Gerardo de León
Encyclopedia
Gerardo de León was a Filipino
actor turned film director, who made his acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal.
De León, who was born as Gerardo Ilagan, was a member of the Ilagan clan of Philippine motion pictures, which includes Robert Arevalo, Liberty Ilagan and Ronaldo Valdez, and musical scorer Tito Arévalo
. De León was a medical doctor by profession, but his ultimate love for film has won him over. He made eight more films as an actor before he became a director. He made his directorial debut in 1939's Bahay-Kubo, starring Fely Vallejo (who he later married). One of his unfinished projects was in the late Fernando Poe, Jr.
's Juan de la Cruz
in 1972.
Nicknamed "Manong", de León holds the sole distinction of being the most awarded film director in the history of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences' FAMAS Awards, the Philippines' Oscars. From 1952 to 1971, he was awarded seven FAMAS Awards, three of them he received three years in a row. His 1961 film The Moises Padilla Story
was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 32nd Academy Awards
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
All of the films in which he won for Best Director also won for Best Picture at the FAMAS: Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo (1952), Hanggang sa Dulo ng Daigdig (1958), Huwag Mo Akong Limutin (1960), Noli Me Tangere (1961, adaptation of the novel Noli Me Tangere
), El Filibusterismo (1962), Daigdig ng mga Api (1965), Lilet (1971).
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...
actor turned film director, who made his acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal.
De León, who was born as Gerardo Ilagan, was a member of the Ilagan clan of Philippine motion pictures, which includes Robert Arevalo, Liberty Ilagan and Ronaldo Valdez, and musical scorer Tito Arévalo
Tito Arévalo
Tito Arévalo born Eustaquio Ylagan was a Filipino actor and musician.-Personal life:He was grew up in Tondo, Manila. He was married to Guadalupe Francisco Ylagan, a woman who hails from Manila and they are the parents of Cora Ylagan Evangelista and actor Robert Arevalo and he is the uncle of...
. De León was a medical doctor by profession, but his ultimate love for film has won him over. He made eight more films as an actor before he became a director. He made his directorial debut in 1939's Bahay-Kubo, starring Fely Vallejo (who he later married). One of his unfinished projects was in the late Fernando Poe, Jr.
Fernando Poe, Jr.
Ronald Allan Poe y Kelley , better known as Fernando Poe, Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ and Da King, was a Filipino actor and cultural icon. From the 1950s, Poe played steadfast film heroes who fight for the common man, which won him respect and admiration...
's Juan de la Cruz
Juan de la Cruz
Juan dela Cruz is the national personification used in the Philippines to represent the "Filipino". The name, Spanish for "John of the Cross", is roughly the equivalent of the American Uncle Sam and John Doe. Juan dela Cruz is usually depicted wearing the native Salakot hat, Barong Tagalog, long...
in 1972.
Nicknamed "Manong", de León holds the sole distinction of being the most awarded film director in the history of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences' FAMAS Awards, the Philippines' Oscars. From 1952 to 1971, he was awarded seven FAMAS Awards, three of them he received three years in a row. His 1961 film The Moises Padilla Story
The Moises Padilla Story
The Moises Padilla Story is a 1961 Philippine drama film directed by Gerardo de León. The film was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 34th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee...
was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 32nd Academy Awards
32nd Academy Awards
The 32nd Academy Awards honored film achievements of 1959 on 4 April 1960.MGM's and director William Wyler's three and a half-hour long epic drama Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars in 1959, breaking the previous year's all-time record of nine...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
All of the films in which he won for Best Director also won for Best Picture at the FAMAS: Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo (1952), Hanggang sa Dulo ng Daigdig (1958), Huwag Mo Akong Limutin (1960), Noli Me Tangere (1961, adaptation of the 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...
), El Filibusterismo (1962), Daigdig ng mga Api (1965), Lilet (1971).
Selected filmography
- Estrellita (1940)
- Maestra, Ang (1941)
- Mameng, iniibig kita (1947)
- Sisa (1951)
- Diego Silang (1951)
- Bagong umaga (1952)
- Python at the Old Dome (Sawa sa lumang simboryo) (1952)
- Pedro Penduko (1954)
- Ifuago (1954)
- Sanda Wong (1955)
- Bakya mo Neneng (1957)
- Hanggang sa dulo ng daigdig (1958)
- Terror Is a ManTerror Is a ManTerror Is a Man is a 1959 Philippine / American film directed by Gerardo de Leon.The film is also known as Blood Creature .- Cast :*Francis Lederer as Dr...
(1959) - Huwag mo akong limutin (1960)
- Touch Me NotTouch me notTouch me not is a common name for two unrelated groups of plants:*Several species in the genus Impatiens *Mimosa pudica...
(Noli me tangere) (1960) - Moises Padilla Story (1961)
- Noli me tangere (1961)
- El Filibusterismo (1962)
- I Am Justice (Ako ang katarungan) (1962)
- The Walls of Hell (Intramuros) (1964)
- Ang Daigdig ng mga api (1965)
- The Blood Drinkers (Kulay dugo ang gabi) (1966)
- Mad Doctor of Blood Island (with Eddie RomeroEddie RomeroEddie Romero is an acclaimed and influential Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter, considered one of the finest in the Cinema of the Philippines.Romero was named National Artist of the Philippines in 2003....
, 1968) - Brides of Blood (1968)
- Lilet (1971)
- Curse of the Vampires (Dugo ng vampira) (1971)
- Women in CagesWomen in CagesWomen in Cages is a 1971 film in the women in prison sexploitation sub-genre, co-produced by Roger Corman and directed by Gerardo de León. It was prominently featured in the Planet Terror portion of the 2007 film Grindhouse....
(1971) - Fe, Esperanza, Caridad (1975)
- Banaue (1975)