Judy Ann Santos

Judy Anne Lumagui Santos (born May 11, 1978), also nicknamed Juday, She has two older siblings: Jeffrey and Jacqueline. In 1986, her parents separated and the children lived with their mother.

At the age of eight, Santos began her professional acting career when she made her debut by portraying a minor role in the television series Kaming Mga Ulila (1986). She then unsuccessfully auditioned for the lead role in the soap opera Anna Luna (1989). She later appeared in several supporting roles in films, including Impaktita (1989), Regal Shocker: The Movie (1989), and Dyesebel (1990).

Career 1986–2003: Early work and breakthrough Santos began her career performing as a child on film and television. Her first screen appearance was in a supporting role in the drama series Kaming Mga Ulila (1986) and she made her film debut with a minor role in Sana Mahalin Mo Rin Ako (1988), appearing alongside Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III. At age ten, Santos had her first leading role as the eponymous character in the children's television series Ula, Ang Batang Gubat (1988).

Santos's breakthrough came when she starred opposite Gladys Reyes in Mara Clara (1992), a show that aired until 1997, and is one of the longest-running Filipino television series. Santos reprised her role in the 1996 film adaptation and won the German Moreno Youth Achievement Award and Best New Movie Actress at the FAMAS Awards for her performance. That year, she starred in the teen series Gimik (1996) as part of an ensemble cast that included Marvin Agustin, Mylene Dizon, Diether Ocampo, and G. Toengi. After being typecast for previously playing impoverished roles, Santos struggled portraying the role of a socialite in the show. The show was later adapted as a film and earned Santos a nomination for Best Actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival. In 1999, Santos starred in the Judy Ann Drama Special, an installment of ABS-CBN anthology series Star Drama Presents. She was the youngest actress featured in the television franchise. Next, she was cast opposite Fernando Poe Jr. in Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko... (1999), which became the first Filipino film to gross over million (million).

In 2000, Santos was cast alongside Leandro Muñoz and Piolo Pascual in the romantic drama Kahit Isang Saglit (2000). Pascual was in three releases with Santos from 2001 to 2003. In the first, she played the wife of Pascual's character in the television drama series Sa Puso Ko, Iingatan Ka (2001). Santos trained in boxing for her role in the Boots Plata-directed romantic comedy Bakit 'Di Totohanin (2001). She then starred in Joyce Bernals comedy Till There Was You (2003) as a woman hired by a single father to pose as his wife. That same year, she appeared in the police procedural series Basta't Kasama Kita opposite Robin Padilla as a lawyer who gives up on her career to enlist as a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent, which she found a "welcome change" from soap operas.

2004–2007: Transition into adult roles and critical success

Joel Lamangan cast Santos as a woman with dissociative identity disorder in the psychological drama Sabel (2004), The film required her to perform explicit sex scenes with co-stars Wendell Ramos and Sunshine Dizon. Santos's performance garnered critical acclaim; The Philippine Star described her portrayal as "multi-layered" and "one of the most complex female characters ever created for a Philippine film". Johven Velasco from The Manila Times praised Santos for challenging traditional gender roles of women and called the film the "turning point of her career". She won Best Actress at the Gawad Urian and Golden Screen Awards for the film. Santos next starred as the title character in the superhero series Krystala (2004). She considered the role to be a "childhood dream fulfilled", and trained in wushu and Muay Thai to prepare. Santos earned a Star Award for Best Actress for the series. Santos and Lamangan reunited in the period drama Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita playing a widow who becomes a guerilla leader. Reviews of the film were mixed: Gibbs Cadiz from the Philippine Daily Inquirer criticized its "narrative incoherence and shockingly flippant grasp of history", but Rina Jimenez-David commended Santos for leaving her comfort zone with her role in Sabel. Rito Asilo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer lauded Santos's growth in acting versatility and comedy, She returned to television in the drama series Sa Piling Mo. Santos's final release, Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo, ranks among the most acclaimed of her career. Critic Nestor Torre Jr. wrote that Santos gave a "gutsy and felt performance", The film became her biggest commercial success to date, earning million (million) at the box office. Santos was awarded the FAMAS, Golden Screen, Luna, Metro Manila Film Festival, and Star Award for Best Actress.

To prepare for her role as a vindictive chef in Ysabella (2007), Santos said working on the show helped "hone her skills in these two fields" and proved that she "can also do something aside from acting". The film was met with mixed reviews; Philip Cu-Unjieng of The Philippine Star wrote, "There is nothing earth-shaking in the treatment of the material or the performances he [Lee] elicits from the ensemble." Jocelyn Dimaculangan, however, noted Santos's "restrained performance". while Asilo stated that it "meanders into a list of issues that eventually clutter up its exposition and focus". Despite poor critical reception, the film grossed million (million) at the box office.

2008–2013: Established actress Santos co-produced and starred in the independent drama Ploning (2008), which was the Philippine submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards. Jimenez-David wrote that her performance showed "maturity and ripeness, a depth of character that hints at a life lived fully and well", and described the film as "moving, dazzling, and yet intimate and comforting". Santos said she considered taking the part as a "start of a new chapter" in her career. The film was screened at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in the United States. Santos's next role in 2008 was in Jun Lanas psychological horror thriller Mag-ingat Ka Sa... Kulam as a woman who questions her own sanity after a car accident leaves her with amnesia. Critic Karen Caliwara commended Santos's "versatility" and considered her to be the film's prime asset. In 2009, Santos worked with Agoncillo and Javier Reyes for the third time in the sitcom George and Cecil, Her only film appearance that year was in OMG (Oh, My Girl!).

Santos starred as nurse Jane Alcantara in Habang May Buhay, which premiered in February 2010. She next appeared in the comedy Hating Kapatid. In 2011, Santos served as a presenter in the reality television series Junior MasterChef Pinoy Edition. That same year, she starred in My House Husband: Ikaw Na!.

In 2012, Santos collaborated with Javier Reyes in Mga Mumunting Lihim with Iza Calzado, Janice de Belen, and Agot Isidro. She summarized her experience doing the film as "very liberating": "Making an indie film gives you some sort of freedom... you can just let it all out... all of a sudden you have the permission to do anything you want." Santos then returned as a presenter on the first season of MasterChef Pinoy Edition, which premiered in November 2012. The following month, she co-starred with Vic Sotto and Bong Revilla Jr. in Si Agimat, si Enteng Kabisote at si Ako. Santos began 2013 with the drama series Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala playing an abused wife seeking revenge. In October 2013, Santos hosted Bet on Your Baby, based on the original American show of the same name.

2014–present: Independent films and comedies

In 2014, Santos was cast in the supernatural horror T'yanak, an abridged retelling of Lore Reyes and Peque Gallagas 1988 film of the same name, in which she played an adoptive mother to a demonic infant. An admirer of the directors' work, she considered the film "a dream come true". Production of the film was completed in eight days and it premiered at the Sineng Pambansa Horror Plus Film Festival. Gallaga said, "Every time she went before the camera, she surprised me. I am amazed by her ability to easily cry." That year, she returned to television as a presenter in I Do.

Santos did not make any screen appearances in 2015, but returned in Kusina, an independent film directed by David Corpuz and Cenon Palomares in 2016. It was adapted from Palomares's Palanca Award-winning script, and premiered at the 12th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. Two years later, Santos starred in Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes (2018), which grossed million (million) at the box office.

The novelty of playing a villainous part drew Santos to play Teresa Dichaves in Starla (2019). Despite her character's actions, Santos played the part to make Teresa seem "sympathetic" and "selfless". The series aired from October 7, 2019, to January 10, 2020. Although the response to the film was mixed, critics were highly appreciative of Santos's performance; the Screen International wrote, "This is not a film which leaves any emotional button unpushed... [but] throughout all this, Santos retains grace and dignity with a performance which is a class apart from the rest of the picture." SunStar Davao felt that the film lacked "depth and cultural nuance" and criticized Mendoza's misrepresentation and unfamiliarity of the region's ethnic groups. In contrast, Jessica Kiang from Variety highlighted Santos's "de-glammed, gently anguished, remarkably sympathetic performance", and called the film "well acted but clumsy". Mindanao was submitted for consideration at the 91st Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. The role won Santos the Best Actress award from the Cairo International Film Festival, Metro Manila Film Festival, and Luna Awards. In 2020, Santos hosted Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan.

Santos will collaborate with Erik Matti on two projects. These will be a biopic of Regal Entertainment founder Lily Monteverde, and a remake of the French comedy series Call My Agent!, which co-stars Edu Manzano, Gina Alajar, and RK Bagatsing. She will feature alongside Sam Milby in Rayhan Carlos's horror film The Diary of Mrs. Winters, about a trauma cleaner who is troubled by unexplained events after finding a suicide victim's diary. Santos is also attached to star as a fictional Philippine President who is the target of an assassination plot in the upcoming eight-part crime thriller miniseries The Bagman.

Reception and acting style

Santos has been regarded as one of the most talented and accomplished Filipino actresses of her generation. Having appeared in more than 50 films and numerous television series since her career began as a child actress, a journalist from The Philippine Star believes that Santos "can lay claim to one of the most successful entertainment careers in local tinsel town". She is noted for playing in a range of material, including indie films, and Brillante Mendoza, who directed Santos in Mindanao, praised her versatility. The stardom she achieved in the early 1990s intensified her image as a teen idol, from which she sought to dissociate herself. often asking directors how they want her to specifically cry. "Making people laugh is a special skill that requires an idiosyncratic combination of innate talent and time-honed experience", he says, "but [Santos's] spot-on characterization and lived-in earnestness manage to see her through". Dennis Trillo, her co-star in Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita and Mag-ingat Ka Sa... Kulam, considers Santos to be "the picture of excellence in the profession", and Iza Calzado, with whom she worked with in Ouija and Mga Mumunting Lihim, believes that she is a "naturally gifted" actress and her "eyes alone express emotions". Javier Reyes said that "he is in a league all her own. They don't make actresses like her anymore. Give her a phonebook to read and she will deliver an award-worthy, original performance."

Since her childhood, Santos has considered Julie Vega a role model and inspiration. When asked about the impact of Vega's sudden death in 1985, she said it devastated her. She cited Sharon Cuneta, Vilma Santos and Nora Aunor as her influences, and also admires the generosity of Dolphy and Fernando Poe Jr.

Other ventures Santos has established a career as a chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. In the early 2000s, she became involved in the restaurant business and purchased Kaffe Kilimanjaro and Kaffe Carabana in Diliman, Quezon City, both of which eventually closed.

Santos's first book, Judy Ann's Kitchen, was published in August 2015 as a collaboration with Anvil Publishing and National Book Store. Santos's passion for cooking comes from her experience as a child actress being around caterers The following year, Santos launched a namesake cooking show on YouTube.

Santos co-owns AngryDobo, a Filipino restaurant in Malate, Manila, that opened in May 2019. A second location opened in Alabang, Muntinlupa, a year later. The restaurant and signature dish's name is a portmanteau of "angry adobo", which originated from an argument between Santos and her husband Ryan Agoncillo.

Personal life and public image Santos is married to Ryan Agoncillo. They married in a private ceremony held in San Juan, Batangas, on April 28, 2009, and currently reside in Alabang, Muntinlupa. The couple have three children: Johanna Louise, Juan Luis, and Juana Luisa.

In 2006, Santos received a star on the Philippines Walk of Fame. She was named Yes! magazine's Most Beautiful Star in 2007 and has been included in the annual beauty list in 2008, 2009, and 2018. In October 2008, Yes! ranked her sixth on the magazine's top celebrity endorsers list.

Acting credits and awards

Santos's films that have earned the most at the box office, as of 2022, include:

Muling Ibalik Ang Tamis Ng Pag-ibig (1998) Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko... (1999) Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo (2006) Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes (2018) Bida Ng Buhay Ko (2001) Musika Ng Buhay Ko (2007)