LAST December 17th, Philippine cinema lost one of its brightest stars: at age, 76, veteran actor Ronaldo Valdez sadly passed away.
Valdez was known to be one of the most versatile actors in the industry, acting in heartwarming family flicks like “Seven Sundays” one moment and then raising goosebumps on ones like “Sukob” the next.
He first started this career path after he met Dolphy in the mid-60s when the latter was looking for more and more people to be a part of his recently established RVQ Productions. Shortly after his discovery, Dolphy offered Valdez a role in the films “Pepe en Pilar” as well as “Buhay Artista.”
He would later on star in more and more roles, showing a range like no other even from the very start of his career.
To celebrate Valdez’s long, fruitful life, here are some of republicasia’s picks for his most memorable performances thus far.
- 2 Good 2 Be True
In May 2022, the Kapamilya Channel started airing the series “2 Good 2 Be True,” a film starring then-love team KathNiel as well as Valdez as Sebastian Agcaoili, otherwise known as “Hugo” or “Lolo Sir.”
Agcaoili is a rich, old man, and the owner of a construction firm and a chain of hotels in the Philippines. He is the force that brings together the characters of Eloy (Daniel Padilla,) and Ali (Kathryn Bernardo,) as they start working for him.
His role in this is especially captivating as he plays his character with many sides.
From a terrifying business magnate to a sweet and loving old man, to one haunted by his ongoing battle with Alzheimer’s Disease, Valdez offers a depth to Lolo Sir that not just anyone can do.
More than his great performance on the series, it’s obvious that Valdez was a great friend to his co-stars, too.
This much is evident from the attendance of the 2 Good 2 Be True cast at his wake, including Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, Alyssa Mulach, and a handful of others from the so-called “2G2BT Family.”
- Seven Sundays
A stark contrast from his role on 2 Good 2 Be True, “Seven Sundays” is a tender family film that you’ve probably seen at least once playing on the TV, or a bus while commuting.
Released back in 2017, Valdez plays the role of barangay captain Manuel Bonifacio, lovingly referred to by those in his neighborhood as “Kap.”
On his birthday, Bonifacio is suddenly given the news by his doctor that he has cancer, and has only five months to live, at most. Determined not to waste his time, Bonifacio uses this as an opportunity to bring his family back together, spending each Sunday with one another until his supposed demise.
You may think that this story sounds rather typical as far as Filipino films go, but few succeed as well as Seven Sundays does in making audiences feel.
From laughing out loud to wiping away tears due to Valdez’s riveting performance, it’s hard not to be on Kap’s side no matter how many times you watch this flick. It’s no wonder why he was nominated at the Entertainment Editors’ Choice Awards for Best Actor for his performance in this film.
- May Minamahal
Seven Sundays isn’t the only film in which Aga Muhlach and Ronaldo Valdez have shared the screen; back in 1993, they were both in the film “May Minamahal,” as well.
With Aga Muhlach playing Carlitos and Aiko Melendez playing Monica, the film follows their relationship with one another, both seemingly coming from different worlds. As their relationship starts to deepen, Carlitos faces more and more flak from his family, as he starts to attend less and less of their obligated outings.
Soon, Carlitos starts to struggle in his battle between love, family, and work, ultimately trying to decide what is most important to him come the end of the film.
Valdez in this film plays Cenon Fernandez, the father of Monica, who is the only girl in a family of all boys. Working as a jeepney driver as well as a mechanic in this film, it’s nice to see him act in roles that were considered to be rather out-of-the-box for him at the time.
This is because, in the 70s, he was often reduced to being the rich dad or powerful businessman-turned-antagonist, but it was in films such as this one that he was able to broaden his range, showing people just what he could do with his acting prowess.
- Nasaan ang Puso?
Released in 1997, this film stars a plethora of talented Filipino actors, such as Maricel Soriano as Joy, Christopher De Leon as Dave, Judy Ann Santos as Ria, Gina Pareño as Elena, and of course, Ronaldo Valdez as Edgardo.
“Nasaan ang Puso?” is a melodramatic film that looks at the lives of two sisters who are reunited with one another, but struggle to mend their familial bonds due to disagreements that have happened in the past.
Valdez, in this film, plays the domineering father of Joy and her siblings. Once a gentle, loving man, Edgardo’s heart has slowly started to harden due to his wife leaving him in the past for another man.
He forces himself to toughen up, to push those away even if he loves them with all his heart because he feels in his heart that doing so is much easier than simply letting people in only to have them hurt you again.
- Sukob
In this 2006 horror film, an OFW named Sandy (Kris Aquino) comes home to the Philippines to get married to her fiancé, Dale (Wendell Ramos.) Upon returning to the Philippines, Sandy is shocked to find out that her childhood friend, Helen, died along with her entire family a few years prior.
The reason, Sandy’s mother explains, is the concept of sukob. She explains that one by one Helen’s siblings and parents started to die due to the curse of the sukob, a Filipino superstition wherein siblings need to get married in the order in which they were born, lest they want horrible things to start happening to them and the people around them.
Valdez, in this film, plays the role of Fred, the father of Sandy, who finds love outside of his marriage and has an affair, which leads Sandy to realize that she has a half-sibling with Fred’s mistress.
Despite his antagonistic actions, Valdez of course doesn’t fail to add a touch of sensitivity to his character; though he has done awful things, he is remorseful of leaving his mistress and child to be with his true family, and that sincerity shines through despite his short time on-screen.
- Honorable mention: His role as the KFC Colonel!
Perhaps his most iconic role, Filipinos fell in love with Valdez even more when, in 2017, he became a part of a series of advertisements released by KFC, with the company stating that they were looking for the first-ever Filipino Colonel.
The first part of this series included Valdez as well as Leo Martinez and Pen Medina all auditioning to be the first-ever Colonel, all adding their own twist to the mascot.
Ultimately, Valdez was announced to be the official first-ever Colonel – and rightfully so, given his jolly demeanor and charming smile. How in the world could you say no to a bucket of chicken if he were the one selling it to you?
You may know him as “Colonel” or “Lolo Sir,” but to the people closest to him, he was so much more than that: he was a beloved friend, father, and husband, one that will surely be missed by the thousands that had the pleasure of knowing him, whether it be on-screen or off of it.
