A popular, diminutive and once mustachioed Mexican-American character lead and comic, Cheech Marin gained fame as half of Cheech and Chong, one of the top comedy acts of the 1970s and 80s and still a fondly remembered (by those who can) artifact of pre-politically correct times when marijuana basked in a more benign light. Fleeing from the US draft during the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, the Los Angeles-born Marin settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he met future partner Tommy Chong. The pair co-founded City Works, an improv group that combined comedy and music, at a Vancouver
