FIRST FIL-AM – Darren Criss is the first Filipino-American to win a Golden Globe, best actor for a miniseries, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.”
Criss dedicated his victory to his Cebuana mother.
This is a good time to “revisit” other Fil-Am actors.
AMBOY – Gerald Anderson, short for American Boy. So are Sam Milby, Matt Evans.
AMGIRL – Megan Young sister Lauren, Melissa Ricks, Jillian Ward.
Also called Tisoy and Tisay. For one reason or other, only those with American blood are called as such. From way back they are (were) all over the movies. Think Rose Stagner (Rosa del Rosario), Carmen Rosales (Januaria Keller), Gloria Romero (Gloria Borego Galla), Nida Blanca (Dorothy Jones). Movie queens all.
Divina Valencia (Connie Fuller), Liza Lorena (Elizabeth Winsett), Marissa Delgado (Epifania Boyle), Corazon Rivas (Sweet Williams), Rosa Rosal (Florence Dannon), Elvira Reyes (Gloria Madison), Delia Razon (Lucy May Grytz), Lilia Dizon (Caroline Strauss), Anita Linda (Alice Lake), Josephine Estrada Brown, Lolita Rodriguez (Lolita Clark), Hilda Koronel (Susan Reid), Karla Estrada (Karla Ford).
Ronaldo Valdez (Ronald Gibbs), Dante Rivero (Louie Mayer), Roger Calvin, Ric Rodrigo (Albert Bregendahl), Eric Quizon (Enrico Smith Quizon), James Reid, Alden Richards.
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MORE AND MORE – Come to think of it, FPJ is Ronald Allan Kelley Poe offcam, his mother was an American, Bessie Kelley.
The mother of Liberty Ilagan was American. Also Liza Soberano, Sunshine Cruz, the late Norma Vales and Liza Moreno.
Erlinda Cortez (Mary Boobe), Myrna Delgado (BittyHill), Vilma Valcera (Vilma Johnson), Johnny Monteiro (John Montgomery), Richard Gomez, John Rendez.
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DEPARTED – Just learned from Ricky Lo of Star that the dearly departed Donna Villa was half-American, born Marian Patalinjug Nixon. Her father was Robert Nixon, said to be related to President Richard Nixon, Mother was Rosalita Patalinjug, from a prominent family in Cebu.
Ricky and friend Raoul Tidalgo traveled to Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City to visit the grave of Donna. They were accompanied Donna’s husband, the legendary novelist Carlo J. Caparas, who stays mostly in Cebu. He wants to be near Donna, and even carries part of her ashes, kept in a little jar.
The almost 30 years they were married, Carlo and Donna remained together all the time.