Anita Linda
Encyclopedia
Anita Linda is a two-time FAMAS award-winning and Gawad Urian
award-winning Filipino
film actress. A romantic lead in her youth, she later gained critical acclaim for her portrayals in maternal or elderly roles. At the age of 74, she became the oldest actress to ever win a FAMAS award, when she was named Best Supporting Actress for Ang Babae sa Bubungang Lata. In 2008, at age 83, she was named Best Actress in the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival
(Southeast Asia Film Competition) for her portrayal of the titular character in Adela.
, the daughter of a full-blooded American soldier/mining engineer father and Ilonggo mother.
Linda was discovered by renowned director Lamberto Avellana while watching a stage show at the Avenue Theater starring Leopoldo Salcedo
, Lopito, among others. Then a Visayan teenager that couldn't speak Tagalog
, she had second thoughts when she was asked backstage if she wanted to become an actress. Avellana
then told her to report for rehearsals for the next show and later had her fetched when she didn’t appear.
Linda first did High School with no dialogue, then Biyernes sa Quiapo with Jaime dela Rosa as her leading man, then Aksesorya with Leopoldo Salcedo onstage. Avellana later gave her the screen name Anita Linda and cast her in Tia Juana, her first film at LVN Pictures.. The film was completed shortly before the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, but released only in 1943. With the film studios being shut down for the duration of the war, Linda spent the war years performing on bodabil
at Avenue Theater in Manila. After the war in 1947, she was later offered a contract by Premiere Productions where she was casted by Avellana in Sekretang Hong Kong with Pugo and Togo. Her first lead role in Alyas Sakim with Pol Salcedo in 1947 directed by Moises Cagin.
In 1951, Linda portrayed the titular character in Gerardo de Leon
's Sisa, a film based on the tragic character in Jose Rizal
's novel Noli Me Tangere
. The role garnered her the Best Actress Maria Clara award (a pre-cursor of the FAMAS). De Leon then cast Linda in Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo (1952), a role for which Linda would be nominated for a FAMAS Best Actress Award.
in Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang
(1974), Isa Dalawa Tatlo (1974) and Jaguar
(1979). She would win the FAMAS Best Supporting Actress Award for Isa Dalawa Tatlo. Linda would also be nominated for the Gawad Urian
Best Supporting Actress Award for Jaguar, which was nominated for the Palme d'Or
at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival. In 1982 she was given the Natatanging Gawad Urian ng Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino.
Linda would appear in several leading films of the 1980s and 1990s, including Joey Gosiengfiao's Temptation Island (1980), Mike de Leon
's Sister Stella L. (1984), Chito Roño
's Itanong Mo sa Buwan and Brocka's Gumapang ka sa Lusak (1990). For her portrayal of an aging film actress in Mario O'Hara
’s Ang Babae sa Bubungang Lata (1998), Linda would receive a Star Award for Best Supporting Actress and her second FAMAS Best Supporting Actress Award. For this, she set a record as the oldest actress to ever win a FAMAS at age 74. In 1987, Linda also won a Gawad Urian Best Supporting Actress award for Takaw Tukso.
Linda remained active in the film industry as she reached her eighties, appearing in such films as Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita
(2004), You Are the One
(2006) and Ouija
(2007). In 2009, she returned to television, starring in the ABS-CBN drama Tayong Dalawa
as Kim Chiu
's ruthless Chinese grandmother Lily and in the upcoming ABS-CBN horror suspense primetime series Florinda (TV series)
. She likewise appeared in an installment of Sine Novela
Presents Tinik Sa Dibdib
aired on GMA-7. She guest appearance in May Bukas Pa
as Keanna Reeves
's angry grandmother Lola Armida.
Linda garnered widespread acclaim in 2008, she starred in the independent film, Adela (2008), directed by Adolfo Alix, Jr.
. For her performance essaying the loneliness of a woman celebrating her 80th birthday alone when her children failed to visit her, , she was cited as Best Actress in the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival (Southeast Asia Film Competition), as Best Actress by the Young Critics Circle, and as Best Actress (tied with Judy Ann Santos
at the Gawad Tanglaw Awards. New York Times film critic Stephen Holden
praised Linda's performance as "quietly transfixing". Recently, Anita Linda was given the ENPRESS Lino Brocka Lifetime Achievement Award.
Gawad Urian Awards
The Gawad Urian Awards are annual film awards in the Philippines held since 1977. It is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino and is currently regarded as the counterpart of the United States' New York Film Critics Circle....
award-winning Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
film actress. A romantic lead in her youth, she later gained critical acclaim for her portrayals in maternal or elderly roles. At the age of 74, she became the oldest actress to ever win a FAMAS award, when she was named Best Supporting Actress for Ang Babae sa Bubungang Lata. In 2008, at age 83, she was named Best Actress in the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival
Cinemanila International Film Festival
The Cinemanila International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by Filipino filmmaker Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz in 1999....
(Southeast Asia Film Competition) for her portrayal of the titular character in Adela.
Early career
Linda was born in Pasay CityPasay City
The City of Pasay is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila in the Philippines. It is bordered on the north by the country's capital, Manila, to the northeast by Makati City, to the east by Taguig City, and Parañaque City to the south.Pasay City was one of the original four...
, the daughter of a full-blooded American soldier/mining engineer father and Ilonggo mother.
Linda was discovered by renowned director Lamberto Avellana while watching a stage show at the Avenue Theater starring Leopoldo Salcedo
Leopoldo Salcedo
Leopoldo Salcedo was a two-time FAMAS award-winning Filipino film actor who specialized in portraying dramatic heroes. Dubbed as "The Great Profile" , he was said to be among the first kayumanggi or dark-skinned Filipino film stars, in contrast to the lighter-skinned mestizo actors of his...
, Lopito, among others. Then a Visayan teenager that couldn't speak Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
, she had second thoughts when she was asked backstage if she wanted to become an actress. Avellana
then told her to report for rehearsals for the next show and later had her fetched when she didn’t appear.
Linda first did High School with no dialogue, then Biyernes sa Quiapo with Jaime dela Rosa as her leading man, then Aksesorya with Leopoldo Salcedo onstage. Avellana later gave her the screen name Anita Linda and cast her in Tia Juana, her first film at LVN Pictures.. The film was completed shortly before the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, but released only in 1943. With the film studios being shut down for the duration of the war, Linda spent the war years performing on bodabil
Bodabil
Bodabil was a popular genre of entertainment in the Philippines from the 1910s until the mid-1960s. For decades, it competed with film, radio and television as the dominant form of Filipino mass entertainment. It peaked in popularity during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines from 1941 to 1945...
at Avenue Theater in Manila. After the war in 1947, she was later offered a contract by Premiere Productions where she was casted by Avellana in Sekretang Hong Kong with Pugo and Togo. Her first lead role in Alyas Sakim with Pol Salcedo in 1947 directed by Moises Cagin.
In 1951, Linda portrayed the titular character in Gerardo de Leon
Gerardo de León
Gerardo de León was a Filipino actor turned film director, who made his acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal....
's Sisa, a film based on the tragic character in Jose Rizal
José Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
's novel Noli Me Tangere
Noli Me Tangere (novel)
Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Filipino polymath José Rizal and first published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. Early English translations used titles like An Eagle Flight and The Social Cancer, but more recent translations have been published using the original Latin title.Though originally written in...
. The role garnered her the Best Actress Maria Clara award (a pre-cursor of the FAMAS). De Leon then cast Linda in Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo (1952), a role for which Linda would be nominated for a FAMAS Best Actress Award.
Later career
In the 1970s, Linda gained renewed critical acclaim in maternal roles she essayed for director Lino BrockaLino Brocka
Catalino Ortiz Brocka is known as one of the greatest film directors of the Philippines. Brocka was openly homosexual and many of his films incorporated LGBT themes into their often dramatic storylines....
in Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang
Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang
Weighed But Found Wanting is a 1974 Filipino drama film by Lino Brocka, starring Christopher De Leon, Hilda Koronel, Lolita Rodriguez and Eddie Garcia.-Plot:The story begins with a flashback of Kuala's past...
(1974), Isa Dalawa Tatlo (1974) and Jaguar
Jaguar (film)
Jaguar is a 1979 Filipino drama film directed by Lino Brocka. It was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Phillip Salvador - Poldo* Amy Austria - Cristy* Menggie Cobarrubias - Sonny* Anita Linda - Mother* Johnny Delgado - Direk...
(1979). She would win the FAMAS Best Supporting Actress Award for Isa Dalawa Tatlo. Linda would also be nominated for the Gawad Urian
Gawad Urian Awards
The Gawad Urian Awards are annual film awards in the Philippines held since 1977. It is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino and is currently regarded as the counterpart of the United States' New York Film Critics Circle....
Best Supporting Actress Award for Jaguar, which was nominated for the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival. In 1982 she was given the Natatanging Gawad Urian ng Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino.
Linda would appear in several leading films of the 1980s and 1990s, including Joey Gosiengfiao's Temptation Island (1980), Mike de Leon
Mike de Leon
Miguel Pamintuan de Leon is a noted Filipino film director, cinematographer, scripwriter and film producer. His is also known as Mike de Leon. He was born in Manila on May 24, 1947 to Manuel de Leon and Imelda Pamintuan...
's Sister Stella L. (1984), Chito Roño
Chito Roño
Chito Roño, also known as Sixto Kayko, is a Filipino multi-awarded TV and film director. He is the director of the blockbuster films Feng Shui and Sukob...
's Itanong Mo sa Buwan and Brocka's Gumapang ka sa Lusak (1990). For her portrayal of an aging film actress in Mario O'Hara
Mario O'Hara
Mario O'Hara is an award winning Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter known for his sense of realism often with dark but realistic social messages. He is of American descent....
’s Ang Babae sa Bubungang Lata (1998), Linda would receive a Star Award for Best Supporting Actress and her second FAMAS Best Supporting Actress Award. For this, she set a record as the oldest actress to ever win a FAMAS at age 74. In 1987, Linda also won a Gawad Urian Best Supporting Actress award for Takaw Tukso.
Linda remained active in the film industry as she reached her eighties, appearing in such films as Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita
Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita
Aishite Imasu 1941 is a drama, romance, and war movie released in Philippines in 2004 and is a story of love, betrayal and honor in wartime set in the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines during World War II...
(2004), You Are the One
You Are the One (film)
You Are The One is a 2006 Filipino romantic comedy film starring Sam Milby and Toni Gonzaga. The film was popular in the Philippines, and other countries with significant Filipino populations such as United States, Canada, Australia, Middle East, Italy, and Japan.-Plot:Cute and bubbly Sally...
(2006) and Ouija
Ouija (film)
Ouija is an award-winning 2007 Filipino horror-thriller film from director Topel Lee, his first feature length, from the screenplay by Aloy Adlawan...
(2007). In 2009, she returned to television, starring in the ABS-CBN drama Tayong Dalawa
Tayong Dalawa
Tayong Dalawa is a Philippine primetime drama series broadcast on ABS-CBN and worldwide on TFC in 2009. It premiered on April 6, 2010 in Malaysia on Astro Prima followed by August 31, 2010 in Singapore on Channel 5...
as Kim Chiu
Kim Chiu
Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu , better known as simply Kim Chiu, is a Chinese Filipino actress,singer and model. She lived in Cebu City before she went to Manila for Pinoy Big Brother...
's ruthless Chinese grandmother Lily and in the upcoming ABS-CBN horror suspense primetime series Florinda (TV series)
Florinda (TV series)
Florinda is a ABS-CBN weekly mini-series format adapted from the movie of the same title originally starred by Susan Roces in 1977. This is the third installment of Sineserye Presents: The Susan Roces Cinema Collection.-Film:...
. She likewise appeared in an installment of Sine Novela
Sine Novela
Sine Novela is a Philippine daytime soap opera aired on GMA Network which showcases old classic movies from VIVA Films turned into a mini-series...
Presents Tinik Sa Dibdib
Tinik Sa Dibdib
Tinik Sa Dibdib is a Philippine Drama and a Sine Novela offering produced by GMA Network starring Sunshine Dizon/Nadine Samonte, Marvin Agustin, Ara Mina and now with Sheryl Cruz. It is a TV remake of the hit drama flick in 1980's which starred Nora Aunor and Phillip Salvador...
aired on GMA-7. She guest appearance in May Bukas Pa
May Bukas Pa
May Bukas Pa is a Philippine drama series which started long-airing on February 2, 2009 at ABS-CBN. The show's run was extended multiple times until its end run on February 5, 2010.-Production:...
as Keanna Reeves
Keanna Reeves
Keanna Reeves is a Filipina actress who first gained national attention and notoriety in the Philippines for exposing a private escort girl service in December 2004, and confessing that lawmakers were among her clients.-Pinoy Big Brother:In 2005, she appeared on Extra Challenge, where she won the...
's angry grandmother Lola Armida.
Linda garnered widespread acclaim in 2008, she starred in the independent film, Adela (2008), directed by Adolfo Alix, Jr.
Adolfo Alix, Jr.
Adolfo Alix, Jr. or Adolf Alix is a Filipino screenwriter and film director.-Biography:Born October 17, 1978 in Makati City, Philippines....
. For her performance essaying the loneliness of a woman celebrating her 80th birthday alone when her children failed to visit her, , she was cited as Best Actress in the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival (Southeast Asia Film Competition), as Best Actress by the Young Critics Circle, and as Best Actress (tied with Judy Ann Santos
Judy Ann Santos
Judy Anne Lumagui Santos-Agoncillo , popularly known as Judy Ann Santos or Juday/Judai, is Philippines film and television actress, product endorser, recording artist, and film producer....
at the Gawad Tanglaw Awards. New York Times film critic Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden is an American writer, music critic, film critic, and poet.Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963...
praised Linda's performance as "quietly transfixing". Recently, Anita Linda was given the ENPRESS Lino Brocka Lifetime Achievement Award.