Mexico's most beloved comedic film star of all time, Cantinflas (played by the late Mario Moreno), was considered to be "the best comedian alive," according to the great Charlie Chaplin. He's also considered a comedic pioneer of his time in Mexico, Latin America and the U.S.

Today, his influence continues to thrive not only with Pantelion Films' recent release of his Oscar-buzz biopic, "Cantinflas," but with modern-day, Latino comedic actors, such as Cheech Marin who recalled meeting Moreno in a recent Latin Post exclusive interview.

While the two are both very different in terms of their comedic delivery and material -- Marin is most known for his stoner comedy in "Cheech and Chong" in the '70s and '80s and for lending his voice to animated films and the children's music genre while Moreno is remembered for his clever wit, improvisation, signature Mexican accent and impeccable comedic timing in the late '30s to the early '80s -- they both have Mexican roots (Marin is Mexican-American and Moreno was born in Mexico), share a love for comedy and have put their stamp on pop culture, TV and film, but in different eras.

Although Marin pointed out that Cantinflas (Moreno) was more prominent during his parents and his grandparents' generations, he recalled meeting the legendary Moreno once, which left an impression on him.

"I knew him because my parents knew him. My parents were born in the United States, but my grandparents were from Mexico. We were in this Spanish household; I was raised speaking English, but I learned Spanish later, when I was 40," Marin explained to Latin Post.

While Marin hasn't seen the "Cantinflas" biopic just yet, he has seen Moreno in the flesh where he continued to bring the laughs. Marin, who also discussed his role in Jorge Gutierrez and Guillermo del Toro's new film, "The Book of Life," and the rise of fellow Mexican-American filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, reminisced about the time he met Moreno.

"I met him one time, we were doing a Mexican version of 'We Are the World,' and we were in L.A. and all the Latinos stars came in to sing. He was this quiet, little guy, Mario Moreno. Before he went on, he put on his moustache ... (Marin gestured wearing a little, funny moustache) and that was Cantinflas," he laughed.

Cantinflas (Moreno) is best remembered for co-starring as Passepartout with David Niven in the 1956 film "Around the World in 80 Days," which won five Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture. Moreno also won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture -- Comedy or Musical for the film.

The "Cantinflas" biopic, which will compete for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, stars Barcelona, Spain native Oscar Jaenada, who also shared his experience making the film and channeling the complexity of Moreno in a Latin Post exclusive interview.

Jaenada is best known for his roles in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" alongside Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz, "Che: Part 2" and "Camarón: When Flamenco Became Legend," for which he received a Goya Award for Best Actor in 2005.

Latinos in TV and Film:

Being a big supporter of Latinos in the arts (and an avid Chicano art collector) and the fact that we're fresh off of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, does Marin see a change for Latinos in the TV and film?

"It's just everywhere now ... the floodgates have been loosened," he said. He referred a recent study claiming that "50.6 percent of all children born in the United States last year were Latino."

"It's in every state simultaneously, not just the Southwest and Northwest..." he added. "It's this big demographic. You kind of could see it coming; it's like this big lava flow. You can stand in front of it, I wouldn't recommend it because it will swallow you," he joked," but it's how to incorporate it, how to benefit from it as a part of the country."

"Some people have a negative attitude about it, but it's inevitable. The Latino population is one of the main the threads of the cultural fabric," he pointed out. "It's not just like you have Cinco de Mayo and you have some nachos and a Corona and that's it, it's everywhere."

He added that this also holds true for other nationalities and ethnicities, such as Italian-Americans and Irish-Americans who have a long history here in the U.S., but that "Latinos are separated out by means of Spanish ... but that's being overcome," he said.

Check out the official trailer for "Cantinflas" and a look back at the comedic genius Mario Moreno at work.

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