Victory
“Cocoy” Laurel (b. 1 Jul. 1951) is the middle child of former Vice President Salvador
Laurel and stage actress Celia
Diaz-Laurel. Cocoy entered showbiz via
the “Search for the Philippines’ Romeo & Juliet”, a contest to promote the
Franco Zefirelli movie “Romeo and Juliet” in 1969. The 8 year old bagged
the “Romeo” title to Lotis Key’s “Juliet”.
He debuted in the 1971 film,
“Lollipops and Roses and Burong Talangka”,
where he became a screen idol appearing opposite superstar Nora Aunor. At his peak, he recorded songs, performed
in a live concert and made a film with Miss Universe Margie Moran in “Oh,
Margie, Oh!”
It came as no surprise that advertisers sought hims out for endorsemenr, becoming the first face of ESKINOL MASTER in 1974.
In 1977, the film "Saturday Night Fever" starring disco king John Travolta became an international blockbuster. Showbiz people started to see a bit of Travolta in Laurel, what with his facial resemblance and his dance moves (Laurel had studied in dance and portraiture abroad) that were so "Tony Manero", the main character in "Saturday Night Fever".
Laurel looked the part even in his TV guestings where he showed off his dancing prowess while wearing a white 4-piece suit--the same style won by Travolta. It was definitely for this reason that TOP SEED Casual Wear got him for a print ad. Even the pose he assumed was copied from the iconic Travolta pose on the movie soundtrack album cover.
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| LAUREL AS THE PINOY TRAVOLTA, 1978 |
Did the Travolta gimmick worked for TOP SEED? Only the sales figures would tell for sure. But Laurel obviously enjoyed the exposure, and continued to embrace the Travolta image throughout the popularity of the movie and its star.
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