- Lilian Velez
Lilian Velez (
March 3 ,1924 —June 26 ,1948 ) was a Filipino film actress andsinger . Her 1948murder by a fellow actor scandalized post-warPhilippines .Career
Born in
Cebu to acomposer , Velez first came into the limelight when she won an amateurradio singing contest in the mid-1930s. Prior to the outbreak ofWorld War II , her singing career thrived, and she popularized one of her father's songs, "Sa Kabukiran". Velez also won the heart ofJose Climaco , the manager of theradio station which had sponsored the contest which won her fame. They were married in 1942 and had one daughter.Velez's film career began upon the resumption of Filipino film production after the end of the war. She joined
LVN Pictures , and with her husband as director, starred in such films as "Binibiro Lamang Kita", "Ang Estudyante", and "Sa Kabukiran", inspired by the song that had earlier earned her fame. Her leading man in these films was Bernardo "Narding" Anzures, a formerchild actor .Murder
After the success of "Sa Kabukiran", LVN Pictures decided to cast
Jaime de la Rosa as Velez's leading man in her next film. The decision caused distress on the part of Anzures, who had seemingly become obsessed with the married Velez.On the night of
June 26 ,1948 , Anzures paid an unexpected visit to theQuezon City home of Velez. Upon his arrival, he stabbed Velez to death and a housemaid who had come to her mistress's assistance. The crime was committed within view of Velez's toddler-daughter Vivian, who was unharmed during the incident.Anzures was promptly arrested, tried and convicted for the murders. The crime and the subsequent trial was
cause celebre in Manila. Anzures later died in jail fromtuberculosis ; his exact motives for the murder were never fully determined.1995 film biography
In 1995, the murder of Lilian Velez was the subject of a high-profile film directed by
Carlo J. Caparas . StarringSharon Cuneta as Velez andCesar Montano as Anzures, the film was one in a string of "true-crime" films churned out by Caparas in the early 1990s.External links
*imdb name|id=2207426|name=Lilian Velez
*imdb title|id=0318402|title=The Lilian Velez StoryReferences
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