Anecdotes

He and Leo Martinez launched a campaign motivating Filipino residents not to vote for actors and basketball stars in the elections during the 2007 Elections.

Son of Manuel Conde.

In the 80s, he created Mr. Shooli, a Mongolian character who was astounded by the Philippines and its people. Mr. Shooli predated Hollywood's tactless foreigner, Borat. His dilemma about Filipinos were parallel to Borat's confusion about the American way of life.

Eldest son of National Artist of the Philippines Manuel Conde, himself a film director, actor, producer and writer.

Graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Journalism.

In his 50s, Urbano began portraying a satirical character named Mr. Shooli, who was dressed in Mongol attire and was known for his comedic takes on Philippine politics and pop culture. This in turn spawned the popular 1980s show Mongolian Barbecue, which won three consecutive Catholic Mass Media Awards and underwent a revival by Golden Nation Network in 2014, and several film adaptations, including a 1991 movie titled Juan Tamad at Mister Shooli: Mongolian Barbecue, which he also directed and wrote, and which also won six awards in that year's Metro Manila Film Festival.

Urbano supported the candidacy of Fernando Poe Jr. for the Philippine presidency in the 2004 election and directed Poe's television advertisements for his ultimately unsuccessful campaign.

Urbano first worked as a reporter for the Manila Times but quit a few weeks into his job after an unpleasant experience while making a report on inmates at the Manila City Jail. He subsequently worked as an advertising director for 35 years, including in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this time, Urbano said that he had made more than two thousand TV commercials,These included iconic advertisements for San Miguel Beer such as Isang Platitong Manê with boxer Gabriel Elorde in 1984 that was the subject of a 2009 remake by fellow boxer Manny Pacquiao, Isa pa Nga, Ito ang Beer, and the Christmas commercial Iba ang may Pinagsamahan.

He appeared in an ABS-CBN documentary about the movie Ibong Adarna, which was directed by his father in 1941.

Urbano also hosted programs on YouTube that invited Filipino politicians to engage in discourse with his Mr. Shooli persona. He also appeared in this persona upon his acceptance of the Gawad Plaridel from the University of the Philippines, which recognized his social commentary through his Mr. Shooli persona, and his work in multimedia commercial advertising, in 2023.