John Anthony Siason Estrada (born June 13, 1973), known professionally as John Estrada, is a
Filipino actor, model and filmmaker who has starred in a number of roles as a leading man and antagonist. He was a contract actor with
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 ...
from 1990 to 2018, with
GMA Network
GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
from 2018 to 2021, and then with
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 ...
again in 2021. He also did a sitcom with
TV5 called ''
Everybody Hapi''. Estrada is known for presenting two noontime shows for ABS-CBN, ''
MTB'' and ''
Happy Yipee Yehey!''. Presently, he portrays the antagonistic PCpl. Rigor Dimaguiba in ''
Batang Quiapo''.
Early life
John Anthony Siason Estrada was born on June 13, 1973, in
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
, Philippines, and grew up with his family at
Isabela, Basilan
Isabela, officially the City of Isabela (Chavacano language, Chavacano: ''Ciudad de Isabela''; Tausūg language, Tausūg: ''Dāira sin Isabela''; Yakan language, Yakan: ''Siudad Isabelahin''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classificati ...
where his father (Vicente Estrada) was a Municipal Councilor and his mother (Lilia Siason) a public school teacher. At an early age, he was regularly cast in a variety of school plays and presentations, usually taking on the lead roles.
Early career
He first made his foray in show business as a
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 , .
Models can be divided in ...
, having won Bodyshots Model Search, a competition sponsored by the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines (FDAP) from nearby
Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (; ; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Bagbenwa Sembwangan''; Sama–Bajaw languages, Sama: ''Lungsud Samboangan''; ; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city i ...
up until his early college years when he moved to
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
at age 16. He studied
mass communications for two years at
University of the Philippines Diliman
The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...
but eventually dropped to pursue a career in acting.
His name gained further publicity when he married former child actress
Janice de Belen who bore him 4 children:
Inah (b. 1992), Moira (b. 1993),
Kaila (b. 1996), and Yuan (b. 1998).
Estrada became part of the
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 ...
sitcom ''
Palibhasa Lalake'' in 1990 and played minor roles in some films produced by
Regal Films and
Star Cinema. Soon after he shifted from acting to TV hosting via ''
'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila'' (1995–1998). His biggest break in showbiz came in 1998 when he headlined the controversial ABS-CBN noontime show ''
Magandang Tanghali Bayan'' (MTB) with
Randy Santiago
Randy Gerard Legaspi Santiago (born November 26, 1960) is a Filipino actor, comedian, television host, musician, director, producer and entrepreneur. He is the older brother of Raymart Santiago, Rowell Santiago and Reily Pablo L. Santiago Jr ...
and
Willie Revillame
Wilfredo "Willie" Buendia Revillame (; born January 27, 1961), is a Filipino television host, actor, comedian, drummer, singer, and businessman. He has hosted numerous variety shows, such as ''Lunch Date'', Sang Linggo nAPO Sila'' and ''MTB ...
. His hosting job also cost him his marriage with Janice when he was linked to his ''Magandang Tanghali Bayan'' co-host Vanessa del Bianco. Janice and Estrada legally separated in 2001. The marriage was officially annulled in 2004.
Later and recent career
In 2002, Estrada was chosen to play Boris opposite grand slam actress
Lorna Tolentino in the ABS-CBN soap ''
Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay''. His foray into dramatic acting did not alienate him from the audiences who are used to see him cracking jokes on noontime TV. He was later named Best Drama Actor in 2003 Star Awards for Television. Soon after, when ABS-CBN decided to reformat ''MTB'' following Willie Revillame's termination, Estrada offered to resign from the show so that he could concentrate on acting. He was given another lead role in another ABS-CBN soap ''
Hiram'' opposite
Kris Aquino and
Dina Bonnevie
Geraldyn "Dina" Schaer Bonnevie (, formerly Sotto, Penson, and Savellano; born January 27, 1962) is a Filipino people, Filipino actress. She is recognized as the industry's "Drama Queen" of her generation. She has won 2 FAMAS Award, FAMAS Awa ...
in 2004.
However, Estrada did not stick to leading man roles after ''Hiram''. Instead, he tried his hand in doing villain roles in different soap operas on ABS-CBN. He returned to comedy when he accepted the role of Jim in the
TV5 former sitcom ''
Everybody Hapi'' with Long Mejia and
Roxanne Guinoo. Due to the sitcom's numerous casting changes, the show was reformatted to ''Hapi Together'' with
Carla Humphries,
Leo Martinez
Leo Martinez (born March 7, 1945) is a Filipino actor, comedian and director. Martinez also served as Director General of the Film Academy of the Philippines.
Personal life
He is married to Gina Valenciano (sister of Gary Valenciano), and has chi ...
,
Callalily lead singer
Kean Cipriano and former ''Everybody Hapi'' mainstays
Nova Villa
Novelita Acosta Villanueva Gallegos (born April 16, 1946), better known by her stage name, Nova Villa, is a Filipino actress. Known primarily as the "Goddess of Comedy", she is regarded as one of the pillars in Philippine entertainment and is ...
and
Long Mejia. He returned to hosting for ''
P.O.5'' after 5 years since he was a former host of defunct ABS-CBN daily variety show, ''Magandang Tanghali Bayan'', with ''P.O.5'' co hosts Wilma ,
Lucy Torres-Gomez,
JC De Vera, Kean Cipriano and his best friend
Richard "Goma" Gomez. Despite hosting and doing comedy for TV5, the Kapamilya Network still cast him for the inspirational drama ''
Agua Bendita'', in which he gained positive reviews. He was given a follow-up drama, ''
Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'' where he was reunited for the third time with grandslam actress Lorna Tolentino.
He subsequently gave up his hosting stint in ''P.O.5'' after ABS-CBN commissioned him and
Randy Santiago
Randy Gerard Legaspi Santiago (born November 26, 1960) is a Filipino actor, comedian, television host, musician, director, producer and entrepreneur. He is the older brother of Raymart Santiago, Rowell Santiago and Reily Pablo L. Santiago Jr ...
to return to noontime TV hosting thru ''
Happy Yipee Yehey''. He also resigned from ''Hapi Together'' where his lead role (as Geronimo) was replaced by
Joey Marquez
Joselito Perez Marquez (; born Artemio Perez Marquez Jr.; October 7, 1957) better known as Joey Marquez, is a Filipino actor, comedian, politician, and former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.
He was bor ...
who assumed another role similar to Geronimo's character.
In 2014, Estrada starred in the melodrama, ''
Ikaw Lamang'' where he reunited with ''
Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'' co-star
Coco Martin as one of the main antagonists turned anti-hero Don Gonzalo Miravalez.
Estrada also earns the unofficial distinction as one of three Philippine actors that appeared as villains in both TV and movie versions of Mars Ravelo's ''
Lastikman'', along with
Cherie Gil
Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann (; June 21, 1963 – August 5, 2022), known professionally as Cherie Gil (), was a Filipino actress. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, she was dubbed the "''La Primera Contravida''" ("The Prime Villain") " ( ...
and Danilo Barrios.
In 2018, Estrada transferred to
GMA Network
GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
after being with ABS-CBN for nearly 27 years, On May 2, he signed an exclusive contract with
GMA Artist Center.
On August 23, 2021, Estrada returned 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 ...
. He was part of ''
FPJ's Ang Probinsyano'' as the cunning yet power-hungry warlord Armando Silang. He portrays one of the main antagonists in ''
FPJ's Batang Quiapo'' as the ruthless, manipulative and brutal cop Rigor Dimaguiba.
Personal life
Estrada and
Janice de Belen had four children - Inah, Moira,
Mikaela Ariana De Belen Estrada (born in March 16, 1996), and Yuan. Iggy "Luigi" Boy Muhlach is her eldest from her previous relationship with actor
Aga Muhlach.
Estrada is currently married to his longtime girlfriend
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
ian
beauty titlist Priscilla Meirelles with whom he has one daughter, Samantha Anechka . Estrada and
Priscilla Meirelles attended Sammanta Anechka's graduation, as class
first honor at
The British School Manila on June 15, 2024. In July, Estrada confirmed ‘mutual
break’ with Meirelles. However, she
denied the agreement and felt disheartened,
stressed and very
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...
d.
In July 2024, Estrada was hospitalized at the
Asian Hospital and Medical Center for an
undisclosed illness.
Filmography
Television/digital series
Drama Anthologies
Film
*''Lover's Delight'' (1990)
*''Pakasalan Mo Ako'' (1991)
*''Ipaglaban Mo ako Boy Topak'' (1991)
*''Buburahin Kita sa Mundo!'' (1991)
*''Boy Praning Utak Pulbura'' (1992)
*''Pretty Boy Hoodlum'' (1992)
*''Shotgun Banjo'' (1992)
*''Aswang'' (1992)
*''Guwapings: The First Adventure'' (1992) - Charlie
*''Gwapings Dos'' (1993) - Freddie
*''
May Minamahal'' (1993) - Bombit
*''Hindi Magbabago'' (1994)
*''Buhay ng Buhay ko'' (1994)
*''Araw-araw, gabi-gabi'' (1995)
*''Romano Sagrado: Talim sa Dilim'' (1996) - Dante
*''Akin Ang Puri'' (1996)
*''
Radio Romance'' (1996) as Lester
*''Milyonaryong Mini'' (1996)
*''Sa Kamay ng Batas'' (1996)
*''Best Friends'' (1997) -
*''Calvento Files: The Movie'' (1997) - Pinong (Episode 2)
*''Hari ng Yabang'' (1997) - Adelbert
*''Sanggano'' (1997) - Raymond
*''Ang Babae sa Bintana'' (1998)
*''Weder-Weder Lang 'Yan'' (1999) - Dodong
*''Pera o Bayong (Not da TV)!'' (2000) - Mauricio
*''
Lastikman'' (2004) - Taong Aso
*''
Caregiver
A caregiver, carer or support worker is a paid or unpaid person who helps an individual with activities of daily living. Caregivers who are members of a care recipient's family or social network, who may have specific professional training, are o ...
'' (2008) - Teddy Gonzales
*''
BFF: Best Friends Forever'' (2009) - Tim/TJ
*''
Villa Estrella'' (2009) - Dave
*''
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
'' (2010) - Jose
*''
Ouija 2'' (2012) - Ka Mano
*''
Must Be... Love'' (2013) - King Espinosa
*''
Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill, the Arturo Porcuna Story'' (2013) - Tony Razon
*''
Trophy Wife'' (2014) - Sammy
*''
Tragic Theater'' (2015) - Fr. Nilo Marcelo
*''
Unexpectedly Yours'' (2017) - Yael Gonzales
*''
I Love You, Hater'' (2018) - Richard
*''The Last Interview: The Mayor Antonio Halili Story'' (2019)
*''Fruits N' Vegetables: Mga Bulakboleros'' (2021) - Visitor at U.P. Campus-Diliman
*''
Labyu with an Accent'' (2022) - Larry (Gabo's father)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estrada, John
1973 births
Living people
Filipino male child actors
Filipino male television actors
Filipino male comedians
Filipino television variety show hosts
Male actors from Quezon City
People from Isabela, Basilan
Filipino people of Spanish descent
ABS-CBN people
GMA Network (company) people
Viva Artists Agency
Filipino male film actors
21st-century Filipino male actors
Comedians from Quezon City