Chelo Vivares

Consuelo Vivares, known as Chelo Vivares, is a Spanish actress who played Espinete in the Spanish version of Sesame Street from 1983 to 1987. She is married to Juan R. Sánchez, another Barrio Sésamo actor. She has mainly worked as a dubbing actress.

Vivares began her career as an actress in Spanish TV, making guest appearances on TV series such as Cuentos y leyendas (1975), La Señora García se confiesa (1976) and even prestigious Estudio 1 (1983).

She married fellow actor Juan Sánchez on 1979. On that same year, she also began working as a dubber, firstly in a Peter Falk movie, The In-Laws, and then in mainstream production such as ''Fame' in 1980.

In 1983, Vivares began working in Barrio Sésamo, acting as the main muppet, Espinete. She played a male, pink hedgehog during the second period of Barrio Sésamo on Spanish TV, becoming probably the most beloved and remembered character from all the periods of the show. Probably the only other character that could defy Espinete's throne was Chema the baker, who was coincidentially played by Vivares' husband Juan Sánchez.

She casted away her work as a dubber while playing Espinete, but Barrio Sésamo was cancelled on 1987, when TeleVisión Española decided to renew its shows. Vivares then returned to dubbing studios, and she began by giving a Spanish voice to Penelope Sudrow in the movie A Nightmare at Elm Street 3.

Vivares also worked in a theatre version of Barrio Sésamo during the late 1980s, touring through Spain alongisde other actors from the series such as Sánchez and José Riesgo.

She became a notable dubbing actress during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her voice was commonly used for children and young male actors, as it was in Punisher (1989, Dolph Lundgren version) or animation series ''Ganbare! Kickers (1990) and Dinosaurs'' (1991).

Her voice became common to Spanish ears with long-lived TV series The Simpsons. She played important roles there such as Todd Flanders, Ralphie Wiggum, Itchy or Pepi Simpson, and a replace for characters such as Nelson Muntz, Maude Flanders and Martin Prince, as well as many additional voices. Many of therse characters were originally voiced by Nancy Cartwright.

Suddenly an expert in voicing animation, Vivares was offered a role for Spanish animation movie La Leyenda del Viento del Norte (1992, Maite Ruiz de Austri and Carlos Varela).

During the following years, Vivares voiced both animation and live characters, such as Peter Brady in The Brady Bunch' or Lisa Malkievicz in Ed Wood, as well as "Tails" in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sailor Neptune in Sailor Moon''.

On 1995, she became the replacing voice for character Mandark in TV series Dexter's Lab. She was also seen as a living character in the last episode of Spanish series Farmacia de guardia (playing a couturière).

Her voice continued to reach many Spaniards with her successful work during the late 1990s, including many voices in series Pokémon and her role on Ned's Newt (1997).

She also voiced another Spanish animation movie: ¡Qué vecinos tan animales! (1998, Maite Ruiz de Austri). Vivares' role was that of "Nicky, the little mouse", the son of "Mom Mouse", who was in turn played by Barrio Sésamo actress Emma Cohen. Cohen had previously played Caponata in the first period of the series, a character which can easily be identified with Espinete.

Vivares continued with her roles during the 2000s. She became the Spanish voice for Amy Wong from Futurama, Stan Marsh from Sout Park, and different characters from the series Charmed, at the same time giving her voice to movie projects. She also voiced essential character of "la señorita Ofelia" in different computer games adapting Spanish comic-book Mortadelo y Filemón.

Vivares also returned to live-action performance for The Hold-up (2001, Eva Lesmes), where she cameoes as a nun. However, she'd rather play small characters for mainstream movies (She is Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter movies) or characters from TV series (Lindslay Sloane on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Pedro on Heidi or Alison Mack/Chloe Sullivan from Smallville). She has also had a chance to return to her previous character of "Tails" for Sonic X (2005).

Currently, Vivares is still an active dubbing actress.