On Global Filipinos: Actor-producer Lou Diamond Phillips is author of Young Adult fantasy novels  

By Loida Nicolas Lewis

When Filipino American actor Lou Diamond Philips arrived for The Loida Lewis Podcast, I was starstruck. He looked like a distinguished professor, with silver streak in his hair and on his beard, still handsome as he has always been.

His breakout film “La Bamba” in 1987 was the bio-pic of Ritchie Valens, who died in a plane crush with Buddy Holly on February 3, 1959. The tragedy came to be known as “The Day The Music Died” made famous in the Don McLean song “American Pie.”

Lou Diamond Phillips gained international fame for his impressive portrayal of Ritchie Valens with his singing accompanied by his guitar playing. He auditioned for the role of Ritchie Valens in Dallas  having already graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington. He was at the time working at the Film Actors Lab as a teacher.

When he won the role, he had one week to learn the script, play the guitar, memorize and sing 16 songs. He was paid $6,000 for that break-out gig but it jumpstarted his career as a movie star.

Lou Diamond Phillips was born of a Zambales-born mother and American father Gerald Upchurch on February 17, 1962, at the U.S. Naval Base in Olongapo in Zambales province. When his father died, his mother remarried George Phillips who adopted Lou Diamond. He was named after a famous military hero named Lew Diamond who served in World War II. Instead of Lew, his first name was spelled Lou for his mother Lucy. He grew up with his real name — Lou Diamond Phillips — not a Hollywood made-up name.

From Zambales, the family was stationed at many bases until they finally settled in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1974 when he was 12.He finished his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from the University of Texas.

Lou Diamond excelled in acting at the university. When he started winning awards for his talent, that was when he got called to audition for the role of Ritchie Valens. After initially auditioning in Dallas, he was flown to Hollywood for a screen test.

“La Bamba” was followed by “Stand and Deliver,” a true story of a math teacher named Jaime Escalante with his math students in a predominantly Latino area of Los Angeles. Lou Diamond played one of his students. The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature in 1988. Then came “Young Guns”with a superb cast of the Brat Pack era, including Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, and other popular actors of the ‘80s.

His most recent films are “The 33” about the Chilean mine disaster where he co-starred with Antonio Banderas, the Jo Koy comedy “Easter Sunday,”  and the thriller “Werewolves”.

On television, he was in the series “Prodigal Son”, “Longmire”, and had guest appearances in “Blue Bloods,” “The Ranch,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” among other shows.

On Broadway, he won a Tony nomination for Best Actor in his role as the King in the revival of “The King and I”. He has also written screenplays for “Ambition,” “Trespasses,” and “Burning Desire.”

Four years ago, Lou Diamond’s first fantasy novel for Young Adult “The Tinderbox: Soldier Of Indira” was published. It is a Romeo and Juliet type story based on Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale “The Tinderbox.” A cross between “Star Wars” and “Game of Thrones,” it has an exciting storyline with wonderful illustrations by Yvonne Phillips, Lou Diamond’s wife. They have a  daughter named Indigo.

Last November 2024, Lou Diamond published the sequel to the first book, “The Tinderbox: Underground Movement,” again with illustrations by Yvonne Phillips. Although it is a sequel of the first book, anyone could read it as a stand-alone.

I cannot wait for the two books to be brought into animation, to be transported into the world of Indira inhabitant by people who were dark skinned and Mano where the inhabitants looked fair with blond hair.

“The books might become a limited series which may or may not be animated,” he said.

Lou Diamond writes in easy to digest manner that young adults and readers of fantasy tales will enjoy.

The Loida Lewis Podcast features Lou Diamond Phillips in Episode 5 of Season 2. It is available on YouTube.