Benjamin Sapida (born March 31, 1987), whose previous screen name was Vince Saldaña and current screen name is Benjamin Alves, is a Filipino

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

and

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

under the management of

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network ( ...

Biography

Early life

Alves was born Benjamin Quiambao Sapida on March 31, 1987 in

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...

. Alves is a

nephew In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...

of Filipino

Piolo Pascual Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino film and television actor, singer, model, and producer. Early life Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual was born on January 12, 1977, in Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center located in Mala ...

.New Kapuso contract star Benjamin Alves says comparison to cousin Piolo Pascual is "unavoidable"
''Philippine Entertainment Portal''. Retrieved June 26, 2012.

Vince Saldaña (2006–2009)

In 2006, Alves went to the Philippines to pursue a modeling career. He entered showbusiness with the screen name Vince Saldaña back in 2008 and appeared in

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under L ...

's reality model-search competition ''Close-Up to Fame'' where he eventually became a finalist. He then signed up in VIVA and got his first acting gig in QTV's teen series ''

Posh Posh is an informal adjective for "upper class". It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Posh'' (album), a 1980 album by Patrice Rushen *" Posh!", a 1968 song from the musical ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' * ''Posh'' (2006 TV series), a 2006 Philip ...

'' in 2007. In that same year, he appeared in other

Viva Films Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr. History Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta- Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to qu ...

movies like '' Ang Cute ng Ina Mo'' and ''Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat''.Benjamin Alves considers Showbiz comeback a second chance
''Philippine Entertainment Portal''. Retrieved June 26, 2012. He also starred on soap operas ''Dalawang Tisoy'' in RPN 9, ''

Ysabella ''Ysabella'' is a 2007 Philippine drama television series starring Judy Ann Santos, Coney Reyes, Ryan Agoncillo and Derek Ramsay. The series debuted on ABS-CBN from June 25, 2007 to January 25, 2008, replacing '' Maria Flordeluna'' and was re ...

'' on ABS-CBN and ''

Impostora ''Impostora'' (International title: ''The Impostor'' / ) is a 2007 Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes, it stars Sunshine Dizon and Iza Calzado. The series is loosely based on a 1993 Ph ...

'' on

. Apart from his work on television series and films, Alves also appeared in various TV commercials and magazines. He was supposed to be one of the cast of

's ''L.U.V. Pow'' but was withdrawn after the cast reboot. Alves left show business in 2009 to continue his studies. In 2012, Alves graduated

Summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

at the

University of Guam University of Guam ( ch, Unibetsedåt Guåhan) (U.O.G.) is a public land-grant university in Mangilao, Guam. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level ...

with a degree in

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. From a press interview, he revealed that he wanted to in pursue a master's degree but decided to stay on with his showbiz career.

Benjamin Alves and contract with GMA Network (2012–present)

Saldaña was relaunched into show business as ''Benjamin Alves'' by Mercator Model and Artist Management. He signed an exclusive contract to

signing a 3 movie outfit and soap operas.Benjamin Alves: New Kapuso!
''GMA Network''. Video. Retrieved June 26, 2012 He was officially launched in a Sunday

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a com ...

, ''

Party Pilipinas ''Party Pilipinas'' () is a Philippine television variety show broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Jaya and Janno Gibbs, it premiered on March 28, 2010 replacing '' SOP''. The show concluded on May 19, 2013 with ...

'' on June 25, 2012 as the newest Kapuso star, and was also dubbed as the newest ''Kapuso'' heartthrob. His first movie will be under

Regal Films Regal Entertainment, Inc. (formerly and more commonly known as Regal Films) is a Philippine film production company based in Pasig. It was founded by Lily Monteverde on August 19, 1962. It has produced movies of all genres; and is the oldest ...

entitled ''

Guni-Guni ''Guni-Guni'' is a 2012 Filipino psychological-horror-medical thriller film under Regal Entertainment. It stars Lovi Poe and Benjamin Alves. The film is directed by Tara Illenberger. The film was distributed by GMA Network. Plot Thirty years a ...

'' playing as Paolo Lopez.Benjamin Alves: A mix of all things dangerous
''Philippine Star''. Gabby Tatad. Retrieved June 26, 2012. He will act as a love interest of

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

Lovi Poe Lourdes Virginia Moran Poe (born February 11, 1989), popularly known as Lovi Poe, is a Filipino actress, model, and recording artist. She is the daughter of action star Fernando Poe Jr. Poe is known for starring in two popular GMA drama serie ...

. He will also appear on

GMA Films GMA Pictures, formerly Cinemax Studios and GMA Films, is a film and television production company in the Philippines, established by GMA Network in 1995. Its films include ''Jose Rizal'', ''Muro Ami'', and '' Deathrow''. Filmography History ...

's entry to the

2012 Metro Manila Film Festival The 38th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is a part of the annual film festival in Metro Manila, Philippines held from December 25, 2012 until January 8, 2013. During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters in order to sho ...

, '' Coño Problems''. In August 2012, Alves was announced as one of the casts for the remake of the famous Korean television series, '' Coffee Prince''. He acted as Errol, a record-producer and half-brother of Abrenica. In 2013, he starred in the film ''Sana Dati'' an Independent film starring TJ Trinidad, Lovi Poe and Paulo Avelino.

Personal life

Alves used to be in a relationship with singer and actress

Julie Anne San Jose Julie Anne Peñaflorida San Jose (; born May 17, 1994) is a Filipino singer, songwriter, actress, host and television personality. She is dubbed as "''Asia's Limitless Star''" for her singing prowess and achievements. San Jose is regarded as ...

from May 2016 to November 2018. The relationship was confirmed by San Jose on January 7, 2017. It was only in January 2019, however, that San Jose publicly confirmed their breakup.

Filmography

Television series

Television shows

Film

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

* *https://www.gmanetwork.com/sparkle/artists/benjamin_alves {{DEFAULTSORT:Alves, Benjamin 1987 births Living people Filipino male film actors Filipino male television actors Guamanian people of Filipino descent GMA Network personalities ABS-CBN personalities Star Magic personalities