Other Starlets, Stars and Movies

Other Starlets, Stars and Movies

This page contains an assortment of information about other bold actresses, actors and movies.

Lesbian Scenes

In addition to the lesbian scenes shown on the pages for Barbara Benitez, Didith RomeroMaria Isabel Lopez and Myrna Castillo, there were two great girl-on-girl scenes in When Good Girls Go Wrong (1987, Avon Cortez, Dianne, Isadora):

    

as well as a hot scene from Island of Desire (1987, actresses unknown):

     

 

Bold Actors

Although this website is dedicated to the beautiful bold Pinays from the 80’s, there would have been few bold films without  accompanying actors. Here are a few of the bold men:

George Estregan

George was one of, if not the, most famous and accomplished dramatic lead actors of the era. Born in 1939, he was a three time FAMAS award winner. He starred in over 170 action and drama movies between 1963 and 1988. Several hardcore “Pene” videos surfaced in the 80’s showing him having sex with various actresses he costarred with.

  

Often these were hardcore clips of actual scenes from his movie. Explicit footage was cut out of the film before it was released in theaters. George was in his mid to late 40’s during the bold 80’s, and some of the actresses were younger than his own daughter, but his public image was never tarnished by these explicit videos. He died from bone cancer in 1988 at the age of 48, and still remains a popular Filipino movie icon from the 70’s and 80’s.

Mark Joseph

Known during the 80’s as the “Pene King”, Mark Joseph (real name, Ricardo Sarzuello) was the boldest leading actor of the era. After unsuccessfully trying to break into movies as a leading man, only to languish on the sidelines, he accepted an offer to appear in the bold film Babasagin. “I used that as a stepping stone,” he recounted in an interview years later. “I did bold roles because I wanted to make a name for myself.”  Over the next four years, he starred in dozens of bold movies, among them, Silip (1985), Bold Star (1986), Black Diary (1986), Kiri (1986), and Hudas (1987). He actually had sex with his leading ladies in the films, although these “Pene” shots were edited out for theatrical release. He later explained that they had sex on camera because the realism would “make a good film.” Although he kept his personal life private, he was happily married, with children, during his reign as “Pene King.”

  

Joseph switched to action films in 1990 with moderate success. In 1991, he began producing his own films, but lost money and left the entertainment business.  He studied chiropractic in the U.S. at the University of the Art of Healing in California from 1992-1995, then returned to the Philippines, where he was a licensed chiropractor in Quezon City. He also sold medical equipment.

Daniel Fernando

Daniel wasn’t a prolific “Pene” film star like George and Mark, but is mentioned because he starred in two of the most famous Philippine bold films from the 80’s. He began his four-decade-long acting career costarring with Anna Marie Gutierrez in the sizzling erotic classic, Scorpio Nights when he was 23. His next major role was in Macho Dancer (1988), in which he played a gay dancer in Manila gay bars. The film’s frank depiction of homosexuality, prostitution, and sex caused the Filipino government to censor it heavily, but like many bold Pinay movies, uncensored versions later surfaced. Daniel transitioned from film to television in 1998, and also began a career in politics. He is currently Vice Governor of the Province of Bulacan.

  

Talent Agents

Rey dela Cruz

A self-proclaimed “star builder,” Rey dela Cruz was one of the most controversial Filipino movie figures of the 80’s. A Doctor of Optometry turned movie talent agent, dela Cruz achieved notorious success by finding beautiful, impoverished young Filipinas and building them into bold actresses. In spotting potential stars, he intentionally avoided “beauty queens and middle-class women,” instead looking for poor, “ordinary persons because they’ll be sincere and persevering.” His discoveries included Lampel Cojuangco, Myrna Castillo, Sarsi Emmanuelle, Pepsi Paloma, Coca Nicolas, and Myra Manibog, among others. Accused in the media of being a glorified pimp, dela Cruz at one point was charged in court for the exploitation of minors, since some of his starlets were significantly underage –Pepsi was barely thirteen when he signed her to the bold film Brown Emmanuelle– but he was never convicted. See-True, a then-popular TV talk show that mostly featured film personalities, identified him as their most controversial guest.

His reputation was made more infamous when Pepsi was found dead in 1985 of an apparent suicide. In a 1986 interview, dela Cruz stated, “I don’t understand why people take my controversial status against me. I provide a living for my discoveries, I give the masses the entertainment they want, and I make a living in the process.” In 1987, dela Cruz was shot to death in the optical clinic where he lived. His murder was never solved.

Maureen Mauricio

Maureen Mauricio

The daughter of a US serviceman and a Filipina, Maureen Mauricio was one of, if not the, most beautiful starlets of the Bold era. With a mixed heritage, she had fair skin, a gorgeous face and a voluptuous figure. Her acting career was launched when she was just thirteen years old in the 1984 movie Nalalasap Ang Hapdi. The following year she had a minor role in the bold movie Climax, in which she acted alongside bold icons Anna Marie Gutierrez and Barbra Benitez. In 1986, at the age of fifteen, she exploded onto the bold scene, staring in ten films. Some of her notable movies include:

  • 1986       Tukso Sa Mundo
  • 1986       Hayok
  • 1986       Sabik… Kasalanan Ba?
  • 1986       Nag-aapoy Na Gabi
  • 1986       Huwag Pamarisan: Kulasisi
  • 1986       Hapdi
  • 1986       Di Maghilom Ang Sugat
  • 1987       Killer AIDS
  • 1988       Batang Matadera

     

In the 1990’s, Maureen moved from bold movies to serious dramatic roles in both film and television. After working with several esteemed directors, her career slowed. While accepting small parts and guest appearances on television, she ran a beauty parlor and focused on raising her three daughters. In recent years, she has accepted more television roles, including the 2017 series Maalaala Mo Kaya. Her acting and screen presence are highly regarded within the industry. Neither her looks nor her talent have faded with age, and she remains a strikingly beautiful woman.

Barbara Benitez

Barbara Benitez

Barbara’s real name was Angelita Aguas. Her slender figure, babyface and beautiful smile captured the interest of Regal Films producer Mother Lily and director Marilou Diaz-Abaya, who gave her the screen name Barbara Benitez. Her short bold career was launched in the 1985 movie, Sensual, in which Barbara engaged in softcore sex with both men and women. Her second and last movie was Climax, after which she disappeared from the public eye.

     

Little is known about Barbara’s life after her short acting career except that she was happily married to Roberto Edwin Gonzalez Francisco, with whom she had eight children. She and her family were living in Tahanan Village, Parañaque City. She resurfaced briefly in 2006 with a public plea for help in locating her husband after he went missing when returning from filing a burglary report at the police station.