Don Francisco Biography

Fast Facts

• Is the son of German-Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany
• Studied fashion design in New York City to please his father, but fell in love with television while there and changed his career path
• Goes by the stage name Don Francisco because he was told his real name is too difficult to pronounce
• Hosted the weekly series Sábado Gigante for the show's entire 53-year run, taking off just one night when his mother passed away
• Founded Teletón Chile, a telethon that raises funds for disabled children, and worked with Hispanics United for Hurricane Katrina Relief
• Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001
• Wrote Don Francisco Life, Camera, Action!: Autobiography in 2002
• Made the documentary Witnesses of Silence, which is about his father and other survivors of the Holocaust