Sunday, January 27, 2008

ROGELIO DELA ROSA

Rogelio dela Rosa BIOGRAPHY

Rogelio de la Rosa was born as Regidor de la Rosa on November 12, 1916 and died in November 10, 1986. He was one of the most popular Filipino matinee idols of the 20th century and was the first Filipino film actor who was elected to the Philippine Senate from 1957 to 1963.


He was born in Lubao, Pampanga, the son of an arnis champion. Together with the former Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal, his brother-in-law,(Macapagal's first wife, Purita, was de la Rosa's sister) he performed in sarzuelas.

As a teenager, he was cast by his uncle, a film director, in a starring role in the silent film Ligaw na Bulaklak opposite Rosa del Rosario. The film's director, Jose Nepumuceno, gave him the screen name "Rogelio de la Rosa". However, he opted to attend college at the Far Eastern University in Manila. He was an excellent collegiate athlete and debater in the years from 1932 to 1934. In 1933, de la Rosa won the Claro M. Recto Gold Medal in a national oratorical contest.


He resumed his acting career in the late 1930's where he gained stardom; being frequently cast in dramas as a romantic idol opposite such actresses as Rosa del Rosario

 Rosa del Rosario

Norma Blancaflor

Norma Blancaflor


Emma Alegre



Mila del Sol

Mila del Sol

Paraluman

Paraluman

and Carmen Rosales



who proved to be his most durable onscreen partner, and their "love team" is said to be among the most successful in the history of Philippine movies.

During the Japanese Occupation, he performed in bodabil at the Life Theater. After the war, he resumed his film career and became more popular. He also formed his owm film production company but still worked with LVN Pictures. He was the first Filipino actor to be cast in American produced movie, The Avenger. His 1955 role in Higit sa Lahat with Emma Alegre earned him the 'Best Actor' trophy at the 1956 FAMAS awards, as well as a citation as Southeast Asia's Best Actor at the Hongkong Film Festival.

In 1957 general elections, de la Rosa ran and won a seat in the Philippine Senate and served for six years.

De La Rosa decided to run for the presidency as an independent candidate.The other major candidate in the race was then-Vice President Macapagal of the Liberal Party, his former brother-in-law. Shortly before election day, de la Rosa withdrew from the election.

When he run for Senate again, he lost. He would never again be elected to public office.

De la Rosa remained in public service as an acclaimed diplomat. In 1965, he was appointed Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia, an important designation considering that country's proximity to the Philippines. During the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, de la Rosa was also named as Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands, and to the Soviet bloc countries of Poland, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. He was duly admired for his savvy in foreign affairs and language proficiency. He also used his position to promote Filipino art and culture and to assist Filipino artists performing abroad.

After retiring from the diplomatic corps, de la Rosa made his last foray into politics by unsuccessfully running in the 1984 Batasang Pambansa parliamentary elections. Shortly before his death from a heart attack in 1986, he played one last acting role, in a guest spot on the popular drama anthology Coney Reyes on Camera.

De la Rosa was married twice. His second wife, Carlotta Delgado was a former leading lady of his in films.

Source: Condensed from Wikipedia

For news articles about Rogelio dela Rosa go to CelebritiesCorner.

,,

No comments: