Pen Medina | |
|---|---|
| Born | Crispin Parungao Medina Sr. (1950-08-27)August 27, 1950 (age 75) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | Hagorn inEncantadia |
| Notable work |
|
| Children | 7 (includingPing andAlex) |
| Awards | Full list |
Crispin "Pen" Parungao Medina Sr. (born August 27, 1950, inArayat,Pampanga[1]) is aFilipino actor who started acting in theater plays in his youth.[2] He eventually played versatile roles on the big screen and in various television shows.[3] He became well known after getting the role of the villainous Hagorn in the 2005fantasy television seriesEncantadia.[4] He has won the Nora Aunor Ulirang Artista Lifetime Achievement Award during the33rd PMPC Star Awards for Movies, the Best Supporting Actor Award at the62nd FAMAS Awards, and the Best Actor Award at the6th Cinema One Originals Film Festival.[5][6][7]
He is also the secondKFCFilipinoColonel[8][9] as well as a model[10] and painter.[11] He is also an activist who joins rallies against those in power as well as participates in anti-vaccination and anti-mask protests amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Pen Medina was born to Eliseo Medina Sr. and Trinidad Parungao in Arayat, Pampanga on August 27, 1950.[1] He graduated high school at Arayat Institute of Pampanga and went to different schools in colleges, which include theUniversity of Santo Tomas,Far Eastern University, and theUniversity of the East.[1] He usually took up fine arts,premed, and other courses with abachelor of arts degree but he later dropped out and pursued an acting career.[1]
He is married to Victoria Aquino Chupungco[12] and he is the father of Karl Medina,[1]Crispin "Ping" Medina II,[1]Alex Vincent Medina,[1] Japs Medina,[13] Victor Medina,[1] Zeth Medina[14] and JL Medina.[14] His sons Ping and Alex, whom both had their roots in indie films, are active on local television.[15][16] His other sons Karl and Victor have followed suit by taking on acting roles in other indie films as well.[17][18] Pen also has a two sons with actress Tess Antonio.[12]
In July 2022, his family announced that he has adegenerative disc disease and has been bedridden in a hospital for several weeks.[19] He has undergone spinal surgery to treat the disease.[20][21]
Medina started as a theater actor and appeared in productions by Teatro Kabataan such asAng Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio (The Trial of Old Serapio, 1977) andNang Pista sa Aming Bayan (During Our Town's Feast, 1978).[1] He portrayed various characters in theCultural Center of the Philippines plays,[22] which includeAndres Bonifacio (1980) asEmilio Jacinto,Kanser (Cancer) in 1981 asKapitan Tiago, and appeared again in 1993 asElias,Gregorio Aglipay (1982) as Fr. Brillantes,Makinig Kayong Mabuti (Listen Carefully, 1986) as Gen. Henry Baltazar, andGinuntuang Bayan (Shūsaku Endō'sGolden Country, 1990) as Fr. Ferreira.[12] He also appeared in stage plays at theUniversity of the Philippines[23] such asPatay Na si Sizwe Banzi (Athol Fugard'sSizwe Banzi Is Dead, 1986) as Styles,Tatalon (1987) as the Jeepney Driver; andSupremo (Supreme Chief, 1991) asAndres Bonifacio.[1][12]
He also acted in theMetropolitan Theater appearing in plays such asGironiere (1985) as Alila, andEl Filibusterismo (Subversion, 1991, an adaptation ofJose Rizal'ssecond novel) as Simoun.[12] He also portrayed Rizal/Crisostomo Ibarra inNoli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not, 1986, an adaptation of Rizal'sfirst novel) at Puerta Real.[1] Other theaters that he performed for includeTeatro Pilipino,[24] Tanghalang Pilipino,[25] and Bulwagang Gantimpala[26] as well as for independent theater groups or on campus.[1][12]
It was in the early 1980s when Medina crossed over to films.[27] In 1982, he starred in his first film,Himala, which was headlined byNora Aunor.[27][17] He subsequently appeared in other Filipino films in the 1980s such asKarnal (Of the Flesh, 1983),Sister Stella L. (1984),Scorpio Nights (1985),Virgin Forest (1985), andUnfaithful Wife (1986).[1] He also has several acting credits in foreign films, most notably, the 1988Australian television filmDangerous Life,[1] where he plays Col. Eduardo Doromal, a fictionalized character based on a historical figure during thePeople Power Revolution.[28]
In the 1990s, Medina continued his film career starring in historical films and films with social relevance.[1] He starred in the 1993 filmSakay as Lucio de Vega,[27] a historical figure who, together withMacario Sakay, were revolutionaries fighting the Americans, and were later outlawed and hanged in 1907.[29] In the 1998 filmJosé Rizal, he playedPaciano Mercado, the older brother ofJose Rizal.[27] He also played Jose Rizal in the documentary film entitledJose Rizal: Ang Buhay ng Isang Bayani (Jose Rizal: A Hero's Life, 1996), which was produced byAteneo de Manila University.[1] The other films in the 1990s that Pen starred in includeMumbaki (Shaman, 1996),Ligaya ang Itawag Mo sa Akin (They Call Me Joy, 1997), andSa Pusod ng Dagat (In the Navel of the Sea, 1998).[1]
In theMarilou Diaz-Abaya filmMuro Ami (1999), Medina got his first acting award as he wonBest Supporting Actor given during the25th Metro Manila Film Festival.[30] The film tells a story about a cruel captain named Fredo (Cesar Montano's character) whoemploys children for his illegal fishing business.[27] Pen played Dado, the father of Fredo.[27] After a year, he became one of the cast of theJoel Lamangan filmDeathrow playing a booty bandit inmate named Gabino.[31] His role earned him another Best Supporting Actor award given by theFilm Academy of the Philippines in 2001.[17] He starred as an ex-convict in another prison-themed film,Layang Bilanggo (2010), in which he garnered a Best Actor award from the6th Cinema One Originals Film Festival.[7]
In the 2012 filmKamera Obskura, Medina got to play the main role of Juan, a character from a lostsilent film.[32] Pen also co-wrote the script of the film.[33]
After starring in stage plays and films, Medina entered television and appeared in thepolitical satire television showSic O'Clock News in the late 1980s.[34] He continued to guest in other television programs, which includeGoin' Bananas, andBatibot.[12] He is also part of the cast of the television seriesVilla Quintana,[35]Tabing Ilog,[1] andSa Puso Ko Iingatan Ka.[12] In 2005, he starred in the fantasy seriesEncantadia as the main villainHagorn, which is his most well-known television role.[36] His other television acting credits includeJoaquin Bordado,E-Boy,Be Careful With My Heart,Aso ni San Roque andFPJ's Batang Quiapo.[12]
Medina is also known as an activist who joined rallies including calling for thenPhilippine PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo's resignation,[37][38] protesting against theburial of former Philippine PresidentFerdinand Marcos,[39] and protesting against the meddling of foreign governments, particularly theUnited States andChina, over Philippine affairs.[37] He also attended a rally against then-Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterte and urged protesters to love and enlighten supporters of the Duterte administration.[40] Amid theCOVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, he also joinedanti-vaccination andanti-mask protests[41][42] saying that theCOVID-19 virus "can go through any mask"[43] and challenged critics, particularly television personality Kiko Rustia, to a debate.[44] Rustia declined the debate because he is not a doctor and he "support(s) vaccines and the science behind it."[45]
| Year | Award-giving body | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 41st FAMAS Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sakay[61] | Nominated |
| 1994 | 18th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Supporting Actor (Pinakamahusay na Pangalawang Aktor) | Sakay[62] | Nominated |
| 1999 | 25th Metro Manila Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | Muro Ami[30] | Won |
| 2001 | Film Academy of the Philippines | Best Supporting Actor | Deathrow[17] | Won |
| 2010 | 6th Cinema One Originals Film Festival | Best Actor | Layang Bilanggo[7] | Won |
| 2013 | 39th Metro Manila Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | 10,000 Hours[63] | Won |
| 2014 | 62nd FAMAS Awards | Best Supporting Actor | 10,000 Hours[6] | Won |
| 2017 | 33rd PMPC Star Awards for Movies | Nora Aunor Ulirang Artista Lifetime Achievement Award | N/A[5] | Won |