Andrew (left) with Bobby A. Suarez, 2008By Andrew Leavold (posted today on DVDmaniacs)
The Philippines has lost another of its B movie legends.
Bobby A. Suarez, the director of the Cleopatra Wong series, The One-Armed Executioner, Searchers Of The Voodoo Mountain and American Commandos, passed away in Manila at 2.00am this morning (Monday 8th February).
Bobby was in hospital recovering from a series of heart attacks and a kidney operation.
I was privileged to call Bobby a brother, to be taken into his home, his family and his confidence. His story (including a lengthy interview) is at bamboogodsandbionicboys.blog.
Rest in peace, my brown monkey-faced brother.
[From Leavold's post #2]
Hey all,
It probably won't make it on the news, as Bobby's been out of the local filmmaking scene for almost twenty years, and may only get a passing mention in the newspapers. Which is a shame, because along with Eddie Romero and the late Cirio H. Santiago, he was a tireless pioneer of peddling Philippines-lensed genre films to the international market. Cirio received the column space because he was still a visible and active member of the film industry, within which he had a extensive network of family and friends, and because of the legacy of his family's Premiere Productions dating back to the 1940s.
Bobby, on the other hand, had a very closed circle of family and confidantes, had little interest in the local film industry other than its export market potential, and was virtually a recluse since his health problems dating back to the late Eighties.
I really do hope [he] gets the recognition from his peers, who have all but forgotten his contributions to Filipino cinema.
I rang Bobby's wife Gene this afternoon to check on Bobby's health and received the terrible news. She was in shock and had not made plans for the wake or funeral. Nick, as soon as I hear details I'll pass them onto you. Most of the BAS Film family have been notified of Bobby's passing.
If anyone wishes to leave a tribute, I'll make sure Gene and the Suarez family read them. My deepest condolences go out to Gene, Richard, Roma and the entire Suarez family at this saddest of times.
Oh no!!! This is terrible news!!! I was in contact with him last year and was planning to write him again. Those emails I got from him were the nicest. So sad. Goodbye Bobby. :-(
