# Cheech Marin......AGAIN! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130 "2003-07-13T08:05:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/1 "2003-07-13T08:05:41Z")
I know we’ve discussed this before, but damn it, here it is again! Why does [ROTTEN.COM](http://rotten.com/today/) insist that Cheech is Iranian? There is no evidence of it! What gives? _Cheech Marin’s birthday. He’s actually (gasp) Iranian, and his name is Richard._ 😕 😕 😕 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/2 "2003-07-13T13:34:51Z")
When he was on the Tracey Ullman show years ago (the original one on FOX) he said he was middle eastern. I forget if he specifically said Iranian or what. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/3 "2003-07-13T13:38:26Z")
**Revtim** - Cheech Marin? Or his former comedy team partner, Tommy Chong? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/4 "2003-07-13T13:54:38Z")
Cheech. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/5 "2003-07-13T19:12:51Z")
**Revtim** - Sir, with all the respect due a man of the cloth, I do believe you have your head up your cassock. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/6 "2003-07-13T19:21:36Z")
Why on Earth would I lie? What I could possibly have to gain? ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/7 "2003-07-13T19:27:21Z")
Human memory can be a tricky thing… ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/8 "2003-07-13T19:27:49Z")
There’s no information to that extent on his IMDB entry. [http://us.imdb.com/Name?Marin,%20Cheech](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Marin,%20Cheech) ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/9 "2003-07-13T19:31:37Z")
AHA! Thanks to the link provided by **Mockingbird** , perhaps we can figure this out! “Tracey Ullman Show, The” (1987) playing “Azai, convenience store owner” in episode: “Segment: Foreign Exchange” (episode # 2.9) 22 November 1987 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/10 "2003-07-13T19:38:32Z")
I certainly could be misremembering, it was a while ago. But I recall someone previously telling me he was of middle eastern ancestry, and being surprised he were right when Marin mentioned it to Ullman. He did a “Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!” type joke, also. I suppose it’s also possible he was fucking with her, and the audience. My feeling is that he was telling the truth, though. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/11 "2003-07-13T19:50:27Z")
**I suppose it’s also possible he was fucking with her, and the audience.** Holy profanity, Batman! Does the ecumenical council know about your use of the vernacular? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/12 "2003-07-13T19:58:25Z")
Ehh, they don’t even know I have a wireless network in the church, and I’m surfing the web on my laptop when I’m suppose to be listening to confessions. Ehh, just pray for forgiveness, ya friggin’ whiners. Why are you wasting my time? Take it up with the boss yourself. It’s hard enough to get off on these slow-loading pages from [www.choirboy.com](http://www.choirboy.com) with someone yakking about how they stole a pen from the bank… ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/13 "2003-07-13T20:17:28Z")
I hesitate to follow the link, **Revtim** , ‘cause yer scarin’ me over here. I expect to see fire and brimstone on the horizon in your direction any time now. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/14 "2003-07-13T23:03:40Z")
I have a hard time believing the creator of Pedro de Pacas and _Born in East L.A._ is middle eastern. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/15 "2003-07-13T23:34:33Z")
I thought this non-issue may have arisen from a scene in _Nice Dreams_. You have to remember, this film dates from the time of the infamous Iranian Hostage Crisis. Cheech and Chong (with Cheech in disguise) walk into a hotel and start bugging the desk clerk (played by Pee Wee Herman) about something. Pee Wee gets very annoyed at them and calls the cops on them. The cops are not interested in responding. So to get their attention, he says “I think they’re _Iranians!_” The very next moment, you see cop cars with flashing lights and screaming sirens, hurrying to the scene. :rolleyes: IMHO, the only thing notable about that forgettable movie was a laughing Timothy Leary showing up to rescue Cheech from a mental hospital. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/16 "2003-07-14T15:29:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Padeye \* > \*\*I have a hard time believing the creator of Pedro de Pacas and _Born in East L.A._ is middle eastern. \*\* He was born in LA, if the IMDB entry is to be believed. So, it’s not hard to believe he might be familiar with hispanic culture. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/17 "2003-07-14T15:44:25Z")
Dropping “cheech marin biography” into Google turns up several references to his Mexican-American ancestry with his last name always provided as the Hispanic _Marin_. (I suppose that there could also be a Persian name, Marin, but it seems unlikely.) Dropping “cheech marin iranian” into Google turns up pretty much the [Rotten.com](http://Rotten.com) site, alone. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/18 "2003-07-14T16:48:20Z")
Holy smoke, **Revtim** , lay off the communicant wine! ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/19 "2003-07-14T19:29:54Z")
That was _Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie_ Jomo. Incidently, when that film was recently shown on cable, the “Iranians” reference was cut out. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130/20 "2003-07-14T19:46:25Z")
Why is it so inconceivable that a kid of Iranian heritage grew up in LA and pretended to be Mexican? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheech-marin-again/188130.md?page=2)