| Edgar Mortiz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edgardo Mortiz September 8, 1954 Quezon City, Philippines |
| Occupation | Actor/Singer/Director |
| Years active | 1969 - present |
Edgar "Bobot" Mortiz is a Filipino movie/TV actor[1] and director.
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Born Edgardo Mortiz on August 30, 1954. He was the champion for 13 weeks on the network’s talent search, “Tawag ng Tanghalan,” hosted by Pugo and Patsy (both deceased). He was the Original and unbeatable partner of Vilma Santos. He recounted: “A year before I joined, Nora Aunor had topped the contest. We had the same vocal coach: Romy Hernandez. That’s why we sang the same type of songs.’” Even before he could compete in the finals, the neophyte was signed up as a regular on the network’s “Oras ng Ligaya,” headlined by Sylvia La Torre and Oscar Obligacion. “Oras,” Edgar said, was mounted in the new ABS-CBN studios in Quezon City. “My partner on the show was Nora.” When Tirso Cruz III entered the picture, they became a triangle. “But they fell in love and I was eased out.” One day, Mortiz bumped into a childhood acquaintance, Vilma Santos, in the studio. “I was only 9 when we met on Tino Lapus’ ‘Eskuwelahang Munti.’” Next time they met, Mortiz was a certified teen star. I told [fan-turned-talent manager] Angge that I’d like to have Vi as my ka-loveteam.” Thus, the Vi-Bobot teamup was born. In August 1970, the network launched a teen variety show, “D’ Sensations” -- starring Mortiz, Santos, Romy Mallari, Perla Adea, Esperanza Fabon, Ike Lozada and company. He reminisced: “It was the ‘ASAP’ of its time. Aired at 5 p.m., it went head to head against ‘Superstar,’ hosted by Nora and Eddie Peregrina.” He gave credit to late actor-director Tony Santos Sr. for the success of “D’ Sensations”: “He masterminded the fame of Nora and the other teen stars. Once, in the director’s booth, I heard him instruct the cameraman: ‘Zoom in on the fans. They will hit each other with chairs.’” True enough, a fight broke out between Vi-Bot and Guy-Pip (Nora-Tirso) fans. “The cameraman asked how he knew. Direk shrugged and said, ‘I told them to.’” Mortiz looked up to Tony Santos Sr. as mentor and master of mass entertainment. “Five of the Top 10 shows were under him, including ‘Tang-Tarang-Tang’ and ‘Oras ng Ligaya.’ [And] since he was also an actor, he had his finger on the public pulse.” Working with Santos was a breeze, Mortiz remembered. “Like playtime. We’d spend more time chatting than working. He would give us instructions only 15 minutes before the show.” He regarded Direk as a “pillar of the industry.” Quite literally, he noted, since Santos’ name is etched, among other network pioneers, in the columns of the new ABS-CBN building. After two years on top, “D’ Sensations” folded up when the network was padlocked during martial law. “We had no choice but to transfer to KBS 9,” Mortiz said. With Vilma, he starred in a string of shows -- “Vi & Bot,” “Edgar Loves Vilma” and “Santos-Mortiz & Associates.” They parted ways in 1974. Mortiz had a solo show “People,” which aired on Channel 13 from 1975 to 1978. There he met his wife Millet Santos. (Her sister Charo (now ABS-CBN channel head) had her practicum in Santos’ charity show.) Mortiz jested: “What can I do? Santos women love me!” On April 3, 1977, they tied the knot. He was 24, she was 17. In quick succession, they had four kids—Frasco (now, 27), Badjie (26), Calin (24), and Camille (23). “When she turned 21, my in-laws had my wife ligated!” A cool dad, he described himself. Still, he admitted he didn’t fully understand the young. “I went to Embassy bar recently and the techno music gave me a headache.” One youthful fad he did take up was a Korean sitcom titled “Nonstop.” He reported: “Frasco and Badjie would stay up until 3 a.m. to catch the show on Arirang (Korean channel on cable). I watched it once and was hooked.” “Nonstop” served as inspiration for the new Saturday teen sitcom “Let’s Go,” which he is directing. Over 150 teeners auditioned for the 12 roles on the ABS-CBN show. All of them underwent training under the Actors’ Workshop Foundation. Mortiz used the same process for the kids on “Going Bulilit”—a Kapamilya gag show he had conceptualized. “Our goal is to make even drama actors do comedy naturally,” he said. A concrete example was Bad Bananas, he noted. Not one of the other Bananas—Christopher de Leon, and the late actors Johnny Delgado and Jay Ilagan—was known for comedy when he formed the group with them in the mid-1970s. But their first TV venture, “Tambakan Alley,” floundered. “The public didn’t get our jokes.” By 1986, he said, the public had caught up with them and their gag show, “Going Bananas,” became a consistent top rater. His explanation: “The show came at the right time, post-Edsa. The Censors had just been abolished, and we were free to do all sorts of stuff.” After “Going Bananas” was axed in 1992, Mortiz was jobless for two years until the ABC 5’s “Tropang Trumpo” landed in his lap. It was about to be canceled when he and Al Tantay took over. Instead of tanking, the gag show ran for two more years, until its stars Michael V. and Ogie Alcasid were pirated by GMA 7 for “Bubble Gang.” Mortiz joined ABS-CBN, where sister-in-law Charo is now a top executive. Frasco and Badjie are also on “Let’s Go” -- the former as writer and the latter as actor (the resident bully). He shared the most important piece of advice he had passed on to his children: “I told them not to be afraid of failure, that only after experiencing defeat can they value success.”
Mortiz is married to Millette Santos (born 1960; sister of Charo Santos-Concio) on April 3, 1977, with 4 children: Edgar Francis "Frasco" (born 1978), Edgar Albert "Badjie" (born 1980), Ma. Carmela Catalin "Calin" (born 1981) and Ma. Frances Camille (born 1983).
Frasco, Badji and Camille are now married giving Edgar five cute grandchildren named Joaquin Edgar, Julien Alva, Edgar Carlos, Jayla Sophia and Francis Marcus.