Ernesto Alonso | 'Mr. Telenovela,' 90

Ernesto Ramirez Alonso, 90, known as "Mr. Telenovela" for directing and producing scores of Mexican soap operas, died Tuesday, Mexico's Televisa network reported.

As an actor, Mr. Alonso rose to the top in Mexico's film industry, starring alongside such greats as Maria Felix and Jorge Negrete. He worked with famed Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel, starred in The Criminal Life of Archibaldo De La Cruz and narrated the 1950 classic Los Olvidados ("The Forgotten").

In 1959, Mr. Alonso turned to television and played a pivotal role in helping build Mexico's soap-opera industry.

Televisa's telenovelas generated a total revenue of $3.45 billion in 2006. The programs shown around the globe have been dubbed into more than 50 languages, including Russian, Romanian and Korean.

He produced his first soap opera, El Otro, in 1960, and went on to direct more than 20 and to produce far more. - AP