Maria Josefa Cruz (August 21, 1921 – April 14, 1992), better known by her screen name Matimtiman Cruz, was a

Filipina Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino, English, or other Philippine languages. Despite formerly being subject to ...

radio personality A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

Career

Matimtiman started her movie career with

Sampaguita Pictures Sampaguita Pictures was a Philippine film production company. It was named for the Philippine national flower, sampaguita. Though no longer functioning, the company's Sampaguita Compound remains in Quezon City. History Sampaguita Pictures was e ...

. She later switched to comedy becoming one of the favorite and highly paid comedian in the 1950s. She was featured in 96 films from 1955 to 1988, mostly performing comedic roles.

Personal life

She was married to Perfecto Ursua Manego, writer/director - in DZRH, DZPI and channel 11 (died December 1968), wherein they had 4 children - Veronidia, Angelito, Perfecto "Jun Cruz", and Wilfredo "Willy Cruz". Her longtime partner, Jaime Llave, an actor-comedian who was best known by his screen name Balot - stood as the father of her children.

Awards

Before she joined the movies, Matimtiman was voted as Miss Batangas in 1937 as well as ''Bb. Ilang-ilang ng Silangan'' (Miss Ilang-ilang of the East). As an actress, Matimtiman was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 1970

FAMAS Awards The Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards, or simply the FAMAS Awards, are the annual honors given by the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), an organization composed of writers and movie columnists, for achieveme ...

, then the only film awards in the Philippines, for the 1969 movie "Kapatid Ko Ang Aking Ina"."18th FAMAS Awards (1969)
. Unofficial Website of the FAMAS Awards. Retrieved on 2011-12-14.

Death

Matimtiman died on April 14, 1992, at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, at the age of 70.

Filmography

An incomplete list of movies Matimtiman Cruz appeared in:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Matimtiman 1921 births Filipino women comedians People from Manila Actresses from Batangas 1992 deaths 20th-century Filipino actresses Burials at the Loyola Memorial Park 20th-century Filipino comedians Filipino radio personalities Filipino film actresses Filipino beauty pageant winners Comedians from Batangas