Mario O'Hara
| Mario O'Hara | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mario Herrero O'Hara April 20, 1946 Zamboanga City, Philippines |
| Died | June 26, 2012 (aged 66) Pasay, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Alma mater | Adamson University |
| Occupation | Film director, actor, screenwriter, theater director, playwright, radio announcer |
| Years active | 1963–2012 |
| Parent(s) | Jaime O'Hara (father) Basilisa Herrero (mother) |
| Relatives | Jerry O'Hara Edwin O'Hara |
Mario Herrero O'Hara (April 20, 1946 – June 26, 2012) was an award-winning Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter known for his sense of realism often with dark but realistic social messages.
He was born in Zamboanga City on April 20, 1946. His mother, Basilisa Herrero, was a native of Ozamiz in Misamis Occidental and had Spanish ancestry. His father, Jaime O'Hara was the son of Irish-American Thomasite, and a former member of the University of the Philippines Dramatic club. Mario had eight brothers and three sisters. Because Jaime was the son of an American citizen, Mario's family was eligible to apply for US citizenship; however, Mario rejected any such offers.
From Zamboanga City, the O'Haras moved to a middle-class suburb in Pasay; behind their house was a slum area, and Mario claimed that some of his works were inspired by real-life incidents that happened there. He took up Chemical Engineering at the Adamson University, simultaneously auditioning for a radio show sponsored by Procter and Gamble. At the age of 17, Mario stopped attending classes in 1963 to focus on his work in radio drama with the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) and DZRH.
From 1963 to 1970, besides working at radio stations, he also worked for channels 2 and 11. He directed the drama series "Lovingly Yours, Helen", "Flordeluna" (featuring Janice de Belen) and "Alitaptap sa Gabing Madilim."
While at the MBC, he met Lino Brocka, who offered him a job as an announcer for his TV drama anthology Balintataw. Since then, O'Hara and Brocka frequently collaborated. Brocka offered O'Hara a role in his 1971 film Tubog sa Ginto ("Goldplated) and also cast him in dramatic productions at the Philippine Educational Theater Alliance (PETA). O'Hara, in turn, wrote the screenplay for Brocka's You Were Judged and Found Wanting (Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, 1974), about life in a small provincial town; in the movie, he also played the role of Bertong Ketongin (Berto the Leper) vis-a-vis Lolita Rodriguez, who played Berto's love interest Koala.
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