Known for former action star Years active 1950–1998 | Occupation actor, politician Name Anthony Alonzo Other names Tonio, Tony Religion Roman Catholicism | |
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Full Name Antonio Viana Hernandez Died October 9, 1998, Quezon City, Philippines | ||
Antonio Viana Alonzo (April 2, 1948 – October 9, 1998), also known as Anthony and Tony, was a former action star and former councilor of Quezon City.
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Early life
He was born as Antonio Viana Hernandez on April 2, 1948, in Quezon City to Alfredo Hernandez and Lourdes Viana. He is the brother of actress Alicia Alonzo, who herself is still appearing in Filipino films and soaps.
Education
Antonio V. Hernandez received his elementary and secondary education at the Marulas Elementary School and Espiritu Santo High School, respectively. He took up Commerce at the Mapua Institute of Technology.
Movie career
Besides the so-called bold and sexy films that pervaded the movie industry in the 70s and early 8os, the period also saw the emergence and proliferation of true-to-life movies. Producers then banked on the colorful and controversial lives of known notorious criminals to come up with profitable movie projects, i.e. Nardong Putik, Kapitan Eddie Set, Baby Ama, Ronquillo, Salonga, and Waway, to name a few. Popular actors Ramon Revilla and Rudy Fernandez topped the list of action stars who appeared in one movie after another, portraying infamous and villainous characters. Other stars followed, such as Ace Vergel, Jess Lapid, Jr., Rhene Imperial and Anthony Alonzo.
Alonzo was one of the busiest actors during that time and made a long list of true-to-life movies based on factual events and police records. Stardom came late for Alonzo. He was already 30 when he was given an important role in Hindi sa Iyo ang Mundo Baby Porcuna in 1978, for which he was nominated for the URIAN Best Supporting Actor award. He was nominated in the FAMAS the following year for Dakpin si Junior Bombay (1979). In 1982, he won the FAMAS Best Actor award for his role in Bambang. He also won the Best Actor awards in the 3 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) for his work in: Bago Kumalat Ang Kamandag (1983), The Moises Padilla Story: The Missing Chapter (1985) and Anak Badjao (1987).
Political life
He ran for councilor in the 1992 Metro Manila elections.
Movies
Health
It was during this period in 1992 that he suffered from acute gastroenteritis.
Death
He died of skin cancer on October 9, 1998, and was buried in Quezon City.