Gloria Romero is a Filipino actress whose career has spanned more than 60 years. Her real name is Gloria Galla and she was born in December of 1933. She is well regarded as the Queen of Phillipine movies and holds two important FAMAS awards. She was the only actress in Philippine movie history to win the FAMAS Best Actress award for a comedy role and she was the oldest person to win the FAMAS Best Actress award. She received this prestigious award when she was 67 years old. Let’s learn more about this talented actress and her impressive career.
Gloria was born to a Filipino father Pedro Galla and an American mother Mary Borrego. She attended school in Mabin, Pangasinan. As it turns out her brother Tito Galla is also an actor.
Gloria met and eventually married another actor named Juancho Gutierrez while working together on a movie. They had one child together named Maritess.
Gloria’s introduction to show business began through her uncle Nario Rosales. He was the Chief Editor of Sampaguita Studios and got her cast as an extra in Sampaguita Pictures.
She then obtained the role of a daughter of the real life couple of Cesar Ramirez and Alicia Vergel in the movie Madame X which premiered in 1952. At this time she took her stage name of Gloria Romero.
She got her first lead role in the movie Monghita (1952) opposite Oscar Moreno. Gloria received her first major acting award from the Filipino Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) in 1954 as Best Actress in the movie Dalagang Ilocana.
Her career progressed in many ways over the coming years. In the year 2000 she starred in the movie Tanging Yaman as a matriarch who suffers from Alzheimers disease. This film won her a grand slam best actress award from FAMAS.
In addition to many roles in movies, Gloria also appeared on TV. She was cast in the TV sitcom Palibhasa Lalaki as Tita Minerva. She also appeared in other sitcoms such as Richard Loves Lucy and Ok Fine! Whatever in the role Lola Barbie. Other shows included Sa dulo ng walang Hanggan, Familia Zaragoza, and Sanay wal nang Wakas.
In 2008, Gloria was cast with Eddie Garcia in one episode for the show Maalaala Mo Kaya. She also appeared on the primetime drama series May Bukas Pa where she played the role of Aling Soldad. She guest stared in the show’s 30th chapter entitled Greed.
In December of 2008, a show was broadcast in tribute to Gloria’s 75th birthday. Other guests included Dolphy, Susan Roces, German Moreno, Roderick Paulate, Gina Pareno, Christopher De Leon, Lorna Tolentino, Tirso Cruz III, Ricky Davao, Cherry Pie Picache, and Pepito Rodriguez.
Gloria had been involved with the ABS-CBN network for over 15 years. In February of 2011, she transferred to the GMA Network. She will star in her first drama on GMA. But she will continue to appear on the upcoming kid oriented show entitled 100 Days to Heaven on the ABS-CBN network.
Gloria has had a very rich and full career and shows no sign of letting up anytime soon. She is certainly someone interesting to see what’s coming up next with her.