This guy at work told me he heard that Cheech Marin (a.k.a. of Cheech & Chong fame) was of Iranian heritage. After thinking about it, I seem to recall hearing this elsewhere, but I don’t remember where. Not that it would otherwise matter but almost every single role he’s ever played he’s portrayed as a hispanic/mexican/chicano/latino. It seems odd to me that a guy whose an Iranian would continously play a charachter with a spanish accent. Any truth to this rumor?
This is from Cheech’s biography on the Barned & Noble Web Site :
(bold is mine)
The “asian” part of that duo is Tommy Chong, whose parents are Korean (eep! i think!) and Irish.
I’m willing to bet he’s hispanic, and it’s entirely possible that he has some Iranian in him.
As for him having a mexican accent, he was born and “raised in east L.A.” He could have easily picked that up.
but, there’s got to be more info. I’ll keep searching…
Maybe you should ask the Mexican guy…
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=109040
I’m not a big Cheech and Chong fan, but it doesn’t strike me as Persian humor. (Whatever that’s like.)
My understanding is that David “Cheech” Marin is an American of Mexican descent and his former partner, Thomas Chong, is a Canadian of partially Chinese descent.
David??
I’m pretty sure his name is Richard.
I believe Cheech’s nickname derives from his favorite food, chicharrones. Now, unless he’s from the tiny Iranian population that is not Muslim, Jewish, or Christian (maybe Parsis like Freddy Mercury’s folks were), he wouldn’t be eating fried pig bits.
If it helps, I believe Casey Casem is of Middle-Eastern descent.
Not sure if the OP was geared towards Cheech in particular, or Iranian actors, or what, but hey.
I’m pretty sure he is NOT.
But here is a list of people who are, at least in part, Iranian.
- Me!!!
- Christiane Amanpour, CNN Foreign Correspondent
- Dineh Mohajer, Founder of Hard Candy
- Vartan Gregorian, Former President of Brown University
- Mohammad Khakpour - Player, New York / New Jersey Metrostars
- Maziar Mafi - Democrat Congressional Candidate (California)
- Afshin Mohebbi, President and COO, Qwest Corporation
- Pierre Omidyar, Founder of E Bay (and Tufts graduate)
- Bijan Pakzad, Owner, Bijan Apparel and Fragrances
- Shahriar Pourdanesh, Player, Washington Redskins
- Sohrab Sobhani - Republican Senate Candidate (Maryland)
To add to the list:
- Andre Agassi (father born in Persia/Iran)
Ana - you forgot someone - Y!!!
LOL, this idea must have gotten started from a scene in the Cheech & Chong movie Nice Dreams. This movie was made in 1981 when the Iranian Hostage Crisis was still fresh in people’s minds.
At one point in the movie, C&C, disguised as redneck biker hippies, approach Pee Wee Herman who is working as a hotel desk clerk. He is in a bad mood and they severely piss him off. He calls the cops on them. The police don’t see what the problem is. PWH just wants to get rid of them so he says into the phone: “I think they’re Eye-rain-ians!”
Immediately we see cop cars flying through the streets, lights flashing, sirens screaming.
Right Idea. Wrong Movie.
I think its Cheech and Chongs Next Movie with the hotel scene. Cheech is not disguised as a redneck biker. The character is Dwayne or “Red”, which is Cheech’s cousin. PeeWee gets mad because Red won’t pay his hotel bill.
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Well, at the time I posted, I was pretty sure his name was David. So the only difference between us that I see is that you’re right and I’m wrong.
It’s at times like this that I take comfort in the words of our fortieth President, Ronald Reagan, who said: “Facts are stupid things.”
At least, I’m pretty sure he did.
In an interview he said that a relative saw him lying in his crib when he was a baby and remarked that he looked like a chicharron. How many people get fame and fortune out of being named after fried pork skins?