|
Birth name Cesar Manhilot
Born Manila, Philippines
Notable roles Juan Pajota - The Great Raid (2005)Duroy
- Panaghoy sa
Suba(2004)Jose Rizal - José Rizal(1998)Fredo - Muro Ami (1999)Buboy
Magtanggol - Bida si Mister, Bida
si Misis (TV Series)
Cesar Montano (born Cesar Manhilot) is a Filipino actor who started in
showbusiness as a stuntman
for a lot of known Filipino actors. [1] and
roles
in a lot of B movies. He then played major roles in several action
movies
while also having a successful TV career as he played the lead role in
the
TV sitcom "Bida si Mister,
Bida si Misis".
His breakout role is his portrayal of José Rizal, the Philippine
National
Hero in the film José
Rizal. This film is unprecedented as it portrays
Philippine society during Spanish colonization of the Philippines and
its
relevance up to the present day.
Montano has won numerous acting awards, especially in his
internationally
acclaimed movies, such as Hollywood's The Great Raid, Panaghoy sa Suba
(The
Call of the River), José Rizal, Muro
Ami (Reef Hunters) and Bagong
Buwan
(New Moon).
Aside from acting, Montano also embarked on a singing career, with
the
release of his music album Subok lang or Just try in 2000. He has also
ventured into film production as well as
directing, with Panaghoy sa
Suba as
his directorial film debut.
After his first Hollywood movie The Great Raid
with Benjamin Bratt, he
was
cast in another Hollywood movie Another Deep Breath'.
Contents[hide]· 1 Biography and
career o 1.1 Early work o 1.2 Breakout
role
o 1.3 Music o 1.4 UNESCO Commissioner o 1.5 Political career · 2
Filmography
and television · 3 Discography o 3.1 Albums and singles · 4 Awards · 5
Trivia · 6 References · 7 External links
[edit]
Biography and career
Known professionally as Cesar Montano, Cesar Manhilot, fondly called by
his
nickname Buboy,
was born and raised in Sta. Ana, Manila, Philippines,
but
traces his roots to the Manhilots of Baclayon, in the island
province
of
Bohol in Central Visayas, Philippines. He is the fifth of seven
children
born to a lawyer and
his 7th day Adventist wife. Montano says
discipline was
the hallmark of his childhood, his father he describes as
a strict
disciplinarian, and his mother imposing the religious prohibitions of
"no
pork" and "no movies". [2]
Montano
went to the Sta. Ana Elementary School, and finished
Engineering at
the Lyceum. An average student, he was good at
drawing and would have
become
a painter, if not a singer, if he hadn't become an actor.
Montano was first married
to Marilyn Polinga, a fellow Boholano he met
at
the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Their two children, Angela and
Angelo,
grew up with her when they separated as a couple. When she died of a
brain
tumor in 1993, the children moved back
with him. His other son, Caloy
Diego,
lives with his mother, Filipino actress Teresa Loyzaga, in Australia.
He
is currently married to Philippine actress Sunshine Cruz with whom
he has
two daughters, Angeline Isabelle and Samantha
Angeline. [3]
[edit] Early work
The acting bug bit Montano when he was in his senior year in college in
1984, and
soon enough, he was taking acting workshops with the likes of
Joel
Lamangan and Imee Marcos, and landed the role of
elevator boy in
"Estremenggoles." TV and movie roles quickly followed: "Agos" with
Gretchen
Barretto, the Pinoy
Thriller, "Regal Shocker", and the "Maricel Soriano
Drama Special". He did a lot of B movies which he prefers to call
"trash"
movies rather than bold.
Montano's passion for acting was first seen in Dulaang UP's stage
productions.
He was an active member of University of the Philippines
or UP
Playwright under the direction of Tony Mabesa. [4]
His
first movie careers were as a stuntman for a lot of known Filipino
actors. [1] In his early career, he played major roles
in several
action
movies while also having a successful TV career as he played the lead
role
of Buboy Magtanggol
opposite Maricel Soriano in the TV sitcom Bida si
Mister, Bida si Misis.
[edit] Breakout role
One of his greatest
performances is the role of José Rizal, the
Philippine
National Hero in the film José Rizal in 1998. This film is
unprecedented as
it portrays Philippine society during Spanish colonization of the
Philippines and its relevance
up to the present day.
In 1999, he played the role of Fredo, the ruthless captain of 150 muro
ami
divers in Muro
Ami, a film that depicts one of the worst forms of child
labor in the illegal fishing industry.[5] The film won thirteen
awards
at
the 1999 Metro Manila Film Festival. [5]
Then, Cesar Montano produced, directed and starred in the 2004
film
Panaghoy
sa Suba or The Call of the River. It features Filipino actors Juliana
Palermo, Jackie Woo, Phil
Anthony, Caridad Sanchez, Joel Torre, Daria
Ramirez, Ronnie Lazaro, Suzette Ranillo, Rommel Montano, Dr. Warfe
Engracia,
Ramon Villanueva, Chelo Espina, Flora Gasser, Disi Alba and Rebecca
Lusterio. [4]
It is an epic story set during
the American Occupation (1942) and the
Japanese Occupation (1945), shot amidst the virgin splendor of the
island
province
of Bohol, Philippines mostly along and around the Loboc River
which
plays a significant role in the story. [6] It
is a mixture of action,
drama,
romance, and history.
The film is Cesar Montano's directorial debut with an almost
entirely
Visayan cast, and perhaps the biggest film ever to be shot in its
entirety
in the Visayas. The film,
intended for both national and international
exhibition, boldly used Visayan as the main language. [7]
It was given
an "A" rating by the Cinema Evaluation Board or CEB of the
Film
Development Council of the Philippines and was CM
Films' entry to the
2004
Metro Manila Film Festival. [8]The CEB described Cesar Montano's
direction
as "meticulous
but light-handed." It turned "a somewhat rambling and
slow
screenplay into a poetic, sometimes even magical, current
of silent
struggle
and survival." [8]
The Call of the River is a multiple award-winner. It has bagged Second
Best
Picture (to Mano Po 3), Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best
Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Musical
Score, Gatpuno Villegas
Cultural Award at the Metro Manila Film Festival, 2004; [9] and Best
Actor,
Best Supporting
Actress at Gawad Suri Awards, Manila, 2005. [10]
Panaghoy sa Suba, which garnered 16 awards and 11 nominations [4]
including
5 from the Metro Manila Film Festival, was also given an endorsement by
the
UNESCO.[7] It was named Best Picture
at the International Festival of
Independent Films held in Brussels, Belgium. Montano was also chosen
Best
Director.
[11] In addition, Montano also won Best Actor in Panaghoy sa
Suba
in the Golden Screen Awards. [12]
Panaghoy sa
Suba was invited as an exhibition in the Tous les Cinemas
du
Monde (Movies of the World) at the Cannes Film Festival
in 2005.[13]
[14] It
has also been invited for exhibition in other international film
festivals
in Berlin,
Toronto, Tokyo, Korea and in the Czech Republic’s Karlo Vary
Film
Festival. [14]
In 2005, American film director
and screenwriter John Dahl cast Montano
The
Great Raid after taking notice of Montano's performance in the movie
Muro
Ami. He played Juan Pajota in the Miramax Films set in Cabanatuan City,
Nueva Ecija, Philippines in 1945 towards the
end of WWII. [15] The
director
was impressed with the bald look Cesar sported in "Muro Ami". In
addition,
his
intense performance in Marilou Diaz-Abaya's film was a determining
factor for his being chosen to play Captain Pajota.
[16] Only a few
Filipino
actors have penetrated the international film scene and enjoyed equal
exposure with foreign
stars.
Montano was cast in another U.S. film, Another Deep Breath, scheduled
to
start shooting in the San Francisco
Bay Area in March 2005. [17] It
will be
the first film starring a Hollywood actress and a Filipino actor to be
released
by a major American distributor. David Maquiling, a
Filipino-American filmmaker, is directing "Another Deep Breath". It
also
features a Filipino-Canadian actress, Jane McLean, who will play as the
wife
of Montano's character.
The story is described as "an intense love
affair
that crosses racial lines and threatens the marriage of Peter Materdo
(Montano), a thirty-something Filipino American college professor, and
endangers the career of Alison Turner (to be
played by the Hollywood
actress), a new teacher at the college and a former student of Peter's.
[edit] Music
On
January 1, 2000, Montano released his first music solo album
entitled
Subok Lang (Just Try) under Star Records.[18]
While being famous as a
Philippine action movie star, he is also known for singing acoustic
ballads.
Nine of the
album's ten songs is accompanied only by an acoustic
guitar,
giving a quiet, mellow ambience. He sings a duet on the
second version
Kailan Ko Lang Sinabi (When I Just Told You) with his wife, Sunshine
Cruz,
who is also a famous
Filipino actress and recording artist. The
spirited
Ikaw Lang (Only You) is the only song to use other instruments
besides
the
acoustic guitar, and drums and bass are also heard. Subok lang went on
to
become Platinum record.
[2]
[edit] UNESCO Commissioner
On May 19, 2005, Cesar Montano was sworn in as United Nations
Educational,
Scientific
and Cultural Organization or UNESCO Philippine commissioner
for
culture and the arts. [3] This came as a surprise
to most Filipinos
because
he is better known for his award-winning roles in critically acclaimed
movies Rizal,
Muro Ami than his principles and beliefs. Little is known
of
his tireless and thankless efforts to "promote" his home
province,
Bohol,
where he and his family always spend Christmas. Whenever he can,
Montano
makes sure to put
in a good word about this little paradise in central
Philippines that there's hardly a Filipino who doesn't know yet of
his
Boholano heritage.[3] His vocal support for Bohol and the preservation
of
its heritage and environment, he
says, may have earned him the
nomination to
the UNESCO. [3] But he did not seek the honor. Montano believes there
is
something to be proud of in every part of the country-the lovely
landscape
or delicacies or exotic catch
from the sea. According the him:
“ Kahit hindi nila ako gawing ambassador, promoting Bohol is my heart's
desire.
With my appointment, makakatulong ako to get sponsors for our
projects from the products that I endorse. ”
Born
and raised in Manila, Montano says he learned the importance of
heritage preservation early on. He saw how people slowly
forgot over
the
years the value of safeguarding tradition, culture, arts and
heritage-the
backbone Filipinos
need to be able to stand proudly. To foster national
pride, Montano believes parents must instill this value in their
children.
Character is first molded at home. [3]
[edit] Political career
This article or section contains information
about one or more
candidates
in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change dramatically as
the
election
approaches and unfolds.
On Friday, February 16, 2007, Philippine Daily Inquirer in its Breaking
News
Section, bore
the article title "Petilla out of TEAM Unity, actor Cesar
Montano in". It wrote how Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, spokesman
for
the
administration's TEAM Unity, confirmed that Leyte Governor Jericho
Petilla
is pulling out of the administration's
TEAM Unity senatorial lineup and
will
be replaced by actor Cesar Montano. [19]
The article further explained that
in a text message to INQUIRER.net,
Durano
said Montano was chosen by Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD)
and
by TEAM Unity itself. [19] Presidential Political Adviser Gabriel
Claudio
said Montano was endorsed by
Petilla himself because the actor was also
a
Visayan Claudio said in a text message:[19]
“ Visayan for Visayan,
youth for youth, substance for substance ”
[edit] Filmography and television
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Ligalig
MMFF Entry
2006 The Rootcutter No data pre-production
2006 Batang Maynila No data Director
2006 Ang Pagbabalik ng
Bituin: a mega celebration Himself performer
2005 Dagohoy Dagohoy
2005 Balangiga Massacre No data
2005 Another Deep
Breath Peter Materdo
2005 The Great Raid Guerilla Leader Captain Juan Pajota Miramax Films,
U.S.
release Feb.,
2005
2004 30th Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines Awards
Night Himself-awardee TV
2004 Panaghoy sa Suba (The
Call of the River) Duroy actor, director,
producer
2003 Chavit Singson Story Chavit Singson
2003 Bida si Mister,
Bida si Misis Buboy Magtanggol 1 TV episode 21
June,
2003
2002 Kapalaran Himself TV series
2001 Lakas Sambayanan(People
Power) No data
2001 Bagong Buwan (aka New Moon) Ahmad Ibn Ismael
2001 Mananabas: Mga ligaw na talahib (aka The Reaper)
No data Writer
2001 Alas dose No data
2001 Baliktaran: Si Ace at si Daisy No data
2001 Hostage Jimmy Pizarro Actor,
Writer
1999 Muro Ami (aka Reef Hunters) Fredo
1999 Bullet Bullet actor, line producer (Neo films)
1999 Type kita,
walang kokontra Victor Star Cinema with John Regala and
Dayanara Torres, directed by Toto Natividad
1999 Bida si Mister,
Bida si Misis Buboy Magtanggol TV series with
Maricel
Soriano
1998 José Rizal José Rizal
1998 Warfreak: Walang
sinasanto, walang pinapatawad (Warfreak) No data
1998 Alyas Boy Tigas: Ang probinsyanong wais Boy Tigas
1998 Kasangga
Kahit Kailan No data
1997 Sanggano Diego
1997 Wala nang iibigin pa No data
1997 Kadre Ka Ruben
1997 Batas ko'y
bala No data
1997 Pusakal No data
1996 Bilang na ang araw mo No data
1996 Kung kaya mo, kaya ko rin Mac
1996 Utol
Jaime
1995 The Lilian Velez Story Narding Anzures
1995 Silakbo Andy
1995 Asero Victor
1995 Manalo, matalo, mahal
kita Jack
1994 Lipa Massacre No data
1994 Talahib at Rosas Jacob
1993 Ikaw lang Alfred
1993 Antipolo Massacre
No data
1993 Markadong Hudas Daniel Braganza
1992 Hiram na Mukha No data
1991 Kapag nag-abot ang langit at lupa No
data
1990 Machete: Istatwang buhay Machete
1990 Ako ang batas: General Karingal Lt. Reyes
1990 Sagot ng Puso Efren
1990
Kasalanan ang buhayin ka No data
1989 Bihagin ang dalagang ito No data
1989 Kokak No data
1989 Lihim ng Golden Buddha
No data
1989 Ang bukas ay akin Predo
1988 Puso sa puso No data
1983 Broken Marriage No data
1982 Relasyon No data
No
data Eh kasi bata No data
No data Annabelle Huggins Story No data
No data Four the Boys TV Series
No data Waway[2]
Waway
No data Agos [2] No data with Gretchen Barreto
No data Regal Shocker[2] No data
No data Pinoy Thriller[2] No
data
No data The Maricel Soriano Drama Special[2] No data
[4]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums and singles
Album
information
Subok lang (Just try) · Released: January 1, 2000(Philippines)Star
Records
· Chart positions: · RIAA
certification: Platinum · P.I. Sales: ·
Worldwide
sales: · Singles: o 2000: "Sana Dumating Ka Na" (I Hope You Come
Soon)
o 2000: "Sa Pagpatak NG Ulan" (When the Rain Drops) o 2000: "Kailan Ko
Lang
Sinabi" (When I Just Told You)
o 2000: "All My Life" o 2000: "Ikaw Lang
"(Only You) o 2000: "Subok Lang" (Just Try) o 2000: "Lumayo Ka Man Sa
Akin"
(Even If You Leave Me) o 2000: "Magic of Love" o 2000: "Kailan Ko Lang
Sinabi" (When I Just Told You) o 2000: "Ikaw
Pa Rin" (Still You)
[edit] Awards
· Metro Manila Film Festival, 1998
o Best Actor - Jose Rizal [20]
o Best Festival
Picture - Jose Rizal (GMA Films) [20]
· Metro Manila Film Festival, 2001
o Best Festival Actor [20]
· Metro Manila
Film Festival, 2004
o Best Director, Panaghoy sa Suba [21] [20]
· Film Academy of the Philippines Awards or FAP, Philippines,
2004
o Best Director, Panaghoy sa Suba, [21]
· Gawad Urian Awards, 2004
o Best Actor, Panaghoy sa Suba[21]
o Best
Direction, Panaghoy sa Suba[21]
· Brussels International Film Festival, 2004
o Best Actor, Panaghoy sa Suba [22]
·
32nd Metro Manila Film Festival Philippines, 2006
o Best Actor, Ligalig [citation needed]
[edit] Trivia
· The film
Bullet which Montano starred and directed for Neo films was
largely inspired by Gemini, Cesar's autistic sister, who died
in
1998.[23]
· Montano has never endorsed cigarettes, beer or liquor.[3] According
to
him:
“ I don't
intend to teach the young generation things that will ruin
them ”
.
· He has been an image model for Hanford
briefs, Mega sardines and
Touch
Mobile. [2]
· In August 2006, Cesar was involved in an altercation at a celebrity
boxing
venue where his brother was participating. After disapproving of how
the
other fighter was treating
his brother Rommel, Cesar angrily climbed
into
the ring in the middle of the match and grabbed the other fighter's
hand.
The other fighter was chased out of the theater by a mob of people,
including Cesar.[24] The Philippine
STAR described Montano's actions as
"going berserk".[25]
|
