 He was born Jesus Lapid in October 5, 1933, in Guagua, Pampanga; an older brother, Jose, is the father and grandfather of movie stars-turned politicians Lito Lapid (now on his last term as Senator), and son Mark Lapid (former governor of Pampanga and now TIEZA Head) respectively.Jess started as an extra in his first film from Premiere Productions, “Larawan ng Pag-Ibig” in 1961.He then shifted to being a stuntman, after finding out that they earned more than extras.