Born in Madrid on 4 July 1676, and baptized ten days later in the church of San Martín, Cañizares had his roots in the countryside south of the capital.
In 1702 Cañizares found himself appointed by the Magistrate of Madrid as fiscal de comedias, a member of the Board of Theatrical Censors, an office which he exercised in the intervals between combat when the king and his armies returned to the capital.
As he gained experience in his craft, the board occasionally called upon him to revise a classic Golden Age play so that it would comply with the moral and political views of early 18th century Spain.
Don José de Cañizares died on 4 September 1750 at his Madrid residence, and was buried in the Dominican monastery of El Rosario.
His works lived on, continuing to be performed in Madrid and the provinces through the remainder of the 18th century and on into the first few years of the 19th, with occasional revivals up to the present day.
Many of his plays enjoyed immense popularity in his lifetime and formed an integral part of the repertoire of the Madrid companies for over 60 years after his death.
When finally produced in his adult years, Cañizares' version enjoyed such success that it eventually replaced Lope's play in the 18th century theatrical repertoire.
The earliest of Cañizares' plays to be performed were zarzuelas on classical, mythological, and chivalresque themes presented in the royal theater of the Buen Retiro.
This type of play, produced in collaboration with well-known composers of the period (Antonio de Líteres, José Nebra, Jaime Facco, Francisco Coradini), incorporated many features (da capo arias, duets, dance sequences) of the Italian opera so loved by Felipe V and both his Italian-born queens.
What made the zarzuela uniquely Spanish was the retention of many elements of the Calderonian comedia, including the three-act format and typical characters such as the rustic nobleman (figurón) and comical servant (gracioso).
Also extant are a few of Cañizares' non-dramatic works, most notably a collection of lyrics for villancicos de Navidad (Christmas carols) commissioned by the Royal Chapel of Madrid, and two examples of Gongorine-style funereal prose in honor of the Dauphin of France, father of Felipe V. The total number of Cañizares' plays that continued to be staples of the major theaters of Madrid comes to 24.
The last 19th century data available show a performance of the all-time favorite figurón play Dómine Lucas in the Teatro de la Cruz in 1840.