Cesar Montano, Buboy to his friends and co-stars, is one of a few multi-talented stars in the Philippine entertainment industry. He started out as a promising action star (having worked as a stunt man) and has reinvented himself in various roles throughout a career that already boasts of more than sixty movies and TV shows.
Cesar is an actor, director, writer, producer, TV host, and product endorser. He has won awards not only for his acting chops but also for his skill in directing. To date, he has eight wins and ten nominations. He has directed five films, produced five, and written four screenplays.
He first made waves via his two concurrent Gawad Urian nominations in 1993 – Best Actor for Alyas Waway and Best Supporting Actor for Hanggang Saan Hanggang Kailan. His accolades did not come until 1999 when he shed his action star image to unveil a more versatile actor. FAMAS, the Metro Manila Film Festival, and Star Awards hailed Cesar as the best actor of the year for his soulful portrayal of Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal in a movie directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya. His succeeding efforts in movies like
Muro-ami and
Bagong Buwan also generated critical acclaim locally and abroad.
Cesar Montano was the 2007 FAMAS Best Actor for the movie
Ligalig, which he directed and co-written with Willy Laconsay and starred with spouse
Sunshine Cruz . In 2005, he received a Gawad Urian Best Actor and Best Director awards for
Panaghoy sa Suba (
The Call of the River). In that movie, which he also directed and produced, Cesar aimed to revive interest in movies using the Visayan language.
Movies that Cesar directed were
Ligalig,
Panaghoy sa Suba,
Mananabas,
Bullet, and
Warfreak: Walang Sinasanto, Walang Pinapatawad. He also starred in a weekly sitcom
Kaya ni Mister, Kaya ni Misis in 1999 as Buboy Magtanggol opposite
Maricel Soriano . He played the same role in
Bida si Mister, Bida si Misis in 2003. He was also the voice of Lim Hang in the Filipino animated movie
Urduja.
Cesar has set his sights on Hollywood. He has reportedly signed a three-picture deal with Miramax. He was part of an ensemble that told the story of a group of Rangers' mission to rescue World War II American soldier-prisoners in 2005’s
The Great Raid, which was top-billed by Benjamin Bratt of
Miss Congeniality and James Franco of the
Spiderman movies.
Cesar Montano has gone back to television, starring in the ambitious action-drama Palos with young actor
Jake Cuenca as his protégé. Cesar is the
host of The Singing Bee , an ABS-CBN game show that capitalizes on the Filipinos love for music and prize money. He appeared in ads for Touch Mobile, Globe, Hanford, Mega Sardines, Nature Spring Mineral Water, and Enervon.
He was born on August 1, 1962, as Cesar Manhilot. He paints and plays the guitar. He has released an album entitled
Subok Lang under Star Records in 2001. He also ran for the Senate in 2007 under Team Unity but was unsuccessful
