Wikipedia

Jun Urbano

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Salazar and the surname or paternal family name is Urbano.

Manuel “Jun” Salazar Urbano Jr.[1] (8 June 1939 – 2 December 2023) was a Filipino actor, comedian and director who was best known for his role as Mr. Shooli, a self-styled Mongolian character who specialized in political satire and commentaries on Philippine popular culture.[2][3][4]

Jun Urbano
Born
Manuel Salazar Urbano, Jr.

(1939-06-08)June 8, 1939
Philippines
DiedDecember 2, 2023(2023-12-02) (aged 84)
Manila, Philippines
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • director

Early life and education

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Urbano was born on 8 June 1939[5] to film actor, director and producer Manuel Conde (born Manuel Urbano Sr.),[4] who was posthumously recognized as a National Artist of the Philippines for Film and Broadcasting. He grew up as the eldest of nine siblings in Sampaloc, Manila[6] and graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Journalism.[7] Urbano decided to use his birth surname in his career to avoid being overtly associated with his father's stage name.[6]

Journalistic and directorial career

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Urbano first worked as a reporter for the Manila Times but quit a few weeks into his job after experiencing discomfort while making a report on inmates at the Manila City Jail.[4] He subsequently worked as an advertising director for 35 years,[7] particularly in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[4]

In his advertising career, Urbano was credited with producing more than two thousand TV commercials,[8] In 1983, Urbano directed the San Miguel Beer commercial "Isang Platitong Mani" (lit. 'A Small Plate of Nuts'), which was adapted by Urbano into a feature film in 1985 and later deemed in 2002 as the best Philippine advertisement in the past 50 years by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (AAAAP).[9] Other commercials he directed that were included in AAAAP's list of best ads include "Billiards" (1988) for Gold Eagle Beer, "Bruno" (1977) for San Miguel Beer, and "Parachute" (1977) for Johnson Wax Paste.[9] In 1988, Urbano directed the San Miguel Beer commercial featuring Fernando Poe Jr. on horseback.[10][11] Urbano also created commercials for other prominent brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Safeguard and Tide.[6] At the same time, he worked with comedians such as Bert Marcelo, the cast of Bad Bananas, Subas Herrero, Noel Trinidad, and Rico J. Puno.[4]

As Mr. Shooli

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In his 50s,[7] Urbano began portraying a satirical character named Mr. Shooli, a Chinese-accented character who was dressed in a bright red Mongol regal costume and sported a fu manchu moustache,[5] and was known for his comedic takes on Philippine politics and pop culture.[2] This in turn spawned the popular weekly 1980s show Mongolian Barbecue initially broadcast on IBC-13,[12] which won three consecutive Catholic Mass Media Awards[11] and underwent a revival by Golden Nation Network in 2014.[13] The series also spawned several film adaptations and cameos, including a 1991 movie titled Juan Tamad at Mister Shooli: Mongolian Barbecue, which Urbano also directed and wrote,[3] and which also won six awards in that year's Metro Manila Film Festival.[14]

In an interview, Urbano denied that his character was derived from Genghis Khan, which was incidentally the subject of an eponymous 1950 biopic directed by his father, and said that he created Mr. Shooli based on his imitations of Chinese accents by his friends in school[7] and decided to officially describe his character as Mongolian to avoid offending the Chinese Filipino community and after finding that Mongolia had no embassy in the Philippines. His character was initially called Mr. Mongolian until 1985, when during a guesting on Edu Manzano's talk show Not So Late Night With Edu, he was asked by Manzano if he had a formal name, upon which his reply "Surely, surely" was misheard by Manzano to be Shooli.[13]

In his later years, Urbano also hosted programs on YouTube that invited Filipino politicians to engage in discourse with his Mr. Shooli persona. He also appeared as Mr. Shooli at his acceptance of the Gawad Plaridel award from the University of the Philippines, which recognized his character's social commentary and Urbano's work in multimedia commercial advertising, in 2023.[3]

Other works

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Urbano also appeared in other television shows and films such as Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes's 1996 fantasy film Magic Temple where he starred as Sifu,[15][4] the 2009 film Litsonero,[16] the 2010 romance film I Do,[17] the 2011 comedy Hostage Ko… Multo,[18] the horror series Midnight DJ[19] and the action series Ang Probinsyano. He also appeared in an ABS-CBN documentary about the movie Ibong Adarna, which was directed by his father in 1941. His last screen appearance was in the 2020 movie Magikland.[8]

Urbano also directed and wrote several films such as a 2014 adaptation of the epic poem Ibong Adarna,[20] Vontes V and Ang M.O.N.A.Y. ni Mr. Shooli.[3]

Political involvement

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Urbano supported the candidacy of Fernando Poe Jr. for the Philippine presidency in the 2004 election and directed Poe's television advertisements for his ultimately unsuccessful campaign.[21][22]

Personal life and death

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Urbano was married to Victoria and had four sons.[6]

He died from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm on December 2, 2023, at the age of 84.[7][8] He had previously undergone a quintuple heart bypass in 2012 and diagnosed in 2016 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but continued his entertainment career.[5][23]

Filmography

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Film

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As director/screenwriter

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Year Title Director Writer Actor Notes
1963 Si Juan Tamad at si Juan Masipag sa Pulitikang Walang Hanggan No Yes No
1966 Magnificent Brothers No Yes No
1973 7 Infantes de Lara Yes Yes No
1979 Vontes V Yes Yes No
1985 Isang Platitong Mani Yes No No
1991 Juan Tamad at Mister Shooli: Mongolian Barbecue Yes Yes Yes
1998 My Guardian Debil Yes Yes No
2007 Ang M.O.N.A.Y. ni Mr. Shooli (Misteyks Opda Neysion Adres Yata) Yes Yes Yes
2014 Ibong Adarna: The Pinoy Adventure Yes Yes No

As actor only

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Year Title Role Notes
1956 Krus Na Kawayan
1992 Boy Anghel: Utak Pulburon San Pedro
1996 Magic Temple Sifu
1997 Magic Kingdom: Ang Alamat ng Damortis Amain
2009 Litsonero Mang Carding
2010 Miss You like Crazy Temi
I Do Angkong
2013 Otso
ABCs of Death 2 Caloy Segment "I Is for Invincible"
2016 Hiblang Abo
2020 Magikland Amain

Awards

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Year Award-giving body Category Work
2023 Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences[2] Dr. Jose R. Perez Memorial Award
2023 University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication[2][24] Gawad Plaridel

References

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  1. ^ Untalan, Sherylin (2 December 2023). "'Mr. Shooli' comedian Jun Urbano dies at 84". GMA. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Llemit, Kathleen (2 December 2023). "'Mr. Shooli' actor Jun Urbano passes away at 84". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "'Mr. Shooli' actor Jun Urbano dies at 84". Rappler. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Diez, Mike (19 September 2023). "Jun Urbano: Mr. Shooli, a plate of peanuts, and the lost art of satire". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "He told us our faults through comedy". The Philippine Star. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Valdez, Euden (14 June 2014). "Uncovering Jun Urbano". The Manila Times. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e Alpad, Christina (2 December 2023). "Jun Urbano, actor behind character Mr. Shooli, dies". The Manila Times. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Felipe, MJ (2 December 2023). "Actor-comedian Jun Urbano passes away". ABS-CBN. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Philippines' 25 best ads over the past 50 years". Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. 6 September 2002. p. B6. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Poe rides again in new SMC ad". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. 7 September 1988. p. 10. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b Carballo, Bibsy (8 August 2012). "Reflections from Jun Urbano, Shooli & Fpj". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  12. ^ "'Mr. Shooli' says there's no room for political humor under current gov't". ABS-CBN. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  13. ^ a b Cruz, Marinel (27 June 2014). "'Mr. Shooli' back in business". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  14. ^ Cruz, Marinel (3 April 2022). "I think, therefore I laugh: What now for Pinoy satire?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  15. ^ Lacsamana, Brontë (5 December 2023). "'Mr. Shooli' Jun Urbano, 84". Business World. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  16. ^ Francisco, Butch (28 May 2009). "The most delectable movie of the year". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  17. ^ Cu-Unjieng, Philip (1 October 2010). "Not only for the late teens and 20-something". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Smokey, Jun topbill Hostage Ko... Multo". The Philippine Star. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Midnight DJ goes to Baguio". The Philippine Star. 13 August 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  20. ^ Magno Ranara, John Patrick (2 December 2023). "Veteran actor-director Jun Urbano passes away at 84". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  21. ^ Romero, Paolo (29 February 2004). "FPJ to use MTV to convey platform". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  22. ^ Dizon, Nikko (2 March 2004). "TV producer bans stories on FPJ campaign ads". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Jun Urbano, popularly known as Mr. Shooli, dies at 84". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  24. ^ Bondoc, Jarius (1 November 2023). "Wha' happen to you, Mr. Shooli asks Pinoys". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
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