Anna Lisa Muhlach Sumilang-Martinez (March 27, 1967 – March 14, 2015), also known as Liezl Martinez, was a Filipino actress. She was also known by her other screen name Anna-Lisa.

Early life

She was born on March 27, 1967, to actors

Romeo Vasquez Ricardo Alandy Sumilang (April 9, 1939 – May 2, 2017), also known by his stage name Romeo Vasquez, was a Filipino actor and former matinee idol of Philippine cinema. Career Vasquez was discovered by director Armando Garces who saw him whil ...

(1939–2017) and

Amalia Fuentes Amalia Amador Muhlach (born August 27, 1940 – October 5, 2019); commonly known as Amalia Fuentes (), was a Filipino actress and filmmaker whose career spanned six decades. She was the Queen of Philippine Movies in the 1960s and one of the to ...

(1940–2019) in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Personal life

Martinez was married to Filipino actor and director

Albert Martinez Alberto Pineda Martinez (born April 19, 1961), is a Filipino actor, producer, and director. Dubbed as the "''King of Philippine Teleseryes''", he has since established himself as one of the most omnipresent figures in Philippine television and ...

. They eloped in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

in 1985. They had three children: Alyanna, Alfonso and Alissa Martinez.

Health and death

Martinez was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 following a breast examination ordered by Dr. Judy Fuentes, her obstetrician-gynecologist at

The Medical City Ortigas The Medical City Ortigas is a tertiary care hospital in Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Opened in 2004, it is the main hospital of The Medical City (TMC) which maintains a network of hospitals and clinics which are mostly based in the Philippi ...

. Liezl made a statement that she did not have any symptoms but that since her doctor said women aged 40 and above should undergo breast examinations yearly, she underwent the test. Martinez had just recovered and "regained her crowning glory" when, in July 2011, she had had a persistent cough. She consulted with Dr. Liza Garcia, her pulmonologist at The Medical City Ortigas, who ordered some tests that later showed that she had fluid in her lungs. When the fluids were drained from her lungs, the diagnosis confirmed that Liezl's cancer had recurred and had metastasized to her left lung; the cancer was already in its Stage 4. “I thought I was okay and then it happened. It was much more painful and harder to accept,” Liezl said in an interview. Throughout her battle with cancer, Liezl had the support of her husband, Albert. In a ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broad ...

'' report in 2012, Albert stated that he would make sure she lived “as normal a life as possible.” On March 14, 2015, Martinez peacefully died at 6:15 a.m. surrounded by her family, according to her mother Amalia Fuentes. She was 13 days shy of her 48th birthday.

Legacy

Asked why she included Martinez among her first batch of members of the

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB; ; is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is responsible for the classification and review of television programs, motion p ...

(MTRCB), its former chairman and Senator

Grace Poe Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe-Llamanzares (born September 3, 1968) is a Filipino politician, businesswoman, educator, and philanthropist serving as a senator since 2013. She was the chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classifi ...

said: “She was a good mother and wife, had a firm grasp of what is right or wrong, with a strong connection and concern for the movie and TV industries, balanced by her compassion for the welfare of children.” With the MTRCB, Liezl took charge of the “Matalinong Panonood” sorties to various parts of the country. Liezl was designated to oversee physical improvements in the MTRCB Building, a task she relished and was meticulous to the detail. The building's fourth floor board room was later named the Liezl S. Martinez Hall. Christening rights were held on the March 25, 2015, two days before what would have been her 48th birthday; in attendance were her husband, Albert; children Alfonso, Alyanna and Alissa; and Liezl's father, Romeo Vasquez; the MTRCB's chairman, Eugenio “Toto” Villareal; board members; and Liezl's office staff who loved their "Ma’am Liezl".

Filmography

Film

Television

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Liezl 1967 births 2015 deaths Actresses from Manila Filipino child actresses Filipino film actresses Filipino television actresses Filipino people of Chinese descent Filipino people of German descent Filipino people of Spanish descent Deaths from breast cancer in the Philippines Liezl Liezl 20th-century Filipino actresses 21st-century Filipino actresses