Cheech Marin will be the first speaker in the seventh season of “Palm Springs Speaks,” an annual series of interviews benefiting the city’s public library that begins Tuesday evening at the Plaza Theatre.
The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the theater, located at 128 S. Palm Canyon Drive.
Manny “The Movie Guy” Dela Rosa will be in conversation with Marin regarding his book, “Cheech is Not My Real Name … But Don’t Call Me Chong!” a memoir published in 2017 detailing his life growing up in Los Angeles to his passion for Chicano art.
Born Richard Marin, he gained fame as one half of the comedy duo “Cheech and Chong,” along with Tommy Chong. The pair met in 1969 and recorded a handful of popular comedy albums in the 1970s before starring in eight feature films. Their first film, “Up in Smoke,” was an instant box office hit in 1978.
Marin was also featured in other films, including “Tin Cup,” “Shotgun Wedding,” “Champions,” “The Lion King” and “Cars.”
He also had a highly successful television career, appearing with co-stay Don Johnson on the hit cop show “Nash Bridges” from 1996-2001.
Beyond acting, Marin is a preeminent advocate for Chicano art, who began developing a private collection in the mid-1980s. The collection can be seen at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture of the Riverside Art Museum, which opened in June 2022.
A book signing will follow Tuesday’s conversation and presentation.
The next speaker in the series will be author and journalist Wade Rouse on Feb. 24. Tickets and additional information on the series can be found at palmspringsspeaks.org.