Rosa Rosal
Encyclopedia
Florence Danon Gayda better known as Rosa Rosal, is a FAMAS award-winning Filipino
film actress dubbed as the "original femme fatale
of Philippine cinema
". She is also known for her work with the Philippine National Red Cross
. For her humanitarian activities, she received the 1999 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service
, an award widely considered as Asia
's Nobel Prize
. She is the mother of TV host Toni Rose Gayda
.
. Her mother hailed from Santa Rita, Pampanga
, while her father was of French
and Egypt
ian descent. Her half-brother, Don Danon, once acted as a stand-in for the Hollywood actor Rudolph Valentino
.
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Rosal worked as a newsreader in a Japanese-run radio station. Shortly after the end of the war, Rosal worked part-time at the San Lazaro Hospital. One night, she was passing by a film shooting as she was walking home, and she was spotted by the film's producer, Luis Nolasco. She was offered a film contract by Nolasco, who headed his own outfit, the Nolasco Brothers Studio.
words for "rose" and "gardenia". In 1947, Rosal was cast opposite Leopoldo Salcedo
in Kamagong (1947). Her performance drew the attention of the other major film studios, and she was signed to a contract with LVN Pictures
by the studio head, Doña Sisang de Leon
. She was cast by LVN Pictures in her first starring role in the 1949 film Biglang Yaman.
Throughout the 1950s, Rosal starred in costume dramas such as Prinsipe Amante sa Rubitanya (1951), and in such neo-realist dramas as Lamberto Avellana's Anak Dalita
(1956), Tony Santos's Badjao (1956), and Manuel Silos
's Biyaya ng Lupa (1959), which she cites as the best film she has ever made. For her role in Anak Dalita, Rosal would receive a citation from President
Ramon Magsaysay
. She was named FAMAS Best Actress in 1955 for Sonny Boy, and would be nominated three other times, for Dagohoy (1953), Biyaya ng Lupa, and Ang Lahat ng Ito Pati na ang Langit (1989).
Notwithstanding her serious roles, Rosal would become best known in the 1950s for her daring appearances in film. She had no qualms appearing onscreen in bathing suits, engaging in kissing scenes or in playing villainous roles. Offscreen, Rosal led a quiet and private life. She enrolled in night classes at the Cosmopolitan Colleges and obtained a degree in Business Administration in 1954. She was married briefly in 1957 to an American pilot, Walter Gayda, with whom she had a child, Toni Rose
, who later became a television host.
In the 1960s, Rosal became one of the first leading Filipino actors to appear regularly on television. She was a fixture on Cecille Guidote Alvarez's dramatic series Balintataw on ABC-5 (now TV5
). In the 1970s, Rosal starred in Iyan ang Misis Ko, a family-oriented sitcom with Ronald Remy. In 1976, Rosal would also appear in Behn Cervantes's Sakada, a film which was banned by the martial law government of President
Ferdinand Marcos
.
two public service shows where people in need of assistance came to ask Rosa's help
EPISODES:
with her real life daughter Toni Rose Gayda
, playing as her daughter, with Laura Hermosa and Augusto Victa
inroducing Fanny Serano, with Caloy Pimentel, Rolly Papasin, Joey Galvez & Rafael Lucas
with Josephine Estrada, Mervyn Samson, Hero Bautista & Princess Punzalan
with Hero Bautista & Mervyn Samson
with Gina Alajar
& Earl Palma
with Fanny Serrano, Romnick Sarmenta
& introducing Dennis Roldan
with Fanny Serrano, Rolly Papasin, Romy Mallari & Charmie Benavidez
with Fred Montilla, Diana Dean, Angelito, Herbert Bautista
, Maila Gumila, and Charmie Benavidez
with Michael Sandico, Lito Anzures
, Estrella Kuenzler, Joey Galvez, Jose Villafranca and introducing Janice de Belen
with Lito Anzures
with Anita Linda
& Charmie Benavidez
with Gina Alajar
with Pen Medina, Janice de Belen
, Bella Flores
, Angelito, Soxy Topacio
with Eddie Infante, Dexter Doria, Charmie Benavidez, Jun Soller
with Geraldine, Connie Angeles, Caloy Pimentel, Chona Castillo
with Jose Villafranca, Romeo Enriquez and Chona Castillo
as a volunteer-member of its Blood Program in 1950, and was elected to its Board of Governors in 1965. Rosal has become widely known for her efforts to promote blood donation
in the Philippines. She helped initiate Red Cross programs that set-up bloodletting sessions inside campuses and military camps, including the American military base at Clark
. She lobbied political leaders and foreign embassies for donations to upgrade Red Cross facilities.
Rosal also established a Women's Crisis Center within the Philippine National Red Cross. The Center was aimed at assisting unwed and needy pregnant mothers, as well as finding homes for unwanted children. With donations obtained from the pork barrel
funds of members of Congress
, Rosal has also run in her personal capacity a college scholarship fund for poor but deserving students.
Rosal has also hosted two public-service television programs, Damayan and Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko
, which solicit financial and medical aid for indigent medical patients.
Despite her widespread association with blood donation, Rosal has never donated blood herself, on account of her blood pressure
, which is way below the level required for donors.
. She was cited for "her lifetime of unstinting voluntary service, inspiring Filipinos to put the needs of others before their own."
In 2006, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
bestowed on Rosal the Order of the Golden Heart with the rank of Grand Cross for a lifetime in public service and for her work with the Red Cross.
In the 1950s, while in her mid-twenties, Rosal declined President Ramon Magsaysay
's offer to appoint her as head of the Social Welfare Administration, the predecessor-agency of the cabinet-level Department of Social Welfare and Development
.
In November 2008, Rosal was awarded the Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award at the 22nd PMPC Star Awards For TV.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
film actress dubbed as the "original femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
of Philippine cinema
Cinema of the Philippines
Cinema of the Philippines started with the introduction of the first moving pictures to the country on January 1, 1897 at the Salón de Pertierra in Manila. The following year, local scenes were shot on film for the first time by a Spaniard, Antonio Ramos, using the Lumiere Cinematograph...
". She is also known for her work with the Philippine National Red Cross
Philippine National Red Cross
Born officially in 1947, Philippine Red Cross , a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has roots that trace back to the revolutionary days...
. For her humanitarian activities, she received the 1999 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
, an award widely considered as Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
's Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
. She is the mother of TV host Toni Rose Gayda
Toni Rose Gayda
Toni Rose Gayda is a Filipina television personality. She is the daughter of the former Philippine National Red Cross governor, public servant and 1940s and 1950s movie star Rosa Rosal. She is of Egyptian, French, Polish and American descent...
.
Early life
Rosal was born Florence Danon in ManilaManila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. Her mother hailed from Santa Rita, Pampanga
Santa Rita, Pampanga
Santa Rita is a 4th class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 36,723 people in 6,118 households....
, while her father was of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian descent. Her half-brother, Don Danon, once acted as a stand-in for the Hollywood actor Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
.
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Rosal worked as a newsreader in a Japanese-run radio station. Shortly after the end of the war, Rosal worked part-time at the San Lazaro Hospital. One night, she was passing by a film shooting as she was walking home, and she was spotted by the film's producer, Luis Nolasco. She was offered a film contract by Nolasco, who headed his own outfit, the Nolasco Brothers Studio.
Film career
The Nolasco Brothers Studio cast Rosal in Fort Santiago (1946). Her screen name was taken from the TagalogTagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
words for "rose" and "gardenia". In 1947, Rosal was cast opposite Leopoldo Salcedo
Leopoldo Salcedo
Leopoldo Salcedo was a two-time FAMAS award-winning Filipino film actor who specialized in portraying dramatic heroes. Dubbed as "The Great Profile" , he was said to be among the first kayumanggi or dark-skinned Filipino film stars, in contrast to the lighter-skinned mestizo actors of his...
in Kamagong (1947). Her performance drew the attention of the other major film studios, and she was signed to a contract with LVN Pictures
LVN Pictures
LVN Pictures, Inc. is one of the biggest film studios in the history of Philippine cinema and its foremost establishment in motion picture post-production until 2005...
by the studio head, Doña Sisang de Leon
Narcisa de Leon
Narcisa Buencamino Vd.ª De de Leon was a Filipino film producer. Clad daily in the frugal rural dress of the camisón, saya and chinelas, Doña Sisang, as she was widely known, was already a 61-year old widow when she entered the film industry...
. She was cast by LVN Pictures in her first starring role in the 1949 film Biglang Yaman.
Throughout the 1950s, Rosal starred in costume dramas such as Prinsipe Amante sa Rubitanya (1951), and in such neo-realist dramas as Lamberto Avellana's Anak Dalita
Child of Sorrow (film)
Child of Sorrow is a 1956 Philippine crime film directed by Lamberto V. Avellana. The film was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 29th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee...
(1956), Tony Santos's Badjao (1956), and Manuel Silos
Manuel Silos
Manuel Silos is an award-winning Filipino film-maker from the 1920s through the 1950s. He began his career by making silent movies together with his brothers. As a bodabil actor and comedian, Silos used the stage and screen name Santo Tulia...
's Biyaya ng Lupa (1959), which she cites as the best film she has ever made. For her role in Anak Dalita, Rosal would receive a citation from President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Ramon Magsaysay
Ramon Magsaysay
Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay was the third President of the Republic of the Philippines from December 30, 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1957. He was elected President under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.-Early life:Ramon F...
. She was named FAMAS Best Actress in 1955 for Sonny Boy, and would be nominated three other times, for Dagohoy (1953), Biyaya ng Lupa, and Ang Lahat ng Ito Pati na ang Langit (1989).
Notwithstanding her serious roles, Rosal would become best known in the 1950s for her daring appearances in film. She had no qualms appearing onscreen in bathing suits, engaging in kissing scenes or in playing villainous roles. Offscreen, Rosal led a quiet and private life. She enrolled in night classes at the Cosmopolitan Colleges and obtained a degree in Business Administration in 1954. She was married briefly in 1957 to an American pilot, Walter Gayda, with whom she had a child, Toni Rose
Toni Rose Gayda
Toni Rose Gayda is a Filipina television personality. She is the daughter of the former Philippine National Red Cross governor, public servant and 1940s and 1950s movie star Rosa Rosal. She is of Egyptian, French, Polish and American descent...
, who later became a television host.
In the 1960s, Rosal became one of the first leading Filipino actors to appear regularly on television. She was a fixture on Cecille Guidote Alvarez's dramatic series Balintataw on ABC-5 (now TV5
Associated Broadcasting Company
The Associated Broadcasting Company, Inc is a television network in the Philippines, with main broadcast facilities and transmitter located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. The network was previously known as the , Associated Broadcasting Company remains the legal...
). In the 1970s, Rosal starred in Iyan ang Misis Ko, a family-oriented sitcom with Ronald Remy. In 1976, Rosal would also appear in Behn Cervantes's Sakada, a film which was banned by the martial law government of President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
.
TV appearances
- Damayan & Kapwa Ko Mahal KoKapwa Ko Mahal KoKapwa Ko, Mahal Ko is a public service program aired every Saturday mornings by GMA Network. The show is recognized as the first and longest running public service program in Philippine television...
two public service shows where people in need of assistance came to ask Rosa's help
- UlilaUlilaUlila is a small borough in Puhja Parish, Tartu County, Estonia. It has a population of 319 ....
(Forsaken) Rosa Rosal's weekly drama anthology over BBC-Channel 2 (1976–1980)
EPISODES:
- "Anak nila ang anak ko" (Their child is my child)
with her real life daughter Toni Rose Gayda
Toni Rose Gayda
Toni Rose Gayda is a Filipina television personality. She is the daughter of the former Philippine National Red Cross governor, public servant and 1940s and 1950s movie star Rosa Rosal. She is of Egyptian, French, Polish and American descent...
, playing as her daughter, with Laura Hermosa and Augusto Victa
- "Farida"
inroducing Fanny Serano, with Caloy Pimentel, Rolly Papasin, Joey Galvez & Rafael Lucas
- "Sa bawa't araw" (At the end of each day)
with Josephine Estrada, Mervyn Samson, Hero Bautista & Princess Punzalan
- "Goodbye, House"
with Hero Bautista & Mervyn Samson
- "Ampon" (Adopted Child)
with Gina Alajar
Gina Alajar
Regina Alatiit also known as Gina Alajar was born on in Manila, she is a FAMAS and Gaward Urian Award winning Filipino film actress and television director.-Present Career and Issue:...
& Earl Palma
- "Dalawang Ina" (Two mothers)
with Fanny Serrano, Romnick Sarmenta
Romnick Sarmenta
Romeo Nicolas Sarmenta Tejedor , better known by his screen name Romnick Sarmenta, is a Filipino actor. He is best remembered as the five-year-old boy who played the role of Peping in the TV series Gulong ng Palad.-Biography:He was born to Adonis F. Tejedor and Julie C. Sarmenta and is of Chinese...
& introducing Dennis Roldan
- "Walang hanggan ang dilim ng gabi" (Endless Night)
with Fanny Serrano, Rolly Papasin, Romy Mallari & Charmie Benavidez
- "Ang Kanilang Ama" (Their father)
with Fred Montilla, Diana Dean, Angelito, Herbert Bautista
Herbert Bautista
Herbert Constantine Maclang Bautista is a Filipino actor and politician. He is the mayor of the same city winning by a landslide in May 2010. He won a landslide in his 2007 vice-mayoral reelection bid...
, Maila Gumila, and Charmie Benavidez
- "Joselito"
with Michael Sandico, Lito Anzures
Lito Anzures
Angelito Castro Anzures popularly known as Lito Anzures was a Filipino actor. Lito workde in several films as a supporting actor. Lito died at the age of 67 in the year 1995.- Filmography :...
, Estrella Kuenzler, Joey Galvez, Jose Villafranca and introducing Janice de Belen
Janice de Belen
Janice de Belen is a Filipina actress, commercial model and television host who was a GMA Network contract artist. She returns back to ABS-CBN via Budoy -Early life:...
- "Bulag" (Blind)
with Lito Anzures
Lito Anzures
Angelito Castro Anzures popularly known as Lito Anzures was a Filipino actor. Lito workde in several films as a supporting actor. Lito died at the age of 67 in the year 1995.- Filmography :...
- "May isang anak" (There was a daughter)
with Anita Linda
Anita Linda
Anita Linda is a two-time FAMAS award-winning and Gawad Urian award-winning Filipino film actress. A romantic lead in her youth, she later gained critical acclaim for her portrayals in maternal or elderly roles...
& Charmie Benavidez
- "Ako ba ay isang ina?" (Am I a mother?)
with Gina Alajar
Gina Alajar
Regina Alatiit also known as Gina Alajar was born on in Manila, she is a FAMAS and Gaward Urian Award winning Filipino film actress and television director.-Present Career and Issue:...
- "Best Actress"
with Pen Medina, Janice de Belen
Janice de Belen
Janice de Belen is a Filipina actress, commercial model and television host who was a GMA Network contract artist. She returns back to ABS-CBN via Budoy -Early life:...
, Bella Flores
Bella Flores
Remedios P. Dancel , better known as Bella Flores, is a FAMAS award-winning Filipino film actress. She is best known for her "iconic" portrayals of film villains.-Biography:Flores was born in Manila...
, Angelito, Soxy Topacio
- "Dapit-hapon" (sunset)
with Eddie Infante, Dexter Doria, Charmie Benavidez, Jun Soller
- "Marami ang landas ng Buhay" (There are many paths in life)
with Geraldine, Connie Angeles, Caloy Pimentel, Chona Castillo
- "Bantayog" (Statue)
with Jose Villafranca, Romeo Enriquez and Chona Castillo
Humanitarian activities
Rosal joined the Philippine National Red CrossPhilippine National Red Cross
Born officially in 1947, Philippine Red Cross , a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has roots that trace back to the revolutionary days...
as a volunteer-member of its Blood Program in 1950, and was elected to its Board of Governors in 1965. Rosal has become widely known for her efforts to promote blood donation
Blood donation
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation....
in the Philippines. She helped initiate Red Cross programs that set-up bloodletting sessions inside campuses and military camps, including the American military base at Clark
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
. She lobbied political leaders and foreign embassies for donations to upgrade Red Cross facilities.
Rosal also established a Women's Crisis Center within the Philippine National Red Cross. The Center was aimed at assisting unwed and needy pregnant mothers, as well as finding homes for unwanted children. With donations obtained from the pork barrel
Pork barrel
Pork barrel is a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district...
funds of members of Congress
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate , and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.The Senate is composed of 24 senators half...
, Rosal has also run in her personal capacity a college scholarship fund for poor but deserving students.
Rosal has also hosted two public-service television programs, Damayan and Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko
Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko
Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko is a public service program aired every Saturday mornings by GMA Network. The show is recognized as the first and longest running public service program in Philippine television...
, which solicit financial and medical aid for indigent medical patients.
Despite her widespread association with blood donation, Rosal has never donated blood herself, on account of her blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
, which is way below the level required for donors.
Honors
In 1999, Rosal was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public ServiceRamon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
. She was cited for "her lifetime of unstinting voluntary service, inspiring Filipinos to put the needs of others before their own."
In 2006, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
bestowed on Rosal the Order of the Golden Heart with the rank of Grand Cross for a lifetime in public service and for her work with the Red Cross.
In the 1950s, while in her mid-twenties, Rosal declined President Ramon Magsaysay
Ramon Magsaysay
Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay was the third President of the Republic of the Philippines from December 30, 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1957. He was elected President under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.-Early life:Ramon F...
's offer to appoint her as head of the Social Welfare Administration, the predecessor-agency of the cabinet-level Department of Social Welfare and Development
Department of Social Welfare and Development (Philippines)
The Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for the protection of the social welfare rights of Filipinos and to promote social development.-History:...
.
In November 2008, Rosal was awarded the Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award at the 22nd PMPC Star Awards For TV.