Bembol Roco

Rafael Aranda Roco, Jr. (born November 20, 1953), professionally known as Bembol Roco, is a Filipino actor whose work ranges from films to television. He is best known for his role as Julio Madiaga in the 1975 film Manila in the Claws of Light, which has since gained prominence as one of the greatest Philippine films of all time. He also had an important role in the 1982 Australian-U.S. film The Year of Living Dangerously. He also portrayed villain roles in Filipino action movies due to his signature bald head as well as various supporting roles.

He has twin sons who are also actors named Felix and Dominic.

He is well known for his collaborations with director Lino Brocka, where he is a part of a group of actors called "Brocka babies", and directors such as Ishmael Bernal, Chito S. Roño, Marilou Diaz-Abaya, and Joel Lamangan in the late twentieth century.

Prior to beginning his acting career, Roco underwent an 18-month rehabilitation program at the Drug Abuse Rehabilitation Education (DARE) Foundation in Bicutan. After completing the program, he began working for the organization. In 1974, director Lino Brocka visited the DARE facility to secure a filming permit for his upcoming project. It was during this visit that Brocka met Roco and subsequently cast him in a segment of the anthology film Tatlo, Dalawa, Isa (1974), in which Roco portrayed a recovering drug addict—paralleling his own experience at the time.

Roco later gained widespread recognition when Brocka cast him in the lead role of Julio Madiaga in Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975). The role was originally given to actor Jay Ilagan, and four days of filming had already been completed. However, Brocka felt Ilagan did not physically embody the impoverished and desperate character he envisioned. Roco, then an unknown actor with a lean and weathered appearance, was recast in the role. His performance was critically acclaimed and became one of the defining portrayals in Philippine cinema.

Roco is married to former fashion model Coco Artadi, whom he met in a fashion show. Together, they have 5 children, Rafael III, Katrina Isabel, Luis Gabriel, Teodoro Felix, and Ricardo Dominic. They have since separated since 2006.