Fil-Am Hollywood actor Anthony Ruivivar open to showbiz stints in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Hollywood actor and the father of Filipina-American Olympic gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar, Anthony Ruivivar, is open to doing acting projects in the Philippines. His daughter, Levi, has recently signed with Viva Artists Agency (VAA) as one of its talents.

“We’ve been talking about it,” Anthony responded when asked at a presscon if he is also going to ink a deal with VAA. “We’ve been talking about me coming like, at least, when I’m here, you know, I can be productive.

“I’d love to. I honestly would love to come to the Philippines and do as much as I can. I mean, honestly.”

Anthony started at an early age in the entertainment industry. His father is Tony Ruivivar, the founding member of the musical group Society of Seven, described in the US press as “the most successful show band in Waikiki entertainment history.”

“So he (Tony) started the Society of Seven with Jun Polistico and with Bert Navarro. And so that’s how I grew up with Martin (Nievera, son of Bert) in Hawaii,” he shared.

Born and bred in Hawaii, with seven of his uncles in Society of Seven, it came to no surprise that Anthony got interested in showbiz, too.

“That’s my upbringing, so I always was, you know, I was raised backstage in the light booth or behind the scenes. So, yeah, that was my foray into the entertainment industry. But then I decided that I wasn’t a great singer. So I went into straight drama. I went to school, a conservatory for acting, I went to BU, Boston University, and then moved down to New York.”

He began doing theater in New York and films as well. His debut film was “White Fang 2” with Ethan Hawke. He also portrayed a paramedic in the American crime drama TV series “Third Watch.” One of the creators of the show was John Wells, who is also the showrunner and executive producer of the medical drama “ER.”

“Third Watch” kick started Anthony’s career in the entertainment business. He did several films after that, such as, “Tropic Thunder” with Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr., “The Haunting of Hill House,” “Southland,” to name a few. He likewise worked with Halle Berry and James Belushi in “Race the Sun.”

“A lot of different films and TV shows. So I’ve been lucky