| Gerardo de León | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 12, 1913 |
| Died | July 25, 1981 (aged 67) |
| Occupation | Actor, film director |
| Years active | 1940 – 1975 |
Gerardo de León (September 12, 1913 – July 25, 1981) 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.[1]
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).
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Gerardo de León died on July 25, 1981, aged 67.