Gloria Romero (actress)

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Borrego and the surname or paternal family name is Galla.

Gloria Romero
Romero in 2019
Born
Gloria Anne Borrego Galla

(1933-12-16) December 16, 1933 (age 90)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
NationalityFilipino
OccupationActress
Years active1949–present
WorksFilmography
Spouse
Juancho Gutiérrez
​
​
(m. 1960; died 2005)​
Children1
RelativesChris Gutierrez (grandson)
AwardsFull list

Gloria Anne Borrego Galla (born December 16, 1933), known professionally as Gloria Romero (Tagalog: [ˈɡloɾja ɾɔˈmɛɾɔ]), is a Filipino actress. With a career spanning 70 years, she has appeared in over 250 motion pictures and television productions. Often referred to as the "Queen of Philippine Cinema",[1][2] she is known for her sophisticated screen persona and restrained acting style.[3] Romero was the highest paid movie actress in the 1950s and was one of the top box-office draws for nearly two decades, making her one of the major stars of the first Golden Age of Philippine Cinema.

Romero began appearing as a background actor at age 16. After a series of minor film roles, she launched a career with a secondary role in Madame X (1952) and won her first FAMAS Award for Best Actress for playing a wacky tobacco-smoking maiden in Dalagang Ilocana (1954). She continued to gain success for her starring roles in romantic comedies, characters popularized in comic strips and remakes of pre-war musical films. Romero's other FAMAS-nominated leading roles were in Alaalang Banal (1958), Ikaw Ang Aking Buhay (1959) and Iginuhit ng Tadhana (1965).[4][5]

After parting ways with Sampaguita Pictures in mid-1960s, Romero continued playing lead and supporting roles of varying genres in the succeeding years and played darker, more morally ambiguous characters in Condemned (1984), Saan Nagtatago ang Pag-ibig? (1987), Nagbabagang Luha (1988) and Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit (1989), all of which earned her nominations for the FAMAS Award for Best Supporting Actress; she won for the romantic drama Nagbabagang Luha. During this period, she began appearing on numerous television productions through sitcoms and dramas. Romero received newfound attention and success in the 2000s for her roles in Tanging Yaman (2000), Bahay ni Lola (2001), Magnifico (2003), Beautiful Life (2004) and Fuchsia (2009), including Tarima (2010) and Rainbow's Sunset (2018), which were among her few film appearances through the 2010s.

Romero has been awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award by government agencies and major award-giving bodies, including the Luna Awards in 2002, FAMAS, Gawad Urian (both in 2004), the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) in 2009 and Film Development Council of the Philippines in 2024. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts have also presented her with the PAMAAS Gintong Bai in 2005 for her contributions to the preservation and development of Philippine arts and culture while the Philippine Postal Corporation have honored Romero with a commemorative stamp in 2022 for dedicating her life and talent to the Filipino people.

  1. ^ "Amalia Fuentes: Miss Number One". The Philippine Star. April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "As Glorious as Ever". The Philippine Star. January 13, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Gloria Romero, the Eternal Virgin". The Philippine Star. March 22, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  4. ^ "How it all began for Gloria". The Philippine Star. June 15, 2004. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  5. ^ "The ageless Gloria Romero". The Philippine Star. January 14, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2023.