Vic Diaz

Vic Diaz reigns supreme as the jolly evil fat man of Filipino exploitation cinema. With his broad, mirthful grin, beady dark brown eyes, trim black goatee and mustache, swarthy complexion, thinning hair, protuberant sagging belly, and smooth, oily baritone voice, Diaz was a steady, scuzzy, often sinister and always charismatic presence in an alarmingly large volume of horror films and delectably down'n'dirty 1970s drive-in features alike. He has been often described as the Filipino equivalent to Peter Lorre. Born in Manila in 1932, Diaz initially planned on being a lawyer (his father was Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal). After four years of practicing law Diaz became dissatisfied and decided to pursue an acting career instead. He started performing in amateur theater in 1949. In the late 1950s he began his extremely lengthy and prolific film career, making his debut in the war picture The Day of the Trumpet (1958). Diaz soon amassed a huge number of credits, frequently appearing