e started in 1916 with Teresa Puértolas and José Sassone at the Roma Theater of Avellaneda. Later he joined different companies until he formed his own in 1931, the Cómico Theater.

His most outstanding, we may say, brilliant performances were along with Ivo Pelay and Francisco Canaro in the musicals La muchachada del centro at the Nacional Theater in 1932, and El muchacho de la orquesta, 1939, at the same theater, and in the Muiño-Alippi company when Así es la vida, by Malfatti and de las Llanderas, was staged in 1934. And alongside those extraordinary actors he made the 400 performances of the latter play.

It is worthwhile mentioning his appearance alongside Carlos Gardel in 1933, in the Ivo Pelay’s play De Gabino a Gardel staged at the Nacional where he presented the great singer with his own glosses. On that occasion Gardel named him with the sobriquet Oído de Suela (Leather Ear). He came to know Gardel in 1925 and declined traveling to Paris with him for shooting a movie due to money reasons.

He also appeared in the movies: Lo que le pasó a Reynoso, La estancia del Gaucho Cruz and El Cabo Rivero.

His first tango, because he wrote several ones, was “La muerte de Milonguita” with music by Francisco Canaro. And his greatest hit was “Hacelo por la vieja” that he co-wrote with Carlos Viván and Rodolfo Sciammarella, a tango piece that was in the songbooks of nearly all the popular artists including Carlos Gardel who had the kindness of singing it one evening in the play of the same name. He had promised him to commit it to record before his last departure but was unable to do it.

Bonatti was born in Buenos Aires on February 11, 1902 and there he died on September 13, 1961.