Soledad (Sol, Solly) Ballon Magdaluyo (born March 11, 1940), better known by her screen name Sofia Moran, is 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 ...

actress, singer and record artist, credited with over 60 Philippine and foreign films. The Philippine actress began her film career in the Philippines in 1967 shortly after

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...

, then the country's biggest box-office draw and action star, gave her a first break and introduced her as Sofia Moran in his major film in 1968. She was born as Soledad Ballon in Nabua,

Camarines Sur Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...

Career

Sofia was immediately featured in Valiente Brothers, starring Joseph Estrada, Jess Lapid Sr., and

Jun Aristorenas Juanito "Jun" Madarang Aristorenas (May 7, 1933 – April 25, 2000) was a Filipino actor, director, dancer, producer and writer. the biggest action stars in the country in 1968, and famously Directed by Augusto Buenaventura. Sofia Moran made a remarkable 64 movies between 1967 and 1974 sharing the lead and starring next to the biggest leading male movie stars in the business to include Joseph Estrada,

Fernando Poe Jr. Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., and often referred to by his initials FPJ, was a Filipino actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and politician. His long and s ...

Tony Ferrer Antonio Dising Laxa (June 12, 1934 – January 23, 2021), better known by his stage name Tony Ferrer, was a Filipino actor, film director and producer. He was tagged as the James Bond of the Philippines for his films in which he played a spy name ...

Eddie Garcia Eduardo "Eddie" Verchez Garcia (; May 2, 1929 – June 21, 2019), colloquially known as Manoy, was a Filipino actor, television personality, and filmmaker. Widely regarded as the greatest Filipino actor of all time, Garcia appeared in nearly ...

, Zaldy Zshornack,

Vic Vargas Jose Maria Marfori Asuncion (March 28, 1939 – July 19, 2003), better known by his stage name Vic Vargas, was a Filipino film actor and judoka. Early life and career Vic Vargas was born on March 28, 1939. When he was 17, Vargas won three cha ...

and Bernard Bonnin. Her most memorable films were Sofia starred in many of the Philippines’ historical movie classics, notably Siete Infantes de Lara (1973) as Princess Gismenia, co-starred with the legendary and award-winning filmmaker,

Manuel Conde Manuel Conde (born Manuel Pabustan Urbano; October 9, 1915 – August 11, 1985) was a Filipino actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan Urbano during the 1930s aside from his more popular screen name. He was t ...

. During the 1970s up until her migration to the United States (Las Vegas), Sofia was busy with her Las Vegas-style Live performances in Manila entertainment venues, such as the legendary Victoria Peak, as well as within the islands in the Philippines, Southeast Asia and major cities in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka). In 1971, Moran co-starred in the cult film ''

Women in Cages ''Women in Cages'' is a 1971 women in prison sexploitation film directed by Gerardo de León and starring Jennifer Gan, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, and Pam Grier. Co-produced by Roger Corman, it was prominently featured in the '' Planet Terr ...

'' with

Pam Grier Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and martial artist. Described by Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star, she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action, blaxploitati ...

. It was featured in the

Planet Terror ''Planet Terror'' is a 2007 American action comedy horror film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Set in Texas, the film follows the survivors of a biochemical outbreak as they battle zombie-like creatures and a rogue military unit. It s ...

portion of the 2007 film

Grindhouse A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter, and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a f ...

directed by Quentin Tarantino. In August 2007,

Director

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

said of the film, "I'm a huge, huge fan of Gerry de Leon.... the film ''Women in Cages'' is just harsh, harsh, harsh," he said, and described the final shot as one of "devastating despair." Sofia generated critical international reviews from her role as Theresa in ''Women in Cages'' and was nominated as Best Actress in a Supporting Role during the 1971 Metro Manila Film Festival Sofia Moran became known in the 1970's as one of the major actors starring in films representing both the liberation as well as exploitation of the Philippines Film Industry in scenes with daring and bold scenes such as her films in "Huwag Kang Makiapid" (1971) and "Marupok" (1970), as well as the article by Michael Flores, Bodies of Work in Philippine Cinema.

Filmography

Personal life

After retiring from film, Moran lived in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, and

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, with her husband, Dante A. Magdaluyo. Magdaluyo worked as a casino pit manager at

Caesars Atlantic City Caesars Atlantic City is a luxury hotel, casino, and destination spa, spa resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas, it has an ancient Roman and Classical Greece, ancient Greek theme. Atlantic City' ...

. Moran has homes in Nabua, Camarines Sur,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

, and

. Her husband, Dante, died on February 24, 2019, at Santa Maria Josefa Foundation Hospital in

Iriga Iriga, officially the City of Iriga (Rinconada Bikol: ''Syudad ka Iriga''; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the ...

City, Camarines Sur. Moran is Catholic. She volunteers and supports the work of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Nabua and the Catholic Women's League in Naga City. Every year, she coordinates Nabua's annual Fiesta of Nuestra Senora de Angustia.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Sofia 1940 births Living people Filipino film actresses 20th-century Filipino women singers American people of Filipino descent Actresses from Camarines Sur Singers from Camarines Sur

Career

Filmography

Personal life

Further reading

References

External links