Krista Elyse Hidalgo Sullivan (born May 3, 1991), better known by her
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
Bela Padilla (), is a Filipino actress, host, singer, writer, and director.
She is best known for her roles in television dramas on
GMA-7
DZBB-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Metro Manila, Philippines, serving as the flagship of the GMA television network. The digital service is known as DZBB-DTV by only a few people. It is owned and operated by the network's namesa ...
and
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
, as well as critically acclaimed films such as ''
100 Tula Para Kay Stella'' (with
JC Santos) and ''
Meet Me in St. Gallen'' (with
Carlo Aquino). She is also recognized for her performances in ''
The Day After Valentine's
''The Day After Valentine's'' is a 2018 Philippine romantic film
Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic inv ...
'' and ''
On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets''. In 2022, she made her directorial debut with the film ''366'' (opposite
Zanjoe Marudo and
JC Santos), produced by
Viva Films. Additionally, she wrote the screenplay for
Joyce Bernal's film ''
Last Night'', starring
Toni Gonzaga and
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino actor, model, singer, television host, comedian and film producer.
Pascual began a career in 1993 after landing a bit role in the film ''The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help ...
. Aside from her acting career, she has continued to develop her skills in writing and directing for future projects.
Early life and education
Krista Elyse Hidalgo Sullivan was born to British father Cornelius Gary Sullivan and mother Margarette Cariño Hidalgo ("Meg"). Her father was divorced from his first wife. She has three elder half-siblings in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
from her father's first marriage, as well as an elder brother from both of her parents. She first attended a
Montessori
The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...
-style
international school
International schools are private schools that promote education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterised by a multinational student body an ...
in
Forbes Park, Makati, before attending the foreigners' class at
Colegio San Agustin – Makati.
Padilla took up
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
as an
elective in
senior high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
.
Padilla was a classmate of
Lovi Poe.
Padilla's maternal grandmother (mother of Meg) is the sister of Eva Cariño-Padilla, wife of actor-director and former
Camarines Norte
Camarines Norte (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Daet, Camarines Norte, Daet, the most populous town in the ...
governor
Roy Padilla Sr. She is the niece, by second-degree consanguinity, of actors
Rommel Padilla,
Robin Padilla
Robinhood Ferdinand Cariño Padilla (; born November 23, 1969), also known by his Muslim name Abdul Aziz, is a Filipino actor, film director, and politician serving as senator of the Philippines. He is known as the "Bad Boy" of Philippine cin ...
, and
BB Gandanghari,
and second cousin to
RJ and
Daniel Padilla (sons of Rommel), as well as
Queenie and
Kylie Padilla (daughters of Robin).
She is a practicing
Jehovah's Witness.
Career
Padilla was discovered by
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
talent scout Jet Valle during one of his field trips. Valle introduced her to ABS-CBN, where she joined
Star Magic
ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts, Inc., doing business as Star Magic (formerly known as ABS-CBN Talent Center), is a Philippine talent agency owned by ABS-CBN Corporation based in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Founded in 1992, Star Magic ha ...
Batch 15 and adopted the stage name "Krista Valle." Her debut television role came in 2004 in the teen drama series ''
Star Magic Presents'': ''
Abt Ur Luv Ur Lyf 2''. She later changed her stage name to "Krista Sullivan" when she transitioned to a freelance acting career. In 2009, she appeared in a minor role in the TV series ''
Totoy Bato'', and shortly after, she became a regular cast member of ''
Lokomoko High'' on
TV5.
In 2010, Padilla left
Star Magic
ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts, Inc., doing business as Star Magic (formerly known as ABS-CBN Talent Center), is a Philippine talent agency owned by ABS-CBN Corporation based in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Founded in 1992, Star Magic ha ...
, signed with manager
Claire dela Fuente, and moved to
GMA. With this move, she also adopted the name "Bela Padilla." She starred in the 2011 fantasy series ''
Machete
A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...
'' alongside
Aljur Abrenica. That same year, she won the Miss Friendship and Media's Darling awards at the 2011 Asian Super Model Contest, held in
Guilin
Guilin (Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''), postal map romanization, formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized as Kweilin, is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the we ...
and
Nanning
Nanning; is the capital of the Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, southern China. It is known as the "Green City (绿城) " because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of Guangxi, Nanning ...
in the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ( Hà Giang, Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, and Quảng Ninh Provinces) and the ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
Padilla made headlines in 2012 when her ''
FHM Philippines'' magazine cover for the March issue was pulled due to accusations of
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
.
Later that year, she starred in the titular role in the afternoon drama series ''
Magdalena: Anghel sa Putikan''. In 2013, she starred opposite
Richard Gutierrez
Richard Kristian Gutierrez (born January 21, 1984) is a Filipino actor. He is regarded as the original "''Fantaserye King''" for top billing multiple hit television series.
Gutierrez is a recipient of a FAMAS Award and three PMPC Star Awards fo ...
in the primetime series ''
Love & Lies''.
After a return to
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
in 2015, Padilla joined the action-packed series ''
FPJ's Ang Probinsyano'' alongside
Coco Martin. Two years later, in 2017, she headlined the drama series ''
My Dear Heart
''My Dear Heart'' is a 2017 Philippine television drama series broadcast by ABS-CBN. Directed by Jerome C. Pobocan and Jojo A. Saguin, it stars Heart Ramos, Coney Reyes, Zanjoe Marudo, Bela Padilla and Ria Atayde. It aired on the network's Pri ...
'' and starred in the romantic film ''
100 Tula Para Kay Stella'', which became the highest-grossing film at the first
Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.
Padilla took the lead role in the 2019 crime drama series ''
Sino ang Maysala?: Mea Culpa''. She also starred in the Philippine adaptation of the Korean film ''
Miracle in Cell No. 7'', which was an official entry to the
2019 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film went on to earn ₱543 million at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing Filipino films of all time.
In 2024, Padilla made her return to television as a guest host on the noontime variety show ''
It's Showtime''.
Personal life
On November 24, 2021, Padilla revealed that she had relocated to the UK. She is currently in a relationship with her Swiss boyfriend, Norman Bay. She first introduced him to the public in October 2020 through an Instagram post, in which she captioned, "the one I met in St. Gallen," in reference to her previous movie ''
Meet Me in St. Gallen''.
Filmography
Television
Film
Music video appearances
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Padilla, Bela
1991 births
Living people
ABS-CBN people
Actresses from Makati
Filipino child actresses
Filipino Christians
Filipino expatriates in the United Kingdom
Filipino film actresses
Filipino people of British descent
Filipino people of English descent
Filipino people of Irish descent
Filipino television actresses
GMA Network (company) people
Padilla family
People of Saint Helenian descent
Star Magic
Viva Artists Agency