Etang Discher

Enriqueta "Etang" Discher Grau (November 24, 1906 – November 22, 1991) was a Filipino character film actress frequently cast in villainous roles. Her stern, gaunt Castilian face loomed in many post-war Filipino films, especially soap opera-type dramas. She was the woman Filipino movie audiences loved to hate, often playing a villainous aunt, mother-in-law or even a witch. While her roles were hardly predisposed to have made her a star, she nonetheless was one of the more famous (or infamous) and durable stars of Filipino films. Many of her films were produced by Sampaguita Pictures, the studio under which she was under contract for a significant part of her career.

Discher was born to a German father, Leo Discher Sr. and a Filipino mother, Pacencia Discher. She had a sister named Elena Discher. Her extended family resides on the West Coast of the United States in Washington state and California. She began her career in show business as a chorus girl in the bodabil stage shows of Katy de la Cruz.^[2]

Her last known film was Karma in 1981.^[3]

Her son, Panchito, became a famous film comedian in his own right, usually cast as the comedic foil to Dolphy.