Gines Francisco Soriano (July 6, 1928 – February 21, 2004), known professionally as Nestor de Villa, was a Filipino

actor 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. ...

frequently cast in musical films. He was a gifted dancer, often paired with frequent on-screen partner

Nida Blanca Dorothy Guinto Jones (January 6, 1936 – November 7, 2001), known professionally as Nida Blanca, was a Filipino actress. In a career spanning five decades, she is known for her dramatic and comedic roles in Cinema of the Philippines, film ...

in both film and television. His dancing talent led some people to call him the "

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

of the Philippines", though the same moniker had also been given to

Bayani Casimiro Bayani Casimiro Sr. (July 16, 1918 – January 27, 1989) was a Filipino dancer who was among the leading stars of bodabil (vaudeville) in the 1930s and 1940s. He also appeared in musical films and later in life, in comedic roles. A tap dancer ...

Early life and later career

De Villa was born Gines Francisco Soriano on July 6, 1928, in then municipality of

Cabanatuan Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan (; ; kapampangan language, Kapampangan: ''Lakanbalen/Ciudad ning Cabanatuan''), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Acco ...

in the province of

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...

. He was a pre-medical student when he was signed by

LVN Pictures LVN Pictures, Inc. was a Filipino film studio that was considered one of the biggest in the history of Philippine cinema and its foremost establishment in motion picture post-production until 2005. In its heyday of motion picture production, LV ...

. His father was disappointed by his decision to become an actor, and the two became estranged. However, they were reconciled by LVN President Doña Sisang de Leon, who arranged to have de Villa's father secretly attend one of his movie premieres. He made his first film with LVN, ''Amor-Mio'' (''My Love''), in 1951. The following year, he teamed up with another LVN contract star, Nida Blanca, for ''Romansa sa Nayon''. The film's success popularized the Nestor-Nida "love team", though in real-life, de Villa would marry Marilu Cacho Soriano from the wealthy and socially prominent Cacho family. He remained at LVN until

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

, when the studio discontinued making films. He then transferred to

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 ...

where in

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

he made his Sampaguita debut in ''Tugtuging Bukid'' (''Farm Music''), together with

Gloria Romero Gloria Anne Borrego Galla (December 16, 1933 – January 25, 2025), known professionally as Gloria Romero (), was an American-born Filipino actress. Regarded as the "Queen of Philippine Cinema", she appeared in over 250 motion pictures and t ...

. In the 1960s, he was nominated three times for the FAMAS Best Actor award—for ''Mga Yapak ng Walang Bakas'' (1962); ''Naku Yabang'' (1964); and ''Siete Dolores'' (1968). De Villa and Blanca also appeared together on an

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 ...

television show, ''The Nida-Nestor Show''. In 1967, de Villa attempted to run for vice mayor of

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

as the running mate of former ambassador Amelito Mutuc, but lost to incumbent vice mayor Teotimo Gealogo. In the 1980s, de Villa made his screen comeback when he was again paired with Blanca in two films for

Viva Films Viva Films, Inc. (also known as Viva Films, stylized as VIVA Films) is a Philippine film production and distribution company owned by Viva Communications. It was founded in 1981 by Vic del Rosario Jr. and his sister Tess Cruz. Viva Films is o ...

: ''Forgive and Forget'', which also starred

Sharon Cuneta Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan (born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, and television personality. Prolific in multiple fields of entertainment, she is known for playing dramatic and comedic leading roles in film and television. ...

and William Martinez and ''Saan Darating ang Umaga?'' (''Where Will the Morning Come?''), a family drama co-starring

Maricel Soriano Maria Cecilia "Maricel" Dador Soriano (born February 25, 1965) is a Filipino actress and television personality. Known for her intense acting style and versatility, she is known for playing dramatic and comedic leading roles in films and telev ...

and

Jaypee de Guzman Jaypee James de Guzman (born April 20, 1978) is a multi-awarded actor in the Philippines. He was a famous child star of the '80s along with Bamba (actress), Bamba, Lady Lee, RR Herrera, Chuckie Dreyfus, Glaiza Herradura, Rose Ann Gonzales, Mat ...

. He was posthumously inducted to the Philippines Eastwood City Walk of Fame in December 2005.

Personal life

He was married to Marilu Cacho, has three sons and daughters-in-law, Jeric and Marissa, Gicky and Malu, Joby and Cindy. His only daughter Karel is married to Toti Belda. His grandson

Paul Soriano Paul David Soriano (; born October 17, 1981) is a Filipino commercial and film director, producer. Personal life Soriano was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. His father is director and pastor Jeric Soriano, the son of actor Nestor ...

is a son of Jeric, and is also a TV and commercial director.

Death

De Villa remained active in films until his death of complications arising from hepatobiliary cancer on February 21, 2004.

Filmography

Film

Television

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:de Villa, Nestor 1928 births 2004 deaths Deaths from cancer in the Philippines Filipino Christians Filipino evangelicals Filipino Pentecostals Filipino Protestants Filipino male film actors Filipino male television actors Filipino dance musicians Filipino male dancers Male actors from Nueva Ecija People from Cabanatuan