Fernando Poe Jr.

Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., was a Filipino actor, director and screenwriter. Nicknamed "Da King" and often referred to by his initials FPJ, he has been described as a cultural icon, having dominated the Philippine box-office from the 1960s to 1990s through his leading roles in action films. For his career that spanned nearly five decades, he has received numerous honors including the Order of National Artists of the Philippines in 2006 and the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999.^[1][2]

Poe appeared in around 300 films from 1955 to 2003.^[3] Poe entered the film industry as a stuntman following the death of his father, actor Fernando Poe Sr., and made his film debut in 1955 with Anak ni Palaris, a sequel to a film that starred his father. His breakout came in the 1956 film Lo Waist Gang and went on to star in action films that portrayed him as the "champion and defender of the poor and oppressed".^[4] His notable films include: Only the Brave Know Hell (1965), Lino Brocka's Santiago! (1970), Celso Ad. Castillo's Asedillo (1971), Bato sa Buhangin (1976), Durugin si Totoy Bato (1979), Eddie Romero's Aguila (1980); his self-directed Ang Panday (1980) and its sequels; Roman Rapido and Isang Bala Ka Lang! (both 1983), the 1986 films Iyo ang Tondo, Kanya ang Cavite, Muslim .357, and Batang Quiapo; Kahit Konting Pagtingin (1990), Ang Probinsyano (1996), Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko... (1999), Ang Dalubhasa (2000), and Batas ng Lansangan (2002).^[1][5]

Poe's accolades include five FAMAS Awards for Best Actor^[6]—a joint record^[7] that inducted him into the FAMAS Hall of Fame in 1988. He also won Best Director for his films Ang Padrino (1984) and Kahit Butas ng Karayom, Papasukin Ko (1995).^[8] In 2004, FAMAS posthumously granted him the Natatanging Alagad ng Sining Award. Poe was also posthumously declared a National Artist of the Philippines in 2006 (accepted by his family in 2012).^[9]

Poe ran for president of the Philippines in the 2004 election. He lost to the incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo by just over one million votes (3.48%)—the closest margin by percentage between the winner and runner-up in the history of Philippine presidential elections. Seven months after the election, Poe died of a stroke; hundreds of thousands attended his wake and funeral.^[10][11]

Poe was married to actress Susan Roces, who played his onscreen love interest in 17 films.^[2] He is the father of Senator Grace Poe and actress Lovi Poe.

Early life and education

Ronald Allan Kelley Poe was the son of Filipino actor and director Fernando Poe Sr. (born Allan Fernando Poe y Reyes; 1916–1951) from San Carlos, Pangasinan and Elizabeth "Bessie" Kelley (1918–1999). He was born in Manila on August 20, 1939. He was known as "Ronnie" to his family.

His parents, at the time of his birth, were not legally married until 1940. In 2004, Poe's political opponents tried to derail his bid for the 2004 Philippine presidency when they sought to disqualify him as an illegitimate son of a non-Filipino mother.

He was the second among six siblings, including Andy (born Fernando Kelley Poe Jr.; 1943–1995),^[12] whose given name was used by Poe as his own professional name to bank on the popularity of his father who was a top actor in his time. Conrad Poe was Poe's half-brother, the illegitimate son of Fernando Poe Sr. and actress Patricia Mijares.

The original spelling of the family surname was Pou, from his paternal grandfather, playwright Lorenzo Pou, a Catalan migrant from Mallorca, Spain, who ventured into mining and business in the Philippines.

In 1953, Poe finished his primary education at San Beda College. For high school, he attended San Sebastian College. He continued his education at Mapúa Institute of Technology and University of the East and took the course theater arts.

When his father died from rabies at age 34, Poe became the family's breadwinner. In order to support his family, he dropped out of the University of the East during his sophomore year.^[13]

Film career

Poe dropped out of college to work in the Philippine film industry as a messenger boy, and was given acting roles in subsequent years.^[14] Starting as a stuntman for Everlasting Pictures, he was given a starring role in the film Anak ni Palaris (Son of Palaris) at the age of 14. The film, however, was not a big hit. In 1956, the film Lo' Waist Gang made him popular,^[14] and the film was such a hit that low-waist pants became a fad.

Also known as 'FPJ' from his initials, Poe acted in a number of films which depicted him as the champion of the poor and downtrodden. He also directed films under the pseudonyms D'Lanor and Ronwaldo Reyes. Reyes originated from the surname of his paternal grandmother, Martha.

He established FPJ Productions in 1961 and later organized other film companies. In 1963, he testified against criminal gangs, known as the Big Four, who extorted money from the film industry. In 1965, he shared the lead in The Ravagers (in the Philippines this is titled Only the Brave Know Hell), a film depicting the United States and the Philippines working together against Japanese war time occupation. The film is considered one of the most influential Filipino films.

Poe won the most best actor awards at the FAMAS. Among the films that received awards were Mga Alabok sa Lupa (1967), Asedillo (1971), Durugin si Totoy Bato (1979), Umpisahan Mo, Tatapusin Ko (1983), and Muslim .357 (1986).

Poe was one of the highest paid film actors in the Philippines in the 1980s (alongside Dolphy and Vilma Santos), with his salary reaching over one million pesos per film.^[15] In 1988, Poe partnered with San Miguel Corporation in a near ₱27 million promotional deal for San Miguel Beer,^[16] his first endorsement of a product in his entire film career, with the first television commercial airing on January 20.^[17]

In mid-1993, Poe was then set to star in a film produced by Viva Films and directed by Pablo Santiago titled Tulak ng Bibig, Kabig ng Dibdib, with Alice Dixson cast as the female lead, though it did not come to fruition.^[18]

Among his roles were Flavio in the Ang Panday fantasy series, Kahit Konting Pagtingin, Dito sa Pitong Gatang and Aguila. His last film, Pakners, also stars 9-ball billiards champion Efren "Bata" Reyes.

Political career

2004 Presidential bid

Fernando Poe Jr. was the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)'s candidate for the 2004 presidential election. He accepted nomination in December 2003 and was to be the opposition candidate in the Philippines' 2004 presidential election.^[19]

Personal life

Poe married actress Susan Roces, the professional name of Jesusa Sonora, in a civil wedding in December 1968. They later married in a religious service and among their primary sponsors were then-President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda. Poe and Roces adopted a daughter, Grace Poe, who became a senator.

Poe was very reclusive about his personal life. However, in February 2004, during the presidential campaign, Poe admitted to having fathered two children out of wedlock.^[20] He had an affair with actress Anna Marin and had one son, Ronian and with former actress Rowena Moran and had a daughter, Lourdes Virginia. While he publicly acknowledged two children out of wedlock, reports indicated that he allegedly fathered two more other children. Sources claimed that he had a child from a former actress named "Monica", who was born in 1960. Their child has been reported living in Hawaii.^[21] There were claims that Poe had another child from a comedian-actress.^[22]

Poe was also a known horse owner and horse racing enthusiast.^[23]

Death and legacy

Poe was admitted to St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City in the evening of December 11, 2004, after complaining of dizziness at a gathering in his production studio during a Christmas party.^[24] He suffered from a stroke and slipped into a coma while being treated for a brain clot. Doctors described his condition as a cerebral thrombosis with multiple organ failure.^[25] He died at the age of 65 on December 14 at 12:01 am PHT (UTC+08:00), without regaining consciousness.^[25] His remains were initially transferred to the Arlington East Memorial Chapels in Pasig (now known as the Evergreen Memorial Chapels), before being transferred a day later to the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City.^[26][27] Organizers of the nine-day wake claimed numbers as high as two million.^[28] The funeral procession drew tens of thousands who crowded the streets of Quezon City, an event which drew comparisons to the funeral processions of former Senator Ninoy Aquino in August 1983 – who also had his wake held at the Santo Domingo Church – and of actress Julie Vega in May 1985. He was buried in his family plot along with his parents in the Manila North Cemetery.

Aftermath

On December 14, 2012, eight years after his death, a monument to Poe was erected at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Arquiza Street in Ermita, Manila, with widow Susan Roces and daughter Grace Poe attending the unveiling.^[29] In 2013, Tonton Gutierrez portrayed Fernando Poe Jr. in the life story of Poe's daughter Grace Poe, depicted by Erich Gonzales, on Maalaala Mo Kaya.^[30] In 2015, his 1997 film Ang Probinsyano was remade by ABS-CBN into a TV series, starring Coco Martin as the main character to portray twins namely SPO1 Ricardo "Cardo" Dalisay and Police Sr. Insp. Dominador "Ador" de Leon together with Susan Roces, FPJ's widow.^[31][32]On January 13, 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11608, renaming Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City as Fernando Poe Jr. Avenue.^[33]

On his 84th birth anniversary on August 20, 2023, Roosevelt station of LRT Line 1 in Quezon City was renamed Fernando Poe Jr. station; FPJ Arena, a sports arena in San Jose, Batangas also named in his honor, was inaugurated.^[34][35] The FPJ Film Archives has been inscribed in the National Memory of the World Register of the Philippines.^[36] In horse racing, Poe was posthumously inducted in the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) Hall of Fame in 2023 for promoting the discipline through his films.^[37] The main road within the MetroTurf Racecourse complex in Batangas was also named after Poe.^[38]

Filmography

^ I Kamao is Poe's only film produced specifically for television, premiering on RPN in June 1987.

Accolades

Awards and nominations