Walter Mercado was an astrologer who was known for his popular horoscope readings on TV. In his time, he was a cultural icon and an inspiration to many people.
Netflix's Mucho Mucho Amor gives us a glimpse into Mercado’s life and his legacy. The documentary features interviews with devoted viewers and others who have been affected by his work.
His Life
In his heyday, Walter Mercado captivated over 120 million viewers across the United States and Latin America. He was a flamboyant astrologer and TV personality who appeared on various channels throughout the world. He was renowned for his astrology and the way he could charm viewers with his soothing words.
In Mucho, Mucho Amor: 50 Years of Walter Mercado, filmmakers Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch explore the life and career of this flamboyant astrologer. The film features archival video and interviews with Mercado’s friends, family, fans and colleagues. It also offers glimpses into his home and the ways he cultivated a religious following.
Mercado’s meteoric rise to fame in the 1970s and 80s was shaped by U.S. media culture, which was deeply imperial and inflected by a desire for global expansion. His stardom soared when he signed a contract with an impresario, Bill Bakula.
The relationship was a positive one, but it became increasingly strained in later years, as Mercado began to feel that his work was being misappropriated by Bill and his company. In 2006, he filed suit against Bill in an attempt to get back his rights and his name.
He was successful in court, but he never got his full rights back. This led to a six-year legal battle with his former manager, Bill.
Although Mercado was not open about his sexuality, he was very outspoken in his support of LGBTQ people. He was an example for generations of Latinx LGBTQ+ kids who were unable to find representation in the mainstream media.
When he died in November 2019, Mercado was buried at Senorial Memorial Park in Cupey, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The funeral was attended by over 500 people.
His death was a huge loss to the community, and to the Latino community as a whole. Mercado had been battling kidney disease, which was causing him to become very weak. His death was not unexpected.
His Work
Throughout his long career, Walter Mercado made his mark on the television industry. His most popular show, Walter y Las Estrellas, drew over 120 million viewers worldwide. He was a beloved icon of many people and his popularity remained strong until his untimely death in 2007.
Walter Mercado became an iconic figure to Latinos. He was known for his over-the-top capes and his beautiful personality.
He was also a polyglot and was fluent in Spanish, French, English, Italian, Portuguese, and Greek languages. He was also an avid dog lover and had a pet dog named Runa. He was very proud of his achievements and he will be remembered forever.
In a world where astrologers are constantly being accused of shaming and misrepresenting the zodiac, Mercado exemplified the power of the horoscope and helped to make it more accessible for the public. He was a well-respected astrologer and many celebrities turned to him for guidance.
The horoscopes that were created by Walter Mercado were extremely accurate and they helped many people achieve their goals. He was also a great source of inspiration and motivation for people who were facing a difficult time in their life. He also helped many people to find love and success.
His career started in the 1970s and he reached his peak in the 1990s. He was a famous figure in the United States and in his country Puerto Rico.
He was a pioneer in astrology and was an expert on the zodiac signs. He was also an expert in psychology and pedagogy. He also studied different religions including Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam (Sufism), and Taoism. He also prophesized for people such as Bill Clinton to become president of the United States and Madonna to be cast as ‘Eva Peron' in the movie Evita.
Mercado’s horoscopes were also sold on TV and many people benefited from them. He was even a model for the 1-900 psychic numbers and he would give his advice to people who were calling him.
However, he also faced legal problems which made him disappear from the public eye in 2006. The main reason why he disappeared was because he could not keep his name and image safe from being used by someone else.
His Legacy
During his four-decade career, Walter Mercado became a popular astrology show host for Telemundo and Univision, and a Latinx icon who graced most living rooms. His flamboyant, androgynous style made him approachable yet otherworldly, and his messages of love and strength attracted many fans. His horoscope readings were a cultural touchstone in his native Puerto Rico, and he was also an important cultural figure on Latin American television, drawing viewers from all over the world.
His family is hoping a new scripted biopic will honor his legacy and allow future generations to connect with him. The Mercado estate is working with Eugenio Derbez and Ben Odell's 3Pas Studios to develop a television series about the late astrologer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mercado's niece Betty Benet Mercado says the TV series will reflect her uncle's message of love and inclusion.
The late astrologer was known for his flamboyant androgynous appearance and his horoscopes. His signature robes and capes came in vibrant colors, and his voice was so hypnotic that it attracted millions of viewers worldwide. His message of kindness and inclusivity was a driving force behind his success, which he spread through his daily segments on Univision's Primer Impacto news program.
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, a documentary by Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch for Netflix, captures much of the same spirit of Mercado's life story. It focuses on his astrological and spiritual readings, which he performed in front of live audiences, and his life as an international celebrity. The film takes a surprisingly critical look at Mercado's career, from his humble beginnings in rural Puerto Rico to the infamous legal battle that ended his career.
This is an incredibly detailed and nuanced portrait of a complex man. It's a journey through a lifetime, and it doesn't shy away from challenging topics such as sex, gender, and money. It even manages to tackle sexual ambiguity, which can often be seen as an old-fashioned, and outdated, way of describing people who do not identify as straight, but rather as “gender nonconforming.”
In a time when the idea of gender diversity is increasingly challenged by mainstream society, the fact that a man like Mercado still thrives in his chosen identity is heartening. But there's also a bit of an undercurrent of unease throughout the documentary, particularly in the way that Costantini and Tabsch treat Mercado's sexuality. They spend a lot of time exploring Mercado's house, sifting for clues that could be sexual in nature.
His Death
Walter Mercado, an icon of Spanish-language television who entertained millions of people with daily horoscopes for decades, has died. The 87-year-old, who grew up in Puerto Rico and spent much of his life living in South Florida, died of kidney failure Saturday night at Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in San Juan, according to hospital spokeswoman Sofia Luquis.
Mercado became a star in the late 1960s and was credited with helping Telemundo become the most watched network in Latin America. His shows attracted a global audience of up to 120 million viewers. His warm manner, astrological expertise and message of “mucho, mucho amor,” or lots and lots of love, made him a fixture in many Latinx households, despite the conservative culture surrounding television in the region.
The flamboyant astrologer was born on a ship that traveled from Spain to Puerto Rico, and he believed at an early age that he had spiritual abilities, including the power of astrology. He began his career as a telenovela actor and dancer before taking on his most famous job, reading horoscopes on TV.
His astrology shows were a major draw on both Telemundo and Univision, and the astrologer was considered a cultural icon among Latinx audiences in the United States. He was known for ending his programs with his iconic line “mucho, mucho amor,” which translated to “lots and lots of love.”
Netflix’s new documentary, Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, explores the highs and lows of Mercado’s whirlwind career. It also takes an in-depth look at the legal battles he faced, including one with his former manager Bill Bakula.
Director Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch use a series of interviews to piece together the events that led to Mercado’s disappearance from the public eye. They also interview his niece Ivonne Benet, who said she had been working with him for 30 years.
Benet told ET that she and her sister would spend Monday through Friday creating horoscopes for the astrologer, who lived alone in a two-story villa in Cupey, a suburb of San Juan. Mercado wrote his books in the villa, and Benet said that her family had run the business with him for decades.