Jane De Leon

Jane Florence Benitez de Leon (born November 22, 1998) is a Filipino actress. She began her acting career after signing up with Star Magic in 2015. She initially played minor roles in films, made several appearances in drama anthologies and eventually landed supporting roles in Halik and Ang Probinsyano (2021). Her breakthrough came following her portrayal of the titular role in the series Mars Ravelo's Darna (2022). She has received an Ima Wa Ima Asian Film Festival Award, including nominations for a Metro Manila Film Festival Award and two PMPC Star Awards for Television.

Early life Jane Florence Benitez de Leon was born on November 22, 1998, in San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines, to Maricor Benitez-De Leon, a housewife, and Ruel Florencio de Leon, a businessman. She is the youngest in the family, with an older brother named Francis. While her family initially lived comfortably, they faced hardship when her father lost his job. This led De Leon to audition for various modeling and acting opportunities to support her family. She revealed in a one-on-one interview with columnist Ogie Diaz on his YouTube channel that she often snuck out at night with her mother to travel to Metro Manila for auditions, as her father strongly opposed her pursuing acting.

Career 2013–2017: Early works De Leon began her career by joining pageants and modeling competitions. She joined Teen Supermodel Philippines in 2013 and finished as a semi-finalist. The following year, De Leon signed with Glamoure Talent Agency Inc. and landed her first TV commercial for the brand Quake Overload. She was discovered by talent manager Tyrone Escalante, who convinced her to venture acting, and started doing acting workshops with Star Magic right after. In 2015, she began playing minor roles in films. Her first film appearance was an uncredited character in the romantic comedy Just The Way You Are. Later in 2015, she played a supporting role in the romantic drama Ex with Benefits. De Leon also auditioned to be part of the noontime show Eat Bulaga! and Simon Fuller's group Now United but lost to Maine Mendoza and Bailey May.

In 2016, she was launched as one of the members of the noontime show It's Showtime 's girl group GirlTrends alongside Loisa Andalio, Maris Racal, and Barbie Imperial. The same year, she made her TV debut in a Wansapanataym episode "Tikboyong", where she played the love interest of McCoy de Leon' s character. She also began appearing occasionally in the drama anthologies Maalaala Mo Kaya and Ipaglaban Mo!. In 2017, De Leon was cast in the action fantasy series La Luna Sangre as Lauren Catapang. The same year, she appeared in two film productions. She played major roles in the slasher film The Debutantes and the advocacy film Jose Bartolome: Guro.

2018–2022: Breakthrough

In 2018, De Leon played the feisty sister of Jericho Rosales' character in the drama series Halik. She also played a supporting role in Jose Javier Reyes' film Walwal. In 2019, she played a cameo role in the film The Heiress. After Liza Soberano backed out due to finger injury, De Leon was announced as the actress to play the title character in the film Darna in July 2019. Director Olivia Lamasan explained that De Leon earned the unanimous vote of ABS-CBN executives and Darna director Jerold Tarog. However, in August 2020, it was announced that the film project would be postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a Darna TV series, also starring De Leon, would be developed in its place.

While the project was indefinitely postponed, De Leon joined the cast of Ang Probinsyano in 2021 where she played the agent Natalia Mante. After seven months on the show, she made her exit and started preparing for her role as Darna. She started vigorous trainings and worked out to prepare for her fight scenes required for the role. She also had to practice modulating her voice for her character's signature yell. In August 2022, Darna finally premiered on television. Her performance was met with praises from critics and viewers. Ryan Oquiza of Rappler called her portrayal as "sincere and genuine". Chito S. Roño stated that he was impressed by De Leon's performance saying: "she has done very well."

2023–present: Recent projects De Leon starred in the comeback film of the longest-running horror franchise, Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme (2023) with Iza Calzado and Jane Oineza. It was released at an earlier date after not making it to the Metro Manila Film Festival. While the film received mixed reviews from the critics, her performance was praised. Writing for The Philippine Star, Januar Junior Aguja described De Leon as the highlight of the "Rage" episode, saying her character had "the most interesting character development". She is set to reunite with Janella Salvador in the upcoming film How to Be a Good Wife.

Other ventures Philanthropy In September 2019, De Leon was announced as the winner for the Belo Beauty Special Award at the annual ABS-CBN Ball. During the interview with ABS-CBN, she revealed that instead of taking the proceeds from the award, she decided to give it all to the beneficiary of the said Ball - the social welfare programme, Bantay Bata 163.

Filmography Film +Key Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television +Key Denotes shows that have not yet been aired + Year Title Role 2016 Wansapanataym: Tikboyong Sassy Maalaala Mo Kaya: Gitara Apple Maalaala Mo Kaya: Pantalan Sally Maalaala Mo Kaya: Karnabal Vilma 2016–2018; 2023–presentIt's Showtime GirlTrends member / Co-host / Guest / Performer 2017Maalaala Mo Kaya: Tahanan Angelique Maalaala Mo Kaya: TubuhanDoreen Maalaala Mo Kaya: Diploma Young Marlene La Luna SangreLauren Catapang 2018 Maalaala Mo Kaya: Portrait Cesar's Daughter Ipaglaban Mo: Bayad Kate Dollente 2018–2019 HalikMargarita "Maggie" Bartolome 2019 Ipaglaban Mo: Dignity Tere 2020Maalaala Mo Kaya: Medal Nesthy Petecio Maalaala Mo Kaya: Stethoscope Dr. Lerma Bhelle Iglesia Maalaala Mo Kaya: Bracelet 2021 FPJ's Ang Probinsyano P/Cpt. Natalia "Lia" Mante 2022–2023 Mars Ravelo's Darna Narda Custodio / Darna 2025 IncognitoSylvia Escalera-Jayin / Heart Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab EditionHouseguest

Music video appearances Year Title Artist 2016 "Mahal Mo Pa Rin Ako" Ace 2023"Day and Night"Alamat 2024"Hey You"Janella Salvador

Accolades

Since starting her acting career in the mid-2010s, De Leon has received recognition from various award-giving bodies in the Philippines. She won the Ima Wa Ima Asian Film Festival for Best Actress for her performance in the horror film Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme in Japan. She received two nominations for Star Award for Best Single Performance by an Actress for her roles in the drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya in the episodes Medal and Doctor Hero (both in 2020). For her performance in the found footage horror film Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital, she was nominated for the Metro Manila Film Festival for Best Actress.