Richard Frank Icasiano Gomez (; born April 7, 1966) is a Filipino actor, TV host, politician, and

épée The (, ; ), also rendered as epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains a ...

fencer. He has been serving as the Representative of Leyte's 4th district since 2022, and was mayor of Ormoc from 2016 to 2022. Gomez was a leading actor in the early 1990s, earning several awards and nominations. He played the title character in '' Super Islaw and The Flying Kids'' (1986) and appeared in the romantic drama films ''

Nagbabagang Luha ''Nagbabagang Luha'' () is a 1988 Filipino romantic drama film directed by Ishmael Bernal from a screenplay written by Raquel Villavicencio, adapted from the " komiks serial" of the same name written by Elena M. Patron and serialized under ''S ...

'' and ''

Babaing Hampaslupa ''Babaing Hampaslupa'' () is a 1988 Filipino romantic drama film directed by Mel Chionglo, written by Ricardo Lee, and starring Maricel Soriano as the titular vagabond Remy. It also stars Gina Alajar, Janice de Belen, Richard Gomez, Edu M ...

'' (both 1988), and starred in ''

Hihintayin Kita sa Langit ''Hihintayin Kita sa Langit'' (') is a 1991 Filipino romantic drama film directed by Carlos Siguion-Reyna. The screenplay, written by Raquel Villavicencio, is loosely adapted from English novelist-poet Emily Brontë's 1847 novel ''Wuthering Heig ...

'' (1991) opposite

Dawn Zulueta Marie Rachel Salman Taleon-Lagdameo (born March 4, 1969), known professionally as Dawn Zulueta (), is a Filipino actress, host and commercial model. She was recognized as the only Filipino actor to win two different major accolades in acting ca ...

. From 1987 to 1998, he co-starred in 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 ''Palibhasa Lalake'' () is a Philippine television sitcom series broadcast by ABS-CBN. Directed by Johnny Manahan, it stars Richard Gomez, Joey Marquez, John Estrada, Miguel Rodriguez, Gloria Romero, Carmina Villarroel, Amy Perez and Cynth ...

'' alongside

John Estrada 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 from ...

and

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 ...

. In 1998, he married actress Lucy Torres, who later also became a politician. The couple starred in the ABS-CBN sitcom '' Richard Loves Lucy'' from 1998 to 2001. He was then part of the main casts of '' Mano Po'' (2002) and ''The Trial'' (2014), and appeared in the GMA sitcom '' Lagot Ka, Isusumbong Kita'' (2003–2007), and teleseryes ''Captain Barbell'' (2006–2007), ''Marimar'' (2007–2008), and '' Codename: Asero'' (2008). He was paired again with Zulueta in ''Walang Hanggan'' (2012), ''The Love Affair'' (2015), and ''You're My Home'' (2015–2016). He also co-hosted the talk show '' S-Files'' (2002–2007), and presented the Philippine version of ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. Two families compete on each episode to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, the ...

'' (2008–2009). In politics, Gomez had an unsuccessful start. His party was disqualified in the 2001 House of Representatives elections, and he then lost in the 2007 Senate election. He moved to his wife's hometown of Ormoc to run for the local House seat in 2010 but was disqualified for failing to establish residency. In

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, he lost the mayoral election but won in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and was re-elected in 2019.

Biography and entertainment career

Gomez is the only child of race car driver Eddie Kelly Gomez and Josephine Icasiano (known famously by her stage name Stella Suarez), an actress in the 1960s. His cousin is Stella Suarez Jr. (also known as Pinky Suarez) who was adopted by his parents and raised as his sibling. He was raised by his grandmother after his parents separated. Gomez was working at

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

when he was discovered by talent manager Douglas Quijano. He then became one of the faces of Bench, a Philippine clothing brand. His acting debut came in the 1984 film ''Hindi Mo Ako Kayang Tapakan''. In April 1998, he married Lucy Torres at the Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church in Ormoc,

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

. They currently reside in Ormoc, and have one daughter, Juliana Marie Beatriz (b. 2000), who graduated

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 Sout ...

from the

UP National College of Public Administration and Governance The University of the Philippines - National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP - NCPAG), a degree-granting unit of the University of the Philippines Diliman, is the first school of public administration and public policy in Asi ...

. In 2002, he transferred to GMA network with his first melodrama show, '' Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw'' and its sequel '' Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw Pa Rin'' as well as presenting '' S-Files''. His first GMA sitcom was '' Lagot Ka, Isusumbong Kita'' which aired from 2003 to 2007. Gomez hosted the Philippine edition of ''

'' on

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), ...

. He is a former GMA Network contract artist under GMA Artist Center (now

Sparkle GMA Artist Center Sparkle (stylized in all caps, formerly known as GMA Artist Center, also formally as GMA Talent Development and Management Department and Sparkle GMA Artist Center) is the talent agency owned by GMA Network Inc. based in Quezon City, Philipp ...

). After his movie ''Filipinas'' in 2003, Gomez made a comeback in the indie film ''Bente'' which starred Senator

Jinggoy Estrada Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (born February 17, 1963), better known as Jinggoy Estrada or Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and film actor serving as a senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016. He is the current presi ...

and Iza Calzado. He briefly returned to GMA Network in the weekly drama anthology, '' Claudine'', and returned to the Kapatid Network The 5 Network after 17 years by hosting the weekend variety show, '' P.O.5.''. He appeared in the drama show, '' My Driver Sweet Lover'', and '' Mga Nagbabagang Bulaklak''. Gomez was part of the teleseries '' Walang Hanggan'' from January 16, 2012. He co-hosted '' The Biggest Game Show In The World (Asia)'' with

Joey de Leon Jose Maria Ramos de Leon Jr. (born October 14, 1946), professionally known as Joey de Leon and also known as Henyo Master, is a Filipino comedian, actor, television host and songwriter. He is one of the members of the comedy trio, collectively ...

, and appeared in the

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

, '' Madam Chairman''. In 2015, he starred in the mystery drama '' You're My Home'' with Dawn Zulueta and an ensemble cast. Aside from his native tongue Tagalog, Gomez is also fluent in English and Cebuano.

Education

He graduated from the

University of the Philippines Open University The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) is a public research university and is the fifth constituent university of the University of the Philippines System. The majority of UPOU students are based in the Philippines but all of ...

(Associate in Arts, 2009) and the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (Masters in Business Administration, 2016). He earned a doctorate in public administration from the Cebu Technological University in 2019.

Political career

Gomez was a nominee of Mamamayan Ayaw sa Droga (MAD) Partylist in the Congressional election of 2001. Their party won but was disqualified for failing to present proof of sectoral representation. He planned to run as

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

province but, lacking the residency requirements, ran instead as an independent in the 2007 Senatorial elections which he lost. In 2010, he ran for a seat in the Congress for the 4th district of Leyte but was disqualified by the

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

(Comelec) for failing to establish residency in Ormoc. His wife, Lucy Torres-Gomez, took his place and won. He served as his wife's chief of staff during her term as congresswoman. In 2013, he ran for mayor of Ormoc City but lost. He was finally elected as Mayor in 2016 and was reelected in 2019. He ran for a seat in the Congress for the 4th district of Leyte in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, switching places with his wife and eventually won.

Sports

Gomez was a member of the Philippine team that won gold in the team men's épée event at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. Gomez won the gold medal for the Philippines at the Asian Master Fencing Championship in 2015. Since 2016, he has also served as the president of the Philippine Fencing Association. He is also the president of the Philippine Modern Pentathlon Association.

Controversies

In 2019, Gomez's painting titled ''"Oooohh"'', which depicted a male

genitalia A sex organ, also known as a reproductive organ, is a part of an organism that is involved in sexual reproduction. Sex organs constitute the primary sex characteristics of an organism. Sex organs are responsible for producing and transporting ...

, went viral and gained controversy. Displayed at the ManilART fair at SMX Convention Center Aura in

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...

, the piece was sold for , garnering significant attention on social media. Critics argued that Gomez used his celebrity status to gain entry to the fair, questioning the artistic merit of his work and highlighting the disconnect between fame and genuine artistry. Gomez described the painting as "self-explanatory" and stated that "with deeper thought, it represents lust, self-pleasure, and power." He has been painting since the 1990s and collecting art since the 1980s. In 2024, Gomez wrote a Facebook post where he complained about being stuck in traffic on

EDSA Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA (), is a major Ring road, circumferential road around Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It passes through 6 of Metro Manila's 17 local government units or citi ...

for two hours. In the post, he suggested that the EDSA Busway should opened to regular traffic, arguing that "only a few buses use t. This statement drew backlash online, causing Gomez to delete the post but issue a follow-up statement the next day, defending his comments as his own personal opinion. He reiterated his stance, comparing his proposal to the practice of opening counterflow lanes on the Metro Manila Skyway during

rush hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...

. He later made a post on Threads criticizing media outlets for allegedly misreporting that he had deleted the posts, clarifying that he had only hidden them.

Alleged connection to Albuera shooting incident

Gomez and his wife, incumbent

Ormoc City Ormoc (IPA: Help:IPA/Tagalog, �oɾˈmok, officially the City of Ormoc (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, independent component city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, have been alleged by Albuera, Leyte mayoral candidate Kerwin Espinosa to possibly be connected to an assassination attempt on the latter's life on April 10, 2025. In his claim, Espinosa stated that Ormoc police chief Reydante Ariza, a suspect in the incident, would have only answered to the Gomez couple, though he refrained from accusing them outright of instructing Ariza to target him. Gomez has denounced Espinosa's statement, and claimed that the assassination attempt on Espinosa was "scripted".

Filmography

Films

*''Hindi Mo Ako Kayang Tapakan'' (1984) - Jun *''Naked Paradise'' (1985) *''Inday Bote'' (1985) - Edward Salameda *''Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang'' ("Zombie" segment) (1985) - Zombie *''I Can't Stop Loving You'' (1985) - Alvin Laurel *''Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'' (1986) *''Blusang Itim'' (1986) - Angelo *''When I Fall in Love'' (1986) - Dong *''Balimbing: Mga Taong Hunyango'' (1986) *''Paalam... Bukas ang Kasal Ko'' (1986) - Paul Raymundo *'' Super Islaw and the Flying Kids'' (1986) - Islaw/Super Islaw *''Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita'' (1986) - Dinky *''Tuklaw'' (1986) *''Once Upon a Time'' (1987) - Rommel *''Tagos ng Dugo'' (1987) - Pepito *''Forward March'' (1987) - Danny *''Ibigay Mo sa Akin ang Bukas'' (1987) *'' Kid, Huwag Kang Susuko'' (1987) - Cesar 'Shawie' Arroyo *''Paano Kung Wala Ka Na'' (1987) - Sonny *''Kumander Gringa'' (1987) *''Fly Me to the Moon'' (1988) - Prinsipe Dax *''Stupid Cupid'' ("Forever My Love" segment) (1988) - Ruel *''Nasaan Ka Inay'' (1988) - Donald *''Buy One, Take One'' (1988) *''

'' (1988) - Bien *''Sa Akin Pa Rin ang Bukas'' (1988) *''Lamat sa Kristal'' (1988) *''

'' (1988) - Jimmy *''Kailan Mahuhusgahan ang Kasalanan'' (1989) - Robert Quintana *''Kahit Wala Ka Na'' (1989) - Patrick *''Impaktita'' (1989) - Rudy *''Eastwood & Bronson: Palibhasa Detektib'' (1989) - Eastwood *''Rape of Virginia P.'' (1989) *''Isang Araw Walang Diyos'' (1989) - Lt.Cary Altamonte *''Rosenda'' (1989) - Efren *'' Dyesebel'' (1990)- Edward *''Nagsimula sa Puso'' (1990)- Carlo *''Hanggang Saan ang Tapang Mo'' (1990) - Ruben Alejandro *'' Kapag Langit ang Humatol'' (1990) - Hector *''Iputok Mo... Dadapa Ako! (Hard to Die)'' (1990) - Tricycle driver *''Lover's Delight'' (1990) - Machete *'' Shake, Rattle & Roll II'' (1990; "Aswang" segment) - Tricycle driver *''I Want to Live'' (1991) *''Para sa Iyo ang Huling Bala Ko'' (1991) - Quintin *''

'' (1991) - Gabriel *''Buburahin Kita sa Mundo'' (1991) - Rodel Segovia *'' Akin ang Pangarap Mo'' (1992) - Leo Hidalgo *''True Confessions (Evelyn, Myrna & Maggie)'' (1992) *''Lumayo Ka Nga sa Akin'' (1992) - Raul *''Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin'' (1992) - Cesar *''Iisa Pa Lamang'' (1992) - Arman *''Buddy en Sol (Sine Ito)'' (1992) *''Ang Siga at ang Sosyal'' (1992)-Aris *''Paminsan-minsan'' (1992) *''Ngayon at Kailanman'' (1992) - Edwin Torres *'' Ikaw Pa Lang ang Minahal'' (1992) - David *'' Saan Ka Man Naroroon'' (1993) - Miguel *''Wating'' (1994) - Ardo *''Bakit Pa Kita Minahal'' (1994) - Teddy *'' Maalaala Mo Kaya: The Movie'' (1994) - Mike *''Sana'y Mapatawad Mo'' (1994) - Bong *''Kapantay Ay Langit'' (1994) - Steve *''

Eskapo ''Eskapo'' is a 1995 Cinema of the Philippines, Filipino action film, action thriller film directed by Chito S. Roño and written by Roy C. Iglesias, Roy Iglesias and Jose F. Lacaba, Jose Lacaba. It stars Christopher de Leon and Richard Gomez as ...

'' (1995) - Sergio Osmeña III *''Sa'yo Lamang'' (1995)- Andrew *''Dahas'' (1995) - Jake *''Kahit Kailan'' (1997) *''Hanggang Kailan Kita Mamahalin'' (1997) - Mike Reyes *''Walang Katumbas ang Dugo'' (1998) *''Ang Babae sa Bintana'' (1998) - Mitch *''Linlang'' (1999) - Lance *''Minsan Minahal Kita'' (2000) - Albert Simone *''Ikaw Lamang Hanggang Ngayon'' (2002) - Ryan *'' Mano Po'' (2002) - Raf *'' Walang Kapalit'' (2003) - Dennis Rustia *'' Filipinas'' (2003) - Samuel Filipinas *''Eternity'' (2006) - Fencing Instructor *''Bente'' (2009) - Roman *''Sonata'' (2013) *'' She's Dating the Gangster'' (2014) - Adult Kenji *''The Janitor'' (2014) *'' The Trial'' (2014) - Julian Bien *'' The Love Affair'' (2015)- Vince Ramos *'' Love Me Tomorrow'' (2016)- cameo *'' Three Words to Forever'' (2018) - Rick Andrada

Television

Awards and nominations

Film

* FAMAS Award for Best Actor for ''The Love Affair'' (nominee) *Gawad TANGLAW Awards 2015 for Best Supporting Actor for '' The Trial'' *17th Gawad PASADO Awards 2015 for PinakaPASADOng Katuwang na Aktor for '' The Trial'' *FAMAS Award for Best Actor for ''Filipinas'' (nominee) *FAMAS Award for Best Actor for ''Dahas'' *FAP Award for Best Actor for ''Dahas'' (tied with Fernando Poe Jr. for ''Kahit Butas ng Karayom'') *Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor for ''Dahas'' (nominee) *Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor for ''Waiting'' *Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor for ''Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin'' (nominee) *Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor for ''Saan Ka Man Naroroon'' *Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor for ''Nagsimula sa Puso'' (nominee) *Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor for ''Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit'' *

Metro Manila Film Festival The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority and held nationwide in the Philippines. The festival, which runs from Christmas Day through New Year's Day and into first weeke ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

for People's Choice Awards for Best Actor for ''Filipinas'' *

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

for Best Actor for ''Dahas'' *Star Awards for Movies: Actor of the Year for ''Dahas'' (1996)

Television

* 23rd PMPC Star Awards for TV Best Game Show Host for '' Family Feud (Philippine Edition)'' * 26th PMPC Star Awards for TV Best Drama Actor for '' Walang Hanggan'' (nominee) * Golden Screen TV Awards 2013 Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series for '' Walang Hanggan'' * 30th PMPC Star Awards for TV Best Drama Actor for '' You're My Home'' (nominee)

Sports

*2005 Southeast Asian Games for fencing (Men's Team Épée) - Gold Medalist

Others

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

for Ellen Lising Male Face of the Night * GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards

for All Time Favorite Love Team on Movies and TV (with

)"44th Guillermo Mendoza Box-Office Entertainment Awards"
'' Pep.ph''. Retrieved May 19, 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Richard 1966 births Living people 20th-century Filipino male actors 20th-century Filipino sportsmen 21st-century Filipino male actors ABS-CBN people Actors from Bulacan Actors from Cebu Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Comedians from Manila Competitors at the 2005 SEA Games Fencers at the 1998 Asian Games Fencers at the 2002 Asian Games * Filipino actor-politicians Filipino sportsperson-politicians Filipino male comedians Filipino male épée fencers Filipino male film actors Filipino male models Filipino male television actors Filipino television directors GMA Network (company) people Independent politicians in the Philippines Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Male actors from Cebu Male actors from Manila Partido Federal ng Pilipinas politicians People from Ormoc Politicians from Bulacan Politicians from Cebu SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines SEA Games medalists in fencing Tagalog people TV5 Network people University of Perpetual Help System DALTA alumni University of the Philippines Open University alumni