Actor George Hamilton, linked by federal prosecutors to some of the alleged financial schemes of Imelda Marcos, testified Tuesday that the former Philippine first lady was a great friend who prevented his mother from committing suicide after his brothers death. The inquiry, whose machinations became public only five years ago, turned up nothing that could potentially be weaponized except that Bill was gay. A "beyond the shoes" documentary on the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. Theyve remained friends. But previously sealed court documents and other financial records recently obtained by The Times further reveal that the actor and the widow of Ferdinand E. Marcos did business together--and that Hamilton was used, perhaps unwittingly, in the historic looting of the Philippine treasury by the Marcoses. In his 2008 memoir, Dont Mind If I Do, he called the experience my own sexual bar mitzvah. But now, post-#MeToo reckoning, theres no romance to molestation, and hell speak of the perpetrator only elliptically, if still sympathetically, as a discontented housewife, slightly off, quite beautiful too., (Though Hamilton is all for gender parity in the industry, he doesnt retreat from his past description of himself as an enlightened male chauvinist, the kind who once issued such wisdom in a self-help book as Women are like a fine violin: They just need to be appreciated and bowed properly.), Hamilton is hard to pin down on the least-fun scandal of his life, the Justice Departments accusation that he was a front for the 1980s looting of the Philippine treasury at the hands of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? Terms of Use Hamiltons attorney shrugged off suggestions of sweetheart deals, saying Hamilton repaid Floirendo. Hamilton remains vigorous, in all connotations. I just knew him as an amazing character and never did any form of business of any kind with Adnan, explains Hamilton. Bernstein said in an interview, however: I was totally directed by Imelda in this. He is the eldest son of Ann Stevens and bandleader George "Spike" Hamilton. On the Texas set of Hamiltons 1960 breakout, Vincente Minnellis Home From the Hill, a boy asked co-star George Peppard if Peppard was a movie star. According to Burt Reynolds' autobiography,[35] Hamilton has a healthy sense of humor, even when the humor is directed at him. In 1990, Hamilton was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal fraud and racketeering case against the Marcoses involving the looting of government funds; Imelda was acquitted in the case. [21], In the late 1980s, Hamilton launched the George Hamilton Skin Care System and the George Hamilton Sun Care System and tanning salons. Hamilton's name . Thats not the purpose of being here. Over the years, Hamilton and Mrs. Marcos have traveled the world together, met the Pope together, even shopped together. He had supporting roles in The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977), The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977), Killer on Board (1977), Sextette (1978), The Users (1978), From Hell to Victory (1979), Institute for Revenge (1979), and Death Car on the Freeway (1979). In truth, LBJs disapproval didnt bother Hamilton, who wasnt exactly looking for a life partner. More recently, Hamilton has been increasingly prominent as an entrepreneur in the tanning and skin care business, marketing his own line of cosmetics and colognes. A whirlwind courtship would follow, with high-profile dates at the Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras, followed by Easter at the LBJ ranch. Its invention.. Documents show he returned $5.5 million to Tantocos account at the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank on Nov. 22, 1983. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. I just played into it, Hamilton says, grinning. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. He auditioned for the show, and in March 2007, TMZ reported that Hamilton was a frontrunner to replace Barker. Hamilton walked out of the jungle on November 30, 2009, telling the other contestants that he wasn't there to win but to have fun. Ramos told them he turned it over to two swarthy men--presumably Filipinos. He said he acted on instructions from Mrs. Tantoco, the agent for Mrs. Marcos. Homes - Celebrity - Entertainment - Actors, Homes - Celebrity - Former In arguments outside the presence of jurors, Assistant U.S. Atty. The two have remained friends over the years. Photo by 9EkieraM1 CC BY-SA 3.0. [16] Hamilton appeared as a contestant on the UK edition of I'm a CelebrityGet Me Out of Here! In 1982 Imelda Marcos bought the former home of Charlie Chaplin in Beverly Hills using Hollywood actor George Hamilton. He almost immediately landed the lead in a low-budget film, "Crime and. 88". In reality, he spent his teen years on the edge of real wealth in Palm Beach and attending the tony New York prep school Hackley for a short spell alongside true blue-blooded best buddy Herb Allen, the financier scion now famed for his Sun Valley mogul conference. Actor George Hamilton said Imelda Marcos saved his mother's life by inviting the despondent woman to the Philippines after Hamilton's brother died. Marcos and his wife, accused in pending civil cases of using sophisticated schemes to convert billions of public dollars into private wealth during two decades in the presidential palace, funneled more than $12 million through Hamiltons personal accounts before they were ousted, according to court documents from Los Angeles and New York. In 2011 Hamilton did undergo treatment to have a skin cancer growth removed. He starred in the TV movie The Dead Don't Die (1975) and had a supporting role in Once Is Not Enough (1975). [14] Hamilton was executive producer of the 2009 film My One and Only, loosely based on his early life and relationship with his mother. He admitted fronting for secret Marcos interests in a Long Island estate called Lindenmere and a posh 5th Avenue apartment suite in Olympic Tower. [33], Hamilton has a well-known social relationship with Imelda Marcos, widow of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and had business ties to the Marcos family. No film was ever made. Though she would go on to marry and divorce Rod Stewart, she and Hamilton remain close. Hamilton first met Mrs. Marcos in 1979, while on a world promotional tour for his movie Love at First Bite. The actor, then at the pinnacle of his movie career, had produced the box office success, in which he also starred as a comedic vampire. The film lost money, but Hamilton received excellent notices. Immediately after Hamilton returned the money, it was transferred again, across town, to another Tantoco account at Hong Kongs Wardley Bank Ltd. A week later, the $5.5 million was transferred to Londons National Westminster Bank into the account of Jorge Ramos, a Filipino architect Mrs. Marcos hired to refurbish her secretly owned Lindenmere estate on Long Island and other properties in the United States. Baskin-Robbins adds a hint of waffle, and voila, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? . Its not depression, he says. [13] However, Drew Carey was named as Barker's successor. He supported Joan Collins in the miniseries Monte Carlo (1986) and had the lead role in the series Spies (1987). He appeared on such shows as The Veil (playing an Indian), The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, The Donna Reed Show, and Cimarron City. She is an actress, known for The . Hes an author, every so often, of fizzy ghostwritten books. A week earlier they had him over to dinner at their Virginia home. Johnson.[29]. The former matinee idol was always more well-known for his famous friends than his on-screen appearances. Trump legal team requests six-month delay in New York civil lawsuit, SpaceX launches 51 Starlink satellites from California, Merrick Garland makes secret trip to Ukraine. Lynda Johnson Gets A Job at McCall's: LYNDA BIRD GETS A JOB AT M'CALL'S By TERENCE SMITH. Hamilton's first roles were in TV. The president, he says, was always a performer in his own mind like Hamilton himself. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. It was directed by Louis Malle who cast Hamilton on the strength of his performance in Two Weeks in Another Town. Hamilton was cast, and the film was popular. The two met when Hamilton was invited to a 1965 White House dinner after the Johnson family saw his portrayal of legendary country crooner Hank Williams in Your Cheatin Heart. Throughout his life - he will be 70 in August - Hamilton has had a keen eye for the absurd, and for the grotesque. George Hamilton has a social relationship with Imelda Marcos. Hamiltons draft deferment had in fact been granted on the grounds that he was the sole financial provider for Teeny which prompted an outcry when the public learned he was dating Lynda Bird Johnson in 1966. Performed by George Hamilton Excerpt from . The settlement agreement, expected to be announced perhaps as early as next week, validates Manilas claims that the house, which Hamilton sold in 1986, was financed with looted Philippine funds. We always thought that it was really a Marcos house--that maybe it was some sort of joint venture, one Philippine investigator said. Hamilton was great pals with the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, who was accused of illegally amassing a fortune with her husband Ferdinand Marcos. The money was for what prosecutor LaBella called a supposed movie deal--purportedly a plan to develop a film about Gen. MacArthurs wartime exploits. Hamilton testified that he borrowed the money from Gliceria Tantoco, a woman identified by several previous witnesses as an agent for Mrs. Marcos, as part of a film development venture. Career George Hamilton started his career as a TV actor. Floirendos first loan to Hamilton, made in April, 1982, at the request of Mrs. Marcos, was $600,000, he said. NEW YORK (AP) _ A judge granted immunity to George Hamilton to compel the actor to testify at Imelda Marcos fraud trial. Memphis-born George Stevens Hamilton, 51, arrived in Hollywood at age 19 with a state acting award from Florida. (The lauded French director Louis Malle, who cast him for 1965s Viva Maria!, once sighed, Hes more interested in being in the social columns I dont understand when he should be one of the greatest of his generation.). Hamilton, who has been named as an unindicted co . Investigators lost track of the money in London. He summoned beauty expert extraordinaire, George Masters, to his home to oversee Johnsons hair and makeup for the big event, knowing the cameras would be zeroing in on the couple. Initially, at the outset of this MacArthur film, I thought of it as being an action-oriented film . It features anecdotes that Hamilton had told to Merv Griffin. He was a semi-regular celebrity guest on the 1998-1999 syndicated version of Match Game. ", Woman wins $100,000 lottery prize 11 hours after $11,000 casino jackpot. He was going to show the apartment to Elizabeth Taylor, but they couldnt get in.. The former matinee idol was always more well-known for his famous friends than his on-screen appearances. The couple would break up after a year, and a few months later, Johnson became engaged to Marine Corps Captain Charles Robb, (who Hamilton called her genetic destiny), now her husband. Hamilton invited Johnson to join him in Acapulco, and she, surprisingly, accepted. He would not knowingly participate in any transaction that has any taint.. Imelda Romualdez-Marcos with former President Ferdinand Marcos and family during the 1965 inauguration It was during the 1965 campaign that Imelda became influential as a political figure at the national level, supporting her husband's political tactics through her charismatic appeal and youth. The 80-year-old has always been a sun worshipper. Philippine journalist Kristina M. Luz contributed to this story. The first witness called to testify today was Carmen Gomez, an accountant who was a long-time employee of Mrs. Marcos friend, Gliceria Tantoco. The real theme of the film became something far more sensitive than I had wanted to get into.. For his debut performance in Crime and Punishment U.S.A. (1959), Hamilton won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a BAFTA Award. I did not receive any amount from that check, Floirendo said in his affidavit. He supported Elizabeth Taylor in Poker Alice (1987). But Hamiltons attorney said that the actor thought he was dealing only with Khashoggi, Floirendo and their agents. The president apparently skeptical of this movieland slickster had his longtime fixer turned Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas spearhead an off-the-books FBI probe into Hamiltons personal life. This thread is archived Theyre given an unusual amount of credibility, he says. Records show that two-thirds of it--$4 million--was to be secured by the Beverly Hills house. Marcos, who also was indicted, died in exile in Hawaii in September. Although shot in 1958 it was not released until the following year. Hamilton, 51, used portions of the $12 million to finance a lavish house in Beverly Hills and launch a film development project. Court documents show that $12 million flowed from secret Marcos bank accounts in the Philippines through Hamilton investments in the United States to other banks and foreign companies allegedly controlled by the Marcoses. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. 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All Rights Reserved, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2017, All the celebs at Paris Fashion Week February-March 2023: Halsey and more, Billboard Women in Music Awards 2023 red carpet: Lana Del Rey, more, Costume Designers Guild Awards 2023 red carpet: Cate Blanchett, more, All the celebrities at Milan Fashion Week February 2023: Dua Lipa, more. Hamiltons attorney, Greenberg, said that his client made a profit on the house sale, but he did not know how much. I couldnt help thinking it might have been me, Hamilton wistfully wrote in his 2008 memoir, Dont Mind If I Do. George Hamilton's House (former) Beverly Hills, California (CA), US Like Tweet Share Pin The film and television actor and occasional film director lived here. At the time, according to one page from a Malacanang Palace ledger obtained by federal investigators, the $5.5 million was entered as money ultimately controlled by the Marcoses private financial manager, Manila bank president Rolando Gapud. 18,169, This story has been shared 13,785 times. Los Angeles Times (June 29, 1965: C8. He returned to TV for The Seekers (1979) and The Great Cash Giveaway Getaway (1979), then he did 1981's Zorro, The Gay Blade, which he produced. Memphis-born George Stevens Hamilton, 51, arrived in Hollywood at age 19 with a state acting award from Florida. During a Manila stop, he was invited to lunch at Malacanang Palace, where he also was a hit. Mrs. Gomez said that Mrs. Tantocos son, Bienvenido Tantoco Jr., told her in the spring of 1984 that his mother was in charge of four New York buildings owned by F.L. She testified that F.L. stood for first lady and referred to Mrs. Marcos. (Merv Griffin labored for years to turn Hamiltons early life into a film, finally released in 2009 as My One and Only, with Rene Zellweger as Teeny and Logan Lerman playing 15-year-old Hamilton. Mrs. Marcos hoped to promote it as the Cannes of the East. . And an appraisal filed eight months before the loan was made estimated that the house was worth only $2.3 million. Hamilton made That Man George (1965) and appeared in a production of A Farewell to Arms (1966) on TV. in 2015 called Stewarts & Hamiltons (it lasted a single season), he found that his grown sons Ashley, an actor, musician and comedian, and George Jr., a college student didnt share his equanimity about self-caricature. He blamed that on pressure, perhaps from Tantoco, to make a film about the famous generals love affair with a Filipina. Barbara Stepko is a New Jersey-based freelance editor and writer who has contributed to AARP magazine and the Wall Street Journal. For more on #WhereAreTheyNow, visit http://bit.ly/2dTkI. With his matinee-idol looks, it was sometimes noted that Hamilton physically resembled Warren Beatty. Floirendo said it was Mrs. Marcos who directed that the check be endorsed to White. He was a fervid soldier at MGMs backlot boot camp, where hed honed the all-purpose practical arts: fencing, riding, shooting and whatever else might be needed in everything from comedies to Westerns. Its not the spray tan Im after, he revealed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2017. Thanks for contacting us. On how a career in Hollywood is like gambling: Youve got to be a little bit foolish about the way you play. On his empathetic nature: I dont believe Im cerebral about my heart. And on how hes been grateful to be dismissed as a talking mannequin: If Id been overestimated, I may not have made it in the first place.. An aide to Sen. Stephen Solarz, D-N.Y., who heads the congressional investigation, said the fact that an agent representing Calno Holdings is a close friend of Marcos 'certainly implies that Marcos was involved.'. George Hamilton still acts for the past few seasons as Spencer Blitz on ABCs American Housewife. Marcoswho was famous for her high-flying lifestyle, endless socializing, and taste for designer clothesspent more than two decades as the First Lady of the Philippines, during which time she. Hamilton has hosted the live stage adaptation of the show The Price Is Right Live! This story has been shared 60,063 times. This was something that several months ago he was told he would have to have, his rep told E! In 1964 George Hamilton appeared in a bit part on a television series about three suave con-men cousins. NEW YORK (AP) _ A judge granted immunity to George Hamilton to compel the actor to testify at Imelda Marcos' fraud trial. Greenberg could not explain why Hamilton waited so long to claim items in a house he sold more than four years ago. Whatever happened in the past, the future of the former Hamilton house is certain: it goes to the Philippine government as soon as the agreement, already approved, is filed. Hamilton moved into producing to give himself greater control over his career. A lot of young actors do it and they shouldnt. Lynda Bird Johnson Robb at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2018. NEW YORK -- Actor George Hamilton, reportedly an unindicted co-conspirator in the Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fraud case, said Monday he was just a friend of the couple and 'there was. After getting the Floirendo loan, Hamilton began an extensive remodeling project that included adding a large garage and about 2,000 square feet of living space to the mansion. Actor George Hamilton has been described by federal authorities as an unindicted co-conspirator of former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos, a newspaper reported today. but obviously she had some interest in it.. Awards Chatter Podcast Malala Yousafzai (Stranger at the Gate), Report: Feds Grilled Leonardo DiCaprio on Business Relationship With International Fugitive Fraudster, Need a Black Hawk on Set by Friday? Its melancholy. At age 66 and recovering from knee injuries, Hamilton, unable to match the limber dance moves of his younger competitors, charmed the audience and judges with endearingly silly dances that used props, including a Zorro mask and the sword from Zorro, The Gay Blade. But the actors attorney, Arthur N. Greenberg, said Hamilton thought he was dealing with wealthy Philippine entrepreneurs and never knew that the millions of dollars he received came from his friends, the Marcoses. Although the money went to Hamilton from Mrs. Tantocos account, prosecutor LaBella said it was really a transaction involving Imelda Marcos. Hamilton, an unindicted co-conspirator testifying under a grant of immunity, acknowledged under prosecution questioning that he had received a $5.5-million loan from a Philippine businesswoman and close associate of Mrs. Marcos. [9]), Hamilton went into television in 1969, supporting Lana Turner in the all-star series Harold Robbins' The Survivors (196970).[10]. He went to Germany to make At the Edge of Paradise[de] (1993). Also mentioned in that song are Muammar Gaddafi, George Hamilton and Zedong Mao. 12,109, This story has been shared 11,144 times. Alana swapped with Angela "Big Ang" Raiola of Mob Wives and her husband Neil Murphy. Hes developing two films and a TV series as a producer out of a well-staffed office suite in Beverly Glen, where he first invites THR to meet him, taking a seat beneath a large chalk pastel portrait of his more youthful self. However, she remains a defendant in federal civil suits in Los Angeles and New York that make similar allegations. This story first appeared in the July 31 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. While Hamilton had said it to razz Peppard, he realized he meant it. . Imelda's commentary is complemented by archival footage of her glamorous jet-setting first lady years, including meetings with Nixon, Reagan, Gaddafi and Mao (who, she says, praised her for . Why did Mrs. Marcos want money invested in Hamiltons house? Theyre thought to be an extravagance, but, as my mother said, those are the kind of shoes they make out of a material to match the dress: not the greatest shoes on Earth., Another longtime party pal, arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, was indicted in the same transaction. Los Angeles, A $150,000 executive protection dog? Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer signed him to a long-term contract. From 1995 to 1999, Hamilton dated Kimberly Blackford, whom he met in Fort Lauderdale when she was a swimsuit model. Staff writer William C. Rempel reported from Los Angeles. New York Times ] October 29, 1966: 1. In August 2008, Hamilton co-starred in Coma, a web series on Crackle. Imelda Marcos is accused in pending civil suits of converting billions of public dollars into private wealth during her late husbands 20-year rule over the Philippines. Hed always be very warm and outgoing, Stewart remembers, adding: I dont think he understood that its the guests who were supposed to talk on the talk show., Then again, Hamilton does have more stories than most. He believes her to be a misunderstood humanitarian she personally phoned Cedars-Sinai when Hamiltons brother Bill lay dying, startling the nurse on duty, a Filipina, into taking special care and that the focus on her enormous shoe collection is a big to-do about nothing. Hamilton, an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, was granted immunity at the trial. Julie Andrews, Warren Beatty, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood. [34] According to Burt Reynolds ' autobiography, [35] Hamilton has a healthy sense of humor, even when the humor is directed at him. ), The serene relationship Hamilton possesses with artifice was, however, not passed on to his own children. Though his more than 60 film roles include Evel Knievel, Hank Williams and the consigliere in The Godfather: Part III (Unfortunately, I wasnt in the better ones), Hamiltons best character has always been George Hamilton. 49,964, This story has been shared 18,169 times. The Philippine businesswoman, who owns Manilas largest department store, was indicted on the same charges pending against Mrs. Marcos. Maybe she used the house to justify giving money to Hamilton . Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Hes a utility player in the reality sphere, from Dancing With the Stars (eliminated in the sixth week of the second season) and Wife Swap to Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. LaBella said the dollars given to Hamilton went for personal use . Luckily, they were unscathed. That was further illustrated by the contents of a letter found among the once-sealed court records. In 2019, Hamilton said he was romantically unattached, but does enjoy dating different ladies. Their son, Ashley George, was born in 1974. Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? As he embarks on his ninth decade he turns 80 on Aug. 12 the actor and avatar of ease knows that his hue is what has made him an icon. The actor, recently featured on the television program Dynasty, also denied rumors linking him romantically with the former Philippine first lady, Imelda Marcos. Although Hamilton maintains that he has had no involvement with the house since selling it to Khashoggi in 1986, he nonetheless is laying claim to art and furnishings in the house that he says are personal belongings of great sentimental value to his mother. Imelda Marcos married politician Ferdinand Marcos in 1954. He did Two Fathers: Justice for the Innocent (1994), Vanished (1995), and Playback (1996); and guest-starred on the shows Bonnie, Hart to Hart, and The Guilt. Hamilton has acknowledged publicly and privately that he received things of value from Mrs. Marcos, from free trips to Morocco and Europe to the use of Filipino laborers sent to help remodel his house to a white Rolls-Royce for his mother. That image has been reinforced over the years by a lavish lifestyle and decades of noted romances with rich and famous women. He wanted stars around him. It was a box-office disappointment but was critically acclaimed. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. [3][4], Hamilton attended the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York, graduating in 1957.[5]. He had been in the 1975 episode "A Deadly State of Mind". Both mother and brother harbored dreams of stardom. So for me the idea of suntanning has always been a kind of health thing.. He also said that when he was linked to the Marcoses in the past, he received anonymous death threats. LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda allegedly funneled $12 million out of the country through actor George Hamilton, a newspaper reported today. It was all above board.. Hamilton simply signed a promissory note. He almost immediately landed the lead in a low-budget film, Crime and Punishment, U.S.A. MGM put him under contract. They did all the lying. In conjuring his playboy image, MGM manufactured an old-money background. 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. But a committee of the U.S. Congress investigating the flight of billions of dollars from the Philippines prior to Marcos's ouster said it has no plans to investigate the financial transactions surrounding Hamilton's estate. Ferdinand Marcos. . That issue is of particular importance to prosecutors because of defense assertions that millions of dollars allegedly diverted from the Philippine treasury by Mrs. Marcos and her late husband, former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos, were used to fight communist rebels and to further other official policies of the government.