Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), better known as Fernando Poe, Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ and Da King, was a Filipino actor and cultural icon. From the 1950s, Poe played steadfast film heroes who fight for the common man, which won him respect and admiration. He did not complete high school but went on to win numerous awards and prizes as an actor and film director. During the latter part of his career, he ran an unsuccessful bid for President of the Philippines in the 2004 presidential election against the former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
He was honored on May 24, 2006 as Philippine National Artist through Philippine Proclamation No. 1065.[1]
Ronald Allan K. Poe was born on August 20, 1939 in Manila, Philippines, of Filipinos of Pangasinan people, Spanish, Kapampangan, and Irish American extraction, the son of actor-producer-director Fernando Poe, Sr. of San Carlos City, Pangasinan (1916–1951) and Bessie Gatbonton Kelley (1918–1999) of Candaba, Pampanga.[2] [3] His mother, Bessie Kelley, was an American and sometimes called Elizabeth Kelley in some sources especially in Philippine press.[4][5][6] His mother's parents, Arthur Kelley (WWI Army Corp of Engineer from Iowa, USA) was an Irish American who settled in the Philippines and Martha Gatbonton, a Filipina of mixed Kapampangan and Spanish heritage. Poe Jr.'s parents were not legally married yet when he was born in 1939. His parents later married in 1940.[7] He was the second of six siblings, born after Elizabeth and before Fernando II (Andy), Genevieve (Jenny), Fredrick (Freddieboy), and Evangeline. His name at birth was Ronald Allan Kelley Poe; his brother Andy was the legal Fernando Poe Jr.
Actor Conrad Poe was his half-brother, the illegitimate son of Fernando Poe, Sr. by actress Patricia Mijares.[8] The original family surname was spelled Pou from his grandfather, playwright Lorenzo Pou, a Catalan migrant from Majorca, Spain, who ventured into mining and business in the Philippines.[8] As his father was a famous actor, Poe had small parts in several movies of the 1940s. However, Fernando Poe, Sr. died in 1951 after a rabid puppy licked his wounds. Poe finished primary education in 1953 at San Beda College. For high school, he went to San Sebastian College, Mapua Institute of Technology, and University of the East.[9] After the death of his father, he dropped out of the University of the East in his sophomore year in order to work to support his family. He worked odd jobs, including as a cleaner, a messenger boy and a stuntman, before becoming a full-time actor. He then adopted the screen name Fernando Poe, Jr..[9][10]
Poe dropped out of high school to work in the Filipino film industry as a messenger boy, and was given acting roles in subsequent years.[9] Starting as a stuntman for Everlasting Pictures, he was given a break and landed his first starring role in the movie Anak ni Palaris (Son of Palaris) at the age of 14. The movie was not a big hit. In 1957, the movie Lo Waist Gang made him popular,[9] and the film was such a big hit that low-waist pants became a fad.
Known also as FPJ from his initials, Poe acted in a number of movies which depicted him as the champion of the poor and downtrodden. He also directed nine movies, under the pseudonym Ronwaldo Reyes. Reyes originated from the surname of his paternal grandmother, Martha. The name Ronwaldo Reyes also alliterates to Ronald Reagan, who like Poe, was an actor who later ran for President.
He established FPJ productions in 1961 and later organized other film companies such as D'Lanor, JAFERE, and Rosas Productions. In 1963, he and Joseph Estrada testified against criminal gangs, known as the Big Four, who extorted money from the film industry.[11] In 1965, he shared the lead in The Ravagers, 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, and it helped establish Fernando Poe, Jr.'s status as a movie icon.
Poe became an award-winning actor and garnered the most best actor awards at the FAMAS. Among the movies that received awards were Mga Alabok ng Lupa (1967), Asedillo (1971), Durugin si Totoy Bato, Umpisahan Mo, Tatapusin Ko (1983), and Muslim Magnum .357 (1987).[12]
Poe was dubbed as the "Da King" of Philippine movies because of his box office hits. He made over 200 films in his lifetime and ran a successful movie production firm. Among his famous movies include playing Flavio in the mythical Ang Panday series, Kahit Konting Pagtingin, Dito sa Pitong Gatang and Aguila. His last movie was Pakners which also stars 9-ball billiards champion Efren "Bata" Reyes.
Fernando Poe Jr., was the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)'s candidate for the 2004 presidential election. A public figure in his movie career and known for his charitable but unpublicized endeavours, he targeted his candidacy at the same poor whom he championed in his movies.
Poe accepted the nomination in December 2003 and was to be the standard opposition bearer for the Philippines' 2004 presidential election.[13] Some accounts portray him as a reluctant candidate who was only prevailed upon to accept the nomination by his best friend, former President Joseph Estrada. But other accounts say he was convinced to cast his bid for the presidency because of the overwhelming crowd that gathered for the first rally of the FPJ for President Movement at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
He is the best friend of the former President and actor Erap Estrada. Poe married actress Susan Roces(real name Jesusa Sonora) in December 1968 in a civil wedding. They were later married in a church and among their primary sponsors were then President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos. They adopted their only daughter, current MTRCB Chairman Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares.
Although a famous public figure, Poe had been very reclusive about his personal life. However, in February, 2004, during the presidential campaign, Poe admitted to having sired children out of wedlock. His two children are Ronian (Ron Allan) with former actress Anna Marin, and daughter Lovi Poe with former actress Rowena Moran.
Poe was admitted to Saint Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City on the evening of December 11, 2004 after complaining of dizziness at a gathering in his production studio premise.[14] 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.[15] He died at the age of 65 on December 14 at 12:01 am, without regaining consciousness.[15] Friends and allies from the movie and political worlds were at his bedside. He left behind his wife actress Susan Roces and daughter, Mary Grace, along with his other children, son, Ronian, and daughter, Lovi.
The nine day wake was attended by hundreds of thousands, with organizers claiming numbers as high as two million.[16] The funeral procession drew tens of thousands who crowded the streets of Quezon City, an event that was reminiscent of the funeral processions of Ninoy Aquino in 1983 and matinee idol Julie Vega in 1985. He was buried in his family plot along with his father and mother in North Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
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