TULUYAN nang nagsara ang telon sa American actor-singer na si Yahpet Kotto, ang veteran actor na nakilala sa sci-fi action movies as James Bond’s lead villain as Mr. B. in “Live and Let Die” with Roger Moore, “Alien,” “The Running Man” at marami pang iba. The sad news was announced by his Filipina wife na si Tessie Sinahon sa pamamagitan ng kanyang Facebook account. The veteran American actor died on Monday, March 15 at 10:30 p.m. sa Pilipinas pero hindi binanggit ng kanyang wife ang sanhi ng kanyang kamatayan. He was 81.
Si Tessie ang third wife ni Yahpet. Nauna rito ang German immigrant na si Rita Ingrid Dittman. Ang dalawa ay ikinasal nung 1959 and divorced in 1976. Ang dating mag-asawa ay may tatlong anak.
Ang second wife ng actor ay si Toni Pettyjohn kung kanino siya nagkaroon din tatlong anak. Pero ito’y nauwi sa divorce in 1989. Taong 1998 nang pakasalan niya ang kanyang Filipina wife na siya niyang kasama hanggang sa pagyao.
It was in mid-1990’s nang mag-desisyon siyang mag-retire from movie acting although nakagawa pa siya ng isang pelikula in 2008, ang “Witless Protection” maging ang long-running TV series na “Homicide: : Life On The Street” na kanyang sinimulan in 2000.
Si Yahpet ay 16 years old nang siya’y mag-aral ng acting sa Actors Mobile Theater Studio. Ang kanyang acting debut ay ang “Othello” when he was 19 kasunod ang kanyang Broadway debut sa “The Great White Hope”.
It was in 1967 nang i-release ng Chisa Records ang kanyang first single na pinamagatang “Have You Ever Seen the Blues” flipsided with “Have You Dug His Scene”. Pero ang kanyang pagiging singer was eclipsed ng kanyang pagiging actor.
Si Yahpet ay big follower ng African-American Baptist minister and activist na si Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Isa siya sa libu-libong taong sumali sa historical march on Washington in 1963 ni Dr. King.
“At the march on Washington, I was there on the steps watching Dr. King talk about his dream,” pahayag ni Kotto.
“And I wondered whether or not I would see that dream, so far from my goal,” aniya.
Inamin din ng actor na muli niyang binisita ang site years later kasama ang kanyang panganay na anak na babae.
“We went to the spot where I was standing. And I was telling her how years before I stood there listening to Dr. King’s speech,” paliwanag pa niya. Nagulat na lamang si Yahpet nang may isang bus na puno ng mga batang Japanese , bumaba ng bus at nagsilapitan sa kanya. Wala umano siyang naintindihan sa mga sinasabi ng mga bata.
“They got out of the bus and they ran toward me. I couldn’t understand what they were speaking, but there was one thing that blew me away, the fact that they were all saying one word ‘Alien’. And it was so spooky because I realized that the dream had come true,” kuwento pa niya nung nabubuhay pa.
Laura Hermosa pumanaw na
SUMAKABILANG-buhay na ang 93-year-old veteran radio voice talent and actress at Covid-19 survivor na si Laura Laforteza Hermosa nung early morning ng Martes, March 16 due to renal failure at iba pang kumplikasyon. Si Laura ay mother ng veteran writer, host, actress-comedienne na si Tessie Tomas,
Si Tessie na naka-base na si Isle of Man sa United Kingdom with her retired British husband na si Roger Pullin ay dumating sa Pilipinas para bisitahan ang ina nung February 3, 2021. Dahil sa health protocols ay kailangan niyang mag-self-quarantine and only had a chance to see her mother nung February 20, the day na ito’y lumabas ng pagamutan matapos ang kanyang two-week confinement dahil sa Covid-19.
Ayon kay Tessie, she was ready for the worst dahil severe ang Covid-19 na tumama sa kanyang ina. But Tessie prayed hard at dininig naman ng Diyos ang kanyang panalangin dahil gumaling sa Covid ang kanyang Mama Laura at itinuring niya itong bonus dahil nakasama pa niya itong buhay nang halos isang buwan.
Bago nagka-Covid si Mama Laura ay meron na itong nakakabit na pacemaker at may sakit sa kidney na siyang dahilan ng kanyang pagkamatay.
Ang kaisa-isang anak ni Tessie na si Robin Tomas na naka-base sa New York City, USA ay nag-post sa kanyang social media account: “Our family is comforted by the outpour of love and support. Thank you. I am sure Lola Laura is smiling from up above.”
Hermosa made her mark as a radio talent beginning in the mid-1950s in the show “Krisalis”. Aside from voice acting, she became a director and character actress in such films as “Broken Marriage” and “Nagbabagang Luha” and TV shows like “Maalaala Mo Kaya.”
She married a lawyer and part-time voice talent, Fernando Hermosa from Samar.
A three-day wake and memorial will be held at Arlington Memorial Chapels in Quezon City starting Wednesday to be followed by her burial this Saturday at Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina.
Sharon nanawagan para kay Fanny
IT was in September 2016 nang unang atakehin sa puso ang veteran fashion designer, stylist and celebrity make-up artist-actor na si Fanny Serrano pero ito’y naka-recover at bumalik sa kanyang trabaho.
Kamakailan lamang ay muling nagkaroon ng massive stroke si TF at ang megastar na si Sharon Cuneta ang unang nanawagan sa kanyang Instagram account at humihingi ng dasal para sa kanyang `nanay-nanayan’ at official make-up artist.
Nico nasabik kay Solenn at sa anak
SOBRANG nasabik ang Argentinian husband ni Solenn Heussaff na si Nico Bolzico sa kanyang mag-inang Solenn at one-year-old daughter na si Thylane Katana matapos itong bumalik ng Pilipinas galing Argentina para dalawin ang kanyang parents.
Dahil galing sa ibang bansa, dumaan si Nico ng one-week self-quarantine bago niya nakita at nayakap ang kanyang mag-ina.
Thylane turned one year old last January 1 at meron na itong playmate ngayon, ang kanyang first cousin na si Dahlia Amelie, anak ng mag-asawang Anne Curtis at Erwan Heussaff na nag-one year old naman last March 2.
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