IN FOCUS: BICOLANO ACTOR AND STUNTMAN, ALEX FLORES

Alexander Flores Despi was born on February 27, 1937 in Sampaloc, Sorsogon City in the province of Sorsogon to fisherfolk parents, Modesto Despi and Hilaria Flores. He was in his early teens when he went to Manila to find work. During his stint as a movie extra and stuntman, he trained and co-founded a group of stuntmen who provided their services to action movies in the 60s.

“He was a judo master, so the stunts that he performed were all the result of his training. He was one of the first to do stunts that involved jumping from a cliff and a waterfall. As a son of a fisherman, he was a skilled boatsman so he was also one of the very few stuntmen who’s able to paddle a bamboo raft while standing,” said his daughter, Ma. Dolores Despi who is now a teacher at the Sorsogon Pilot Elementary School.

“I hope that my father gets credit for his works. After numerous stuntworks, he became a character actor and starred alongside many famous actors including Eddie Garcia, Fernando Poe Jr., Jun Aristorenas, Lolita Rodriguez, Max Alvarado, and Joseph Estrada during the Golden Ages of Philippine Cinema in the 60s and 70s,” she added.

Among his notable films were Hari ng Lansangan (1962), Showdown (1966), Apat na Bagwis (1972), and many more. Some of the movies he was involved in also represented and explored the plight of the marginalized and underprivileged sectors of Filipino society. During the 80s and 90s, Despi continued to dabble in supporting roles and stuntworks including the American movie, The Fighter (1989) and Ang Leon at Tigre (1991) starring Maricel Soriano and Rene Requiestas.

Alex Flores Despi died of throat cancer in Sorsogon City on May 20, 1996.
#film #philippines #philippinecinema #cinema #fernandopoejr #filipinomovie

[arnoldaragon]

Tito yun ng bayaw ko...tumira yan sa kamuning quezon city

[litomanaguelod]

Hindi ata yan yung isang character actor na c ALEX FLORES na kdalasan ksama sa pelikula ni JESS LAPID JR DALAWA PALA ANG ALEX FLORES SA MOVIE INDUSTRY