Maria Isabel Lopez

Maria Isabel Pagunsan Lopez—Melrod is a Filipino actress and beauty pageant titleholder. Lopez won the Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1982 and represented the Philippines in the 31st Miss Universe Pageant in Lima, Peru.

She became known as the first beauty queen and actress appearing in Sex in film. Lopez was married to Hiroshi Yokohama, and then later married Jonathan Melrod in the United States. She is a mosaic artist and has appeared in various roles in Philippine cinema and television.

Pageantry Lopez was born in Cagayan de Oro to Benjamin Lopez and Crescencia Pagunsan. She was baptized at the Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral. She had three immediate siblings and was later raised in Sampaloc, Manila by a single mother due to her father having a mistress and extramarital children.

Before joining beauty pageants, she worked as a fashion designer at The SM Store and Rustan's department store. She also modeled for various fashion salons, including that of LGBT fashion designer, Mr. Rodolfo Fuentes (1950–2011), who encouraged her to join Binibining Pilipinas. In 1982 (aged 24), she joined the pageant as candidate number #15 and won the Binibining Pilipinas Universe title.

She was almost dethroned of her title because of the eventual discovery of her previous work as a lingerie sexy model in a Girard Peter fashion show by the clothes designer Mr. Gerardo Reyes, which accordingly violated an immorality clause set by pageant director Stella Araneta. Lopez maintains that she was pressured to resign, but she refused to do so, citing the assistance of her personal manager and Viva Films to counteract dethronement.

During her national competition, Lopez gained notoriety when she was asked (mistakenly) about virginity by Philippine judge and actress Margarita “Rita” Gomez (1935–1990). In actuality, the question was given for Janet Sales of Manila and was falsely spread in association with Lopez. During her national competition, she was asked by American drummer Alphonse Mouzon regarding the independence of women. At her coronation night, her name was initially mispronounced as Maricar Isabel Lopez, later corrected.

Film work Lopez became controversial when she appeared in highly sexualized roles in movies, which was not usually expected of a beauty queen titleholder. Her first movie Sana, Bukas Pa ang Kahapon (English: "Hoping Yesterday is still Tomorrow") in 1983, starred Hilda Koronel, Lorna Tolentino, Dindo Fernando, and Jay Ilagan, and was directed by Romy Suzara. She was in the original cast of Working Girls (1984), a comedy film directed by National Artist Ishmael Bernal, where she starred as a young office worker who entered sex work at night to gain more income. In 1988, Lopez was hired as a commercial sexy model for White Castle Whiskey.

During the height of her popularity, Lopez appeared in more sexual and romantic movies, including the following:

Silip: Daughters of Eve — by Elwood Perez (1985) Isla (English: "Island") — by Celso Ad Castillo (1985) Hubo sa Dilim — (English: “Naked in the Dark”) (1985) Mga Nakaw Na Sandali — (English: “Stolen Moments”) (1986) Dingding Lang ang Pagitan — (English: “Only Thin Walls in Between”) (1986)

She won the Golden Screen Award Best Supporting Actress Award for Kinatay (English: “Butchered”) (2009). Lopez walked the red carpet at the Cannes International Film Festival in France for Brilliante Mendoza's award-winning film, Kinatay (2009). Lopez again walked the red carpet at the Cannes International Film Festival in France for Brilliante Mendoza's award-winning film, Ma'Rosa (2016).

Lopez was the line producer for Tulak (2009), and HIV: Si Heidi, Si Ivy at Si V (2010). She was cast again in the 2010 remake of Working Girls, produced by GMA Films under the helm of Jose Javier Reyes. Lopez was one of the castaways in GMA Network's Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Showdown (2011–2012), in tandem with her daughter, Mara Lopez, who was also an actress. She played the mother of Sid Lucero in GMA-7's prime time series, Legacy (2012).

Controversies In 2009, Lopez became the center of controversy when she was not given a complimentary ticket for the Binibining Pilipinas 2009 pageant, an oversight she strongly resented in public. During this year, the 18th Miss Universe gave her a pageant entrance ticket, though she was not designated to sit in the reservation box allotted to former beauty titleholders.

In 2010, Lopez became involved in a conflict with various Philippine journalists, including Ricky Lo, who implied in tabloid newspapers that Lopez strongly desired the passing of Stella Araneta. Lopez vehemently denied the allegation, but maintained the accusation that Araneta is an elitist who refuses to address people of impoverished backgrounds due to her grandiose ego. Lopez maintains that Araneta has never forgiven her for making sexualized films after her reign as Miss Philippines 1982.

In 2016, Lopez gained notoriety for a green pageant gown she wore in the 2015 Cannes Film Festival because she compared her evening gown to the one used by the 64th Miss Universe.

In January 2017, Lopez revealed on the morning show Unang Hirit the strong discrimination against dark-skinned contestants during her time as a beauty queen. She noted that during the Miss Universe 1982 visit at the Presidential Palace in Peru, the former first lady Pilar Nores de García was dismissive of the dark-skinned contestants, namely Miss Papua New Guinea and Miss Turks and Caicos.

In November 2017, Lopez was penalized for removing traffic cones and illegally driving on the lane reserved for the delegates of the 31st ASEAN Summit that was hosted in the Philippines. She posted her actions on Facebook livestream, which prompted the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to recommend to the Land Transportation Office to suspend or cancel her driver's license. Lopez later claimed that seeing other vehicles using the ASEAN lane prompted her to drive on it as well. The office later revoked her license and barred her from reapplying and reacquiring her license for the next two years. She was also fined ₱8,000 (US$160) for ignoring traffic signs, reckless driving, and violating the Anti-Distracted Driving Act. Lopez accepted the civil charges and issued a public apology amidst widespread demand.

Personal life Lopez first married Hiroshi Yokohama, a former DHL executive, in 1990. The couple wed and lived in Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan, then later moved to the Philippines. They separated in 2006 due to claims of abuse and infidelity, which later resulted in a marital annulment formalized in 2010. They have two children, Mara Lopez, an actress, and Kenyo Yokohama, a civil engineering graduate of Saint John the Baptist de la Salle University. On 9 June 2019, Lopez married a Jewish—American former human rights lawyer, Jonathan Melrod, and now residing in Sebastopol, California.

Lopez studied at the Holy Trinity Catholic school in Sampaloc, Manila and later studied Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman. She is a member of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. She served as Secretary of the Committee on Visual Arts from 2011 to 2013. Lopez also completed art classes in the Chicago Mosaic School and the Institute of Mosaic Art in Berkeley, California. In 2015, she toured UNESCO Italian mosaics in Ravenna, Italy as part of her interest in mosaics.

Selected filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1983 Dugong Buhay Sana, Bukas Pa ang Kahapon Candy 1984 Isla Isla Working Girls Rose Batuigas II: Pasukuin si Waway 1985 Hubo sa Dilim Heartache City Joji Hello Lover, Goodbye Friend Escort Girls 1986 Bakit Naglaho ang Magdamag Kapirasong Dangal Dingding ang Pagitan Mga Nakaw na Sandali Huwag Pamarisan: Kulasisi Unang Gabi Hayok Silip Tonya 1987 When Good Girls Go Wrong 1988 Red Roses for a Call Girl 1989 Sa Kuko Ng Agila Shirley Boots Oyson: Sa Katawan Mo, Aagos ang Dugo 1999 Sindak Balikbayan 2002 Super B Nanay Mameng 2008 Ay Ayeng 2009 Fidel Minda Kinatay Madonna/Gina Hilot Tulak 2010 Pilantik Working Girls Ways of the Sea Original title: Halaw Ang Babae sa Sementeryo Barbara Ika-Sampu HIV: Si Heidi, si Ivy at si V Heidi Also line producer 2011 Cuchera Sirip Ritwal (The Faith Fools) Madam Celia 2012 Captive Marianne Agudo Pineda Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang Herminia Mariposa: Sa Hawla ng Gabi 2013 Angustia The Search for Weng Weng Ang Misis ni Meyor 2014 Kabaro Flying Kiss Maria Leonora Teresa Linda Tres "Tata Selo" segment Lorna 2015 The Comeback 2016 Just the 3 of Us Lulu Manalo Ma' Rosa Tilde Pamilya Ordinaryo Cess Barcelona: A Love Untold Belinda Alfaro Siphayo Fely 2019 Lola Igna Nida 2024 Diamonds in the Sand Minerva

Television Year Title Role 1998 Halik sa Apoy Marta 2004 Spirits Queen of the Engkanto 2007 Magpakailanman: The Liza Dela Cruz Story unknown 2009 Lovers In Paris Julia Francisco-Gatus Maalaala Mo Kaya: Videoke Letty Parekoy Mother Dear Maalaala Mo Kaya: Kalendaryo Lucing 2010 Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Alyna Fausta Del Carmen Star Confessions: Tisay - The Lala Montelibano Confession Lydia Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Love Me Again Sonia Barrera Maalaala Mo Kaya: Saranggola Luzviminda 2011 Maalaala Mo Kaya: Tungkod Linda Maalaala Mo Kaya: Bracelet Bebeng 2012 Magdalena: Anghel sa Putikan Julia "Huling" Hermoso Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo Sonia Pedroso Maalaala Mo Kaya: Gong Apeng Sukay Legacy Lala Salcedo Kapitan Awesome Samantha Hussein 2013 Bayan Ko Sylvia Rubio 2014 Ang Lihim ni Annasandra Rosario Ipaglaban Mo: Paano Na Ang Pangarap? Aling Mila The Legal Wife Sandra De Villa 2015 Pangako sa 'Yo Isabel Miranda Bridges of Love Veronica Karelasyon Belinda Imbestigador: Hinalay sa loob ng bahay (Gupit Panty) Janet Buenavista 2016 Doble Kara Rona Mallari FPJ's Ang Probinsyano Clarissa Subito Wansapanataym: Candy's Crush Venus Angara Maalaala Mo Kaya: Pole Samantha 2017 Haplos Corazon 'Cora' Maglalim Imbestigador: Nagbigti o Binigti Selya 2018 Ngayon at Kailanman Lucia Simbajon Bagani Doray Maalaala Mo Kaya: Barya Victoria 2019 Sino ang May Sala?: Mea Culpa Maribel Baniaga 2022 Love in 40 Days Roberta "Berta" Ignacio 2025 Widows' War Soledad Palacios