Eddie Romero

'Eddie Romero' (qv), who initially used the screen name 'Enrique Moreno' early in his directing career, was born July 7 1924 in Dumaguete City. He is the son of Pilar Cinco, a school teacher, and José E. Romero, a former congressman, Secretary of Education, and Philippine Ambassador to London. He was married to Carolina Gonzales, with whom he had three children, including film director 'Joey Romero' (qv); actress 'Chanda Romero' (qv) is also a niece. He studied at Dumaguete Elementary School, Ateneo de Manila, University of the Philippines (UP) High School, and Siliman University High School in Dumaguete City. He earned his bachelor's degree in UP, completed the associate in arts (pre-law) program at Siliman University, and was conferred the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, by the Foundation University in Dumaguete City. A leader in the industry, Romero has served as deputy director of the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), and Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Arts of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Romero's major influences were 'Gerardo de Leon' (qv) and 'Yasujirô Ozu' (qv), a Japanese director. He observed production trends, film techniques and the work of noted directors in the United States and Europe. He was first involved in film when he wrote the script of 'Gerardo de Leon' (qv) _Ang maestra (1941)_ (qv), which starred 'Rogelio de la Rosa' (qv), 'Rosa Del Rosario' (qv) and 'Sylvia La Torre' (qv). He joined Sampaguita Pictures, as scriptwriter of de Leon's _Isumpa mo giliw (1947)_ (qv), then directed exclusively for Sampaguita Pictures from 1947 to 1953. Among his early films are: _Ang kamay ng Diyos (1947)_ (qv); _Hindi kita malimot (1948)_ (qv); _Selosa (1948)_ (qv); _Apoy sa langit (1949)_ (qv); _Abogada (1949)_ (qv); 'Ang Asawa Kong Amerikana' (1953), with 'Oscar Moreno' (qv), 'Joan Page' (qv), 'Chichay' (qv), 'Boy Alano' (qv), 'Eddie Garcia' (qv) and 'Bella Flores' (qv) - this was the first Filipino movie to win an important award in an Asian Film Festival. During this period, Romero was also known as the director of the 'Pancho Magalona' (qv)-'Tita Duran' (qv) movies: _Always kay ganda mo (1949)_ (qv); 'Sa Piling Mo' (1949); _Kasintahan sa pangarap (1951)_ (qv); _Ang ating pag-ibig (1953)_ (qv). Romero became a producer-director with the film _Buhay alamang (1952)_ (qv), which he adapted from a stage play by 'Gerardo de Leon' (qv). Under Hemisphere Productions, he produced films for international release which he himself wrote and/or directed, foremost of which was 'Day of the Trumpet' (1957), which starred Hollywood actors 'John Agar' (qv), 'Richard Arlen' (qv), 'Myron Healey' (qv) and 'Jennings Sturgeon' (qv), alongside Filipino actors 'Pancho Magalona' (qv), 'Alicia Vergel' (qv), 'Cielito Legaspi' (qv), 'Vic Diaz' (qv) and 'Max Alvarado' (qv). (This movie was released in the US as _The Day of the Trumpet (1958)_ (qv).) Other English-language films Romero made were _The Kidnappers (1958)_ (qv) (originally titled 'Man on the Run'), with Hollywood stars Burgess Meredith', 'William Phipps' (qv), 'Paul Harber' (qv), 'Theodore Bikel' (qv), costarring Filipino actors 'Olivia Cenizal' (qv), 'Carol Varga' (qv), 'Amado Cortez' (qv), 'Zaldy Zshornack' (qv), 'Johnny Monteiro' (qv); _Terror Is a Man (1959)_ (qv), topbilled by 'Francis Lederer' (qv), with 'Greta Thyssen' (qv), 'Richard Derr' (qv) and Filipino actors 'Oscar Keesee' (qv), 'Peyton Keesee' (qv), 'Lilia Duran' (qv), and 'Flory Carlos' (qv); _Espionage: Far East (1961)_ (qv) with 'Tod Andrews' (qv), 'Mila del Sol' (qv), 'Leopoldo Salcedo' (qv), 'Diane Jergens' (qv), 'Manuel Conde' (qv), 'Shirley Gorospe' (qv) and 'Joan Tabor' (qv); _Escape to Paradise (1960)_ (qv), starring 'Bruce Baxter' (qv), 'Joe Dennis' (qv), 'Diane Jergens' (qv), 'Jennings Sturgeon' (qv) with Filipino actors 'Rosie Acosta' (qv), 'Arsenio Alonzo' (qv), 'Johnny Monteiro' (qv), 'Renato Robles' (qv), 'Leopoldo Salcedo' (qv), 'Joe Sison' (qv); _The Passionate Strangers (1966)_ (qv), with 'Michael Parsons' (qv), 'Valora Noland' (qv), 'Claude Wilson' (qv), and Filipinos 'Mario Montenegro' (qv), 'Celia Rodriguez' (qv), 'Vic Diaz' (qv), 'Butz Aquino' (qv) and 'Cesar Aguilar' (qv); _The Raiders of Leyte Gulf (1962)_ (qv), with 'Leopoldo Salcedo' (qv), 'Michael Parsons' (qv), 'Efren Reyes' (qv), 'Liza Moreno' (qv), 'Eddie Mesa' (qv), 'Oscar Keesee' (qv) and 'Jennings Sturgeon' (qv); _American Tank Force (1968)_ (qv), with 'Charito Solis' (qv), 'Ric Rodrigo' (qv), 'Mario Montenegro' (qv), 'James Shigeta' (qv), 'Eddie Garcia' (qv), 'Vic Diaz' (qv), 'Lauro Delgado' (qv), 'Alex Nicol' (qv), 'John Ashley' (qv), 'Nova Villa' (qv), 'Rosa Mia' (qv) and 'Norma Blancaflor' (qv). Starting with _Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968)_ (qv), with 'John Ashley' (qv), 'Angelique Pettyjohn' (qv), 'Ronald Remy' (qv), 'Alicia Alonzo' (qv), 'Tita Muñoz' (qv), 'Alfonso Carvajal' (qv) and 'Johnny Long' (qv), a film closely resembling _Island of Lost Souls (1932)_ (qv), Romero began a collaboration with Hollywood-based actors like 'John Ashley' (qv). This was followed by several other exotically-themed films, usually with 'Eddie Garcia' (qv), like _The Beast of the Yellow Night (1971)_ (qv), costarring 'John Ashley' (qv) again and 'Leopoldo Salcedo' (qv), 'Mary Charlotte Wilcox' (qv), 'Vic Diaz' (qv) and 'Ken Metcalfe' (qv); _Drakapa, das Monster mit der Krallenhand (1970)_ (qv) costarring ''John Ashley' (qv) (I) and 'Celeste Yarnall' (qv); _The Twilight People (1972)_ (qv), costarring Ashley again, 'Charles Macaulay' (qv), 'Pat Woodell' (qv), 'Pam Grier' (qv) and 'Letty Mirasol' (qv); _Frauen in Ketten (1973)_ (qv), topbilled by 'Pam Grier' (qv), 'Margaret Markov' (qv), 'Lynn Borden' (qv), with 'Zaldy Zshornack' (qv) and 'Alona Alegre' (qv); _The Woman Hunt (1972)_ (qv) with 'John Ashley' (qv), 'Pat Woodell' (qv), Charlene Jones (I)', 'Lisa Todd' (qv), 'Laurie Rose' (qv) and 'Lotis Key' (qv); _Kommando Höllenengel (1974)_ (qv) with 'Gloria Hendry' (qv), 'Cheri Caffaro' (qv), 'Rosanna Ortiz' (qv), 'John Ashley' (qv) (I)', 'Sid Haig' (qv), and 'Rita Gomez' (qv); _Sudden Death (1977)_ (qv), with Hollywood stars 'Robert Conrad' (qv) and 'Don Stroud' (qv), costarring 'Felton Perry' (qv), 'Angie Ferro' (qv) and 'Ken Metcalfe' (qv)'. In the mid-1970s Romero returned to the local scene with the now-famous _This Is How We Were Before, How Are You Doing Now? (1976)_ (qv); _Sinong kapiling? Sinong kasiping? (1977)_ (qv); _Banta ng kahapon (1977)_ (qv); _Durugin si Totoy Bato (1979)_ (qv); _Aguila (1980)_ (qv); _Kamakalawa (1981)_ (qv); _Ang padrino (1984)_ (qv); and _Hari sa hari, lahi sa lahi (1987)_ (qv). In 1992 he scripted and directed the 13-episode TV version of Jose Rizal's _Noli me tángere (1961)_ (qv) for the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He has made over 20 films for international distribution and over 35 Filipino movies for local distribution. Romero's last directorial foray was _Faces of Love (2007)_ (qv), starring 'Christopher De Leon' (qv), 'Angel Aquino' (qv), 'Alfred Vargas' (qv), 'Juliana Palermo' (qv), 'Bembol Roco' (qv), 'Chanda Romero' (qv), 'Ricky Davao' (qv), 'Mon Confiado' (qv) and 'Rodel Velayo' (qv).Romero has received a total of 22 awards; these include five Best Screenplay awards from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts & Sciences (FAMAS), for _Buhay alamang (1952)_ (qv), _The Passionate Strangers (1966)_ (qv), _Durugin si Totoy Bato (1979)_ (qv), _Aguila (1980)_ (qv) and _Ang padrino (1984)_ (qv), elevating him to the Hall of Fame. He was chosen FAMAS Best Director for _The Passionate Strangers (1966)_ (qv) and _Aguila (1980)_ (qv). FAMAS eventually awarded him to the FAMAS Hall of Fame in 1986, the FAMAS Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993, and the Presidential Award in 2000. In 1951 he won the Maria Clara Award for Best Director for _Ang prinsesa at ang Pulubi (1950)_ (qv); the following year, yet another Best Director Award for _Diego Silang (1951)_ (qv). Romero is a recipient of the Dr Ciriaco Santiago Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Movie Industry for 'Day of the Trumpet' (1957), the first coproduction with a foreign film company; this film was released in the US as _The Day of the Trumpet (1958)_ (qv). At the Gawad Urian 'Awards' (qv), he won Best Direction and Best Screenplay for _This Is How We Were Before, How Are You Doing Now? (1976)_ (qv), as well as the Dekada Award (Best Film of the Decade) for the said film, given in 1981; he garnered Urian nominations for Best Screenplay for _Sinong kapiling? Sinong kasiping? (1977)_ (qv) and Best Screenplay and Best Direction for _Banta ng kahapon (1977)_ (qv), and again for Best Screenplay and Best Direction for _Aguila (1980)_ (qv). Gawad Urian gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. He won the Festival Prize (Best Direction and Best Screenplay) for _This Is How We Were Before, How Are You Doing Now? (1976)_ (qv), at the Metro Manila Film Festival. He received a Papal Award as Film Director of the Decade, 1971-1980, at the Catholic Mass Media 'Awards' (qv) (CMMA). At the FAP 'Awards' (qv), he won nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Direction for _Faces of Love (2007)_ (qv). He was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cinemanil International Film Festival in 2000. Romero passed away on May 28, 2013 causes cited were blood clot and prostate cancer. (He would haveturned 88 on July 7). Aside from film director 'Joey Romero' (qv), Romero had two children, with LVN movie queen 'Mila del Sol' (qv): Ancel and Leo Romero, who have wives and live in the United States.::Step Up Guy