Abe Pagtama's journey in the acting world began in the early 1970s, shortly after his service in the US Air Force, where he utilized his GI Bill to attend Theater Of Arts and Strassberg Acting Academy in Los Angeles.
Prior to his formal training, Pagtama started performing in small theater productions in LA, concurrently working on atmosphere sets during the era of Black Exploitation films. His experience even extended to working on a Roger Corman film. However, he soon found himself returning to his military duties, this time serving in the US Army.
Pagtama did not re-enter the acting scene until the early 1980s, initially taking on extra work with Central Casting. He became a regular extra on popular TV shows such as General Hospital and Cagney & Lacey, and eventually landed a principal role in a TV show. This marked a significant milestone, as he was able to join AFTRA and SAG, thanks to a script sent to him by Gary Shandling.
Despite his newfound success, Pagtama took a 10-year hiatus from acting, only to re-emerge in the late 1990s. His breakthrough role came in 1999, when he starred in the feature film "Flip Side," directed by Rod Pulido, which was the first Filipino-American movie to be accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. He also appeared in the film "Debut," directed by Gene Cajayon.
Since then, Pagtama has remained a fixture in the acting world, primarily focusing on commercials. In 2006, he landed a high-profile role in a Super Bowl Pepsi commercial, which was upstaged by Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction.
In recent years, Pagtama has continued to act in commercials and feature films, both in Hollywood and the Philippines. He has also begun producing movies, with his latest commercial titled "Tech Teddy" airing on Spectrum Cable TV. Additionally, he has just completed filming in the movies "Stateside" and "Unlovable."
