Vivir, co-authored with Dr. Leon Alberto Vasquez (unknown date)<ref name="Mensajes Para Vivir">Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Enciclopedia De Walter Mercado (Tomo 1) (1983)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Más allá del horizonte (Beyond the Horizon: Visions of the New Millennium) (1997)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Guia Para Una Vida Mejor (1997)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • El Mundo secreto de Walter Mercado (Spanish Edition) (2010)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

See alsoEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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