Editing Charo (section)

==Early life==
Charo was born in the city of [[Murcia]], [[Spain]].<ref name="charo-14"/> Her birth date has been a matter of some dispute (see '[[#Birth year controversy|Birth year controversy]]' below). Her Spanish passport gives her name as '''María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza'''.<ref name="rvf-baeza"/>{{refn|group=note|name=fullname}}

Charo has claimed she was enrolled in a convent school until the age of 15, when a nun told her that she belonged in show business.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19820510&id=E4c1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=-aQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5466,4615896&hl=en "Coochie-coochie comedienne wants to be 'zee' dramatic actress"], ''Montreal Gazette'', May 10, 1982.</ref> In the most colorful version of her childhood, Charo's grandmother hired a music professor to give her weekly [[classical guitar]] lessons, and he became the first man to enter the convent.<ref>[http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1974/04/29/page/52/article/shes-dynamite "She's dynamite: You might say Charo's rather un-convent-ional"], ''Chicago Tribune'', April 29, 1974.</ref>

In a 2005 interview, she reminisced: <blockquote>"The institution had great young teachers and students. Everything was a charity. Mr. Segovia, between concerts that's when he'd come, and if you'd been there a year and you weren't good, you'd go out and they would give your place to another young kid."<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Ageless-Charo-keeps-the-cuchi-cuchi-flame-burning-2618338.php, "Ageless Charo keeps the cuchi cuchi flame burning"], ''San Francisco Chronicle'', August 6, 2005.</ref></blockquote>
Charo has stated in several interviews that she graduated with honors at age 16.<ref>[http://napavalleyregister.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/charo-she-s-more-than-just-miss-cuchi-cuchi/article_d07fcb8a-bb0d-11df-b137-001cc4c03286.html "Charo: She's more than just miss 'Cuchi, Cuchi'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908005607/https://napavalleyregister.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/charo-she-s-more-than-just-miss-cuchi-cuchi/article_d07fcb8a-bb0d-11df-b137-001cc4c03286.html |date=September 8, 2023 }}, ''Napa Valley Register'', September 8, 2010</ref><ref name="slo-beyond"/>

[[Bandleader]] [[Xavier Cugat]] "discovered" her while in Spain filming a television special in 1964.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/553545883/ |title=7 Jul 1964, 5 - The Morning Call at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=1964-07-07 |accessdate=2022-06-05}}</ref> They wed on August 7, 1966. An April 1966 column by [[Earl Wilson (columnist)|Earl Wilson]] on the couple's wedding plans announced: <blockquote>"Sixty-year-old Xavier Cugat and his 20-year-old Spanish girlfriend and singing star Charo hope to marry in [[Sant Cugat del Vallès|San Cugat, Spain]], in a few days if Cugat can convince church authorities his two divorces should not be counted against him since he wasn't married in church."<ref name="beck"/></blockquote>

They were the first couple to be wed at [[Caesars Palace]] in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]]. Charo later claimed that her marriage to Cugat was merely a business contract, a way for him to legally bring her to the United States.<ref name="laopinion">[http://www.laopinion.com/print.html?rkey=00050215152722648163 "Fin del 'cuchi cuchi', principio del arte"], ''La Opinión Digital'', February 17, 2005 {{in lang|es}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927023222/http://www.laopinion.com/print.html?rkey=00050215152722648163|date=September 27, 2007}}</ref>

===Birth year controversy===
[[File:Charo (10425720574).jpg|thumb|Charo in the 1960s]]
Charo's year of birth is the subject of [[Age fabrication#Actors and comedians|dispute]]. Her Spanish birth certificate and passport, as well as her American naturalization papers, give her birthdate as March 13, 1941. She later claimed she was born in 1947, then changed it to 1949.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19860809&id=HosfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IWMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3829,4124801&hl=en "These stars keep tight rein on real ages"], ''The Pittsburgh Press'', August 9, 1986.</ref> In 1977, she asserted in a court hearing that her passport and naturalization papers were incorrect and that her birthdate was January 15, 1951.<ref name="rvf-baeza"/>

Several newspaper articles around the time of her 1966 wedding to Cugat gave Charo's age as 17.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/180584839/ |title=15 Jul 1964, Page 28 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=1964-07-15 |accessdate=2022-06-05}}</ref> Others referred to her as Cugat's "18-year-old protégée".<ref name="wilson091664">Earl Wilson. "It happened last night" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', September 16, 1964, section 4, Ataahua's song</ref> An April 1966 column on the wedding plans stated that she was 20 and Cugat was 60.<!-- 20 would make her year of birth 1946 --><ref name="wilson0466">Earl Wilson. "It happened last night" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 18, 1966, page D18.</ref> Many sources identified her as 21 on the day of her wedding.<!-- 21 would make her year of birth 1945 --><ref name="raffetto66">Francis Raffetto. "Las Vegas Opens Caesar's Palace", ''After Dark'' column, ''The Dallas Morning News'', August 8, 1966, page A14</ref><ref name="trend">Paul Steiner. "Jackie followed trend of May–December", ''The Dallas Morning News'', October 27, 1968, page E9</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/fDq6zH2E5WQ Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170615181557/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDq6zH2E5WQ Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite video|people=Royal Parker|date=August 7, 1966|title=WBAL-TV 11pm News, August 7, 1966|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDq6zH2E5WQ|format=YouTube|medium=TV News|language=en|publisher=WBAL/YouTube|location=Baltimore, MD|access-date=2016-05-11}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Later, when asserting her birthdate was 1951, she claimed her parents allowed her to falsify her age to appear older when marrying Cugat. However, that would have made her 15 at the time, contradicting her claim to have graduated from school at 16, not yet having begun her performing career. She has never clarified the discrepancy.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1966/08/08/archives/cugat-weds-charo-in-las-vegas.html Cugat Weds Charo in Las Vegas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126084801/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/08/08/archives/cugat-weds-charo-in-las-vegas.html |date=January 26, 2023 }}, nytimes.com; accessed March 13, 2016.</ref><ref name="beck">John Beck. "Ageless persona: Vegas headliner Charo thrills fans at Sonoma County Fair: Cuchi-cuchi time at the fair", ''The Press Democrat'' (Santa Rosa, California), August 1, 2002, page B1.</ref>

In October 1977,<ref>Jura Koncius. "Personalities" (column), ''The Washington Post'', August 16, 1978, page D2</ref> the same year in which Charo filed for divorce from Cugat and became a naturalized American citizen, judge [[Roger D. Foley|Roger Foley]] in Las Vegas adjudicated the 1951 birth year to be official. Charo provided sworn [[affidavit]]s from her parents,<ref name="dmn-powell">Larry Powell (column). "Exact age for Charo leaves plenty of wiggle room", ''The Dallas Morning News'', February 7, 1999, page 38A</ref><ref name="Charo, Sister 'Younger'">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19771110&id=EIBIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OW0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7006,1824348&hl=en "Charo, Sister 'Younger'"] ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', November 10, 1977.</ref> although the claim has been viewed with skepticism.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-13-ca-20520-story.html|title=Stars' Ages: The Big Lie?|last=CARLINSKY|first=DAN|date=1986-07-13|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2017-05-01|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Commenting on the disputes over her age, she has said that the public's disbelief could prove advantageous: <blockquote>"But if people really believe I'm older, that's fine. Don't be surprised if I come out with my own cosmetics, a new energy bar, and maybe some vitamins."<ref name="beck"/></blockquote>