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‘May pag-asa pa’: Before passing, 'Bangky' made lifelong dream a reality

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/entertainment/11/06/20181106-bangky-lilia.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Nonong de Andres and Lilia Cuntapay portrayed ‘Bangky’ and Aunor in the 2014 series ‘Forevermore.’<em> Marie Lozano, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>At 67, or three years before his <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/11/06/18/veteran-character-actor-bangky-dies">passing</a> on Tuesday, Nonong de Andres made a lifelong dream a reality, as he became known more than the “bangkay” role he had been identified with for a greater part of his three-decade career.</p><p>The nickname derived from his portrayals of reanimated corpses or zombies got a millennial twist in 2014 — he became “Bangky” to the social media-savvy viewers of “Forevermore,” the teleserye that launched the Liza Soberano-Enrique Gil tandem.</p><p>By the end of the Primetime Bida series in 2015, “LizQuen” was a household name — and so was “BangLi,” the surprise hit of a pairing between de Andres and the late <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/08/20/16/horror-queen-lilia-cuntapay-yumao-na">Lilia Cuntapay</a>, whose career similarly saw her portraying ghouls, either for scares or comedic effect, in ‘90s movies.</p><p>The English-speaking Bangky, the character in “Forevermore,” drew from his romance with Aunor (Cuntapay) the wisdom he imparted to Xander (Gil) when it came to the latter’s relationship with Agnes (Soberano).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1VoZR5XA4lw?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>For de Andres, the stint in “Forevermore” was the second chance at a forgotten dream he never anticipated to come along.</p><p>“Sa 37 years na pag-aartista ko, ngayon lang ako nabigyan ng pansin,” he said in a 2014 interview with ABS-CBN News. &quot;May bumabati na, ‘Ang galing mo pala umarte! Hindi talaga kapanipaniwala! Parang panaginip lang. ‘Yung pa-English-English ko, nag-click yata sa [mga manonood].”</p><p>De Andres had already contented himself with being a staff member at a resort in Plaridel, Quezon, his hometown, so the chance to make a showbiz comeback through “Forevermore,” what would become his career breakthrough at age 67, was a surprise he relished.</p><p>It was, after all, a reminder, and fulfillment, of a dream he had given up. “Lahat halos ng pinangarap ko, wala namang nasunod, e,” he said. “Pangarap ko maging magaling na artista, hindi naman nag-click. May pag-asa pa!”</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/entertainment/11/06/20181106-bangkay.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Nonong de Andres smiles in the farewell reel of ‘Forevermore.’ <em>ABS-CBN</em></figcaption></figure></div>

<p>At 67, or three years before his passing on Tuesday, Nonong de Andres made a lifelong dream a reality, as he became known more than the “bangkay” role he had been identified for a greater part of his three-decade career.</p>

At 67, or three years before his passing on Tuesday, Nonong de Andres made a lifelong dream a reality, as he became known more than the “bangkay” role he had been identified for a greater part of his three-decade career.