Montano, known by his nickname Buboy, was born and raised in
Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines. His paternal side traces its roots to the Manhilots of
Baclayon, a town in
Bohol.
Early work Montano became interested in acting while studying in college. He acted in stage productions at the
University of the Philippines and joined acting workshops in between. Among his notable plays is
Esteromenggoles. He also worked as a
stuntman early in his career. He auditioned for
Ishmael Bernal's
Student Body under
Regal Films, in which he became among the top 3 leading men. Unfortunately, the project didn't push through. He was later discovered by Robbie Tan, who made him a talent of the now-defunct
Seiko Films. He initially bagged supporting roles in action films and leading men roles in drama films.
Directing Montano's early directions were an episode of
Mikee in 1995, in which he starred in, and the 1998 film
Warfreak, in which he co-directed with Natividad and starred as the titular character. In 1999, Montano marked his directorial debut with
Bullet, in which he co-wrote and starred as the titular character, an autistic person with a special skill in marksmanship. The same goes for the 2001 film
Mananabas, where he stars as the leader of a lost command. Montano produced, directed and starred in the 2004 film
Panaghoy sa Suba, which was his entry to the 2004
Metro Manila Film Festival. It is set during
World War II, and the story takes place mostly along the
Loboc River in
Bohol. It was filmed mostly in the
Visayan language with an almost exclusively
Visayan cast.
Panaghoy sa Suba won multiple awards. It collected Second Best Picture (to
Mano Po III: My Love), Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score and the Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award at the Metro Manila Film Festival, 2004; and Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress at Gawad Suri Awards, Manila, 2005. Aside from garnering 16 awards and 11 nominations including 5 from, it was also given an endorsement by the
UNESCO. It was named Best Picture at the International Festival of Independent Films held in
Brussels, Belgium. Montano was also chosen Best Director. In addition, Montano also won Best Actor in
Panaghoy sa Suba in the Golden Screen Awards.
Panaghoy sa Suba was invited as an exhibition in the
Tous les cinémas du Monde (Movies of the World) at the
Cannes Film Festival in 2005. It has also been invited for exhibition in other international film festivals in
Berlin, Toronto, Tokyo,
Korea and in the
Czech Republic's Karlo Vary Film Festival. Montano was cast in another U.S. film,
Another Deep Breath, scheduled to start shooting in the
San Francisco Bay Area in March 2005. Funding was never secured so the production never started shooting.
Music career From 1981 to 1982, Montano was a regular performer at Hotel Mirador. On nine of the album's ten songs he is accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. He sings a duet on the second version "
Kailan Ko Lang Sinabi" (
When I Just Told You) with his wife, Sunshine Cruz, who is also a Filipino actress and recording artist.
Subok lang went on to become Platinum record. On May 19, 2009, he was appointed by then-president
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as her Presidential Special Envoy for Film and Digital Cinema, a newly created position accorded ambassador rank and given diplomatic status by the
Department of Foreign Affairs. He then again attempted to be involved in politics on October 13, 2009, when he filed his candidacy for governor in his home province
Bohol under
Liberal Party. He lost the 2010 local election for the governor position against incumbent representative-turned-governor
Edgar Chatto. ==Personal life==