Fernando Poe, Jr.

\nFernando Poe, Jr. (born August 20, 1939) is among the most famous Filipino actors. As his father Fernando Poe, Sr was also a famous actor, Fernando Poe, Jr. had small parts in several movies of the 1940s. However, Fernando Poe, Sr. died in 1951 after rabid puppies licked his wounds. Fernando Poe, Jr. dropped out of high school to work in the Filipino film industry as a messenger boy, and was given acting roles within a few years. In 1963, he and Joseph Estrada famously testified against criminal gangs who extorted money from the film industry. In 1965, he shared the lead in The Ravagers, a film depicting the U.S & the Philippines working together against Japanese occupation. The film is considered one of the most influential Filipino films, and it cemented Fernando Poe, Jr.'s status as a star. He has since acted in a number of movies which depict him as a heroic representative of the poor and downtrodden, and has directed nine movies, under the Reagan-esque pseudonym Ronwaldo Reyes. Fernando Poe Jr., was the KNP's candidate for the 2004 presidential election. He aimed his candidacy at the same poor and downtrodden class who he championed in his movies, promising to deal with the problems of the Philippines' large lower class. Critics charged him of being heavily linked to political interest groups, and compared his candidacy to that of his best friend Joseph Estrada, who ran on a similar platform, but was deposed from office after numerous corruption scandals. While he was initially seen as the frontrunner in the election, he ended up with only 9,158,999 tallied votes, compared to incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's 9,674,597 votes.

External Links

\n*IMDB's entry on Fernando Poe Jr. - Currently missing a number of his early films\n*Candidate Biography of Fernando Poe Jr.