Krista Elyse Hidalgo Sullivan (born May 3, 1991), better known by her
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Bela Padilla (), is a Filipino-British actress, film producer, film director, screenwriter, television host, and brand ambassador.
She is best known for Television dramas GMA-7 and her official home Network ABS-CBN and Critically-Acclaimed Films such as 100 Tula Para Kay Stella and Meet Me in St Gallen with JC Santos opposite Carlo Aquino and The Day Before Valentines third film and On Vodka her and Beers and Regrets her fourth film with JC Santos in 2022 her directorial debut in the film 366 is opposite Zanjoe Marudo and JC Santos for film studio Viva Films in 2017 she wrote the screen play for the Joyce Bernal film “Last Night”starring Toni Gonzaga and Piolo Pascual. In addition to becoming a film favorite she has pushed her writing and directorial skills for future projects.
Early life and education
Padilla (born Krista Elyse Hidalgo Sullivan) was born to British Cornelius Gary Sullivan and wife Margarette Cariño Hidalgo ("Meg"). Her mother Meg is a maternal first-degree cousin to
Robin Padilla
Robinhood Ferdinand Cariño Padilla (; born November 23, 1969), known professionally as Robin Padilla, is a Filipino politician, television personality, martial artist, actor and director currently serving as a Senator of the Philippines since ...
. Her father was divorced from his first wife. She has three elder half-siblings in England from her father's first family while she also has an elder brother from both of her parents. She first attended a
Montessori education
The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
-style
international school
An international school is an institution that promotes education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterized by a multinational student body a ...
in
Forbes Park, Makati
Forbes Park is a private subdivision, gated community, and barangay in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. Established in 1949, Forbes Park was named after William Cameron Forbes, the fifth American Governor-General of the Philippines during the ...
, before attending the foreigners class of
Colegio San Agustin – Makati
Colegio San Agustín – Makati, also referred to by its acronym CSA or CSA-Makati, is a private, Catholic, co-educational basic education institution run by the Augustinian Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines of the Order ...
.
Padilla took up
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
as an
elective in
senior high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
.
Padilla's maternal grandmother is the sister of Eva Cariño-Padilla, wife of actor-director and former
Camarines Norte
Camarines Norte ( bcl, Amihanan na Camarines; fil, Hilagang Camarines), officially the Province of Camarines Norte, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Daet, Camarin ...
governor
Roy Padilla Sr. She is the niece, of second degree consanguinity, to actors
Rommel Padilla
Rommel Cariño Padilla (; born January 4, 1965) is a Filipino actor, model, businessman, politician, and movie producer.
Early life
He was born to late Governor Roy Padilla Sr. and actress Eva Cariño.
Padilla's siblings from the same paren ...
,
Robin Padilla
Robinhood Ferdinand Cariño Padilla (; born November 23, 1969), known professionally as Robin Padilla, is a Filipino politician, television personality, martial artist, actor and director currently serving as a Senator of the Philippines since ...
and
BB Gandanghari
Binibini Gandanghari (; born Rustom Cariño Padilla;
Robinpadilla.net. Retrieved on August 17, 2012. ; Septembe ...
,
and second cousin to
RJ and
Daniel Padilla
Daniel John Elago Ford (born April 26, 1995), better known by his screen name Daniel Padilla (), is a Filipino actor and recording artist. Padilla made his television debut with a supporting role in the soap opera ''Gimik 2010'' (2010), befor ...
(sons of Rommel) and Queenie and
Kylie Padilla
Kylie Nicole Sicangco Padilla (; born 25 January 1993) is a Filipino actress, singer and model. She is the daughter of actor Robin Padilla and Liezl Sicangco.
Early life
Padilla was born on Angeles, Pampanga, to Filipino actors Robin Padi ...
(daughters of Robin).
She is a practicing
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ev ...
.
Career
Padilla was discovered by
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
talent scout Jet Valle after the latter saw her on one of her field trips and introduced her to ABS-CBN via
Star Magic
ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts, Inc., trade name, doing business as Star Magic (formerly known as ABS-CBN Talent Center), is the Talent agency, talent agency owned by ABS-CBN Corporation based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines t ...
Batch 15 and adopted the stage name Krista Valle.
The same year she got her first TV role in the
teen drama
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
''
Star Magic Presents
''Star Magic Presents'' is a weekly love anthology program that began airing on the ABS-CBN network in the Philippines from July 29, 2006 to May 10, 2008. The show features artists from Star Magic, the talent management agency of ABS-CBN.
In an i ...
'': ''
Abt Ur Luv Ur Lyf 2''. She later changed her stage name to her real name Krista Sullivan when she started working as a freelance actress.
In 2009, she played a minor role in the TV series ''
Totoy Bato
''Totoy Bato'' is a 2009 Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is based on the graphic novel created by Carlo J. Caparas. Directed by Mac Alejandre and Don Michael Perez, it stars Robin Padilla in the title role ...
''.
She then became a cast regular on the third season of ''
Lokomoko High'' in
TV5.
In 2010, she left
Star Magic
ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts, Inc., trade name, doing business as Star Magic (formerly known as ABS-CBN Talent Center), is the Talent agency, talent agency owned by ABS-CBN Corporation based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines t ...
, replaced her manager with
Claire dela Fuente
Clarita "Claire" Crisostomo dela Fuente-de Guzman (; December 28, 1958 – March 30, 2021) was a Filipina singer. She achieved celebrity status in the late 1970s with the jukebox hit "Sayang" and was given the title "Asia's Sweetest Voice" beca ...
and moved to
GMA-7
DZBB-TV, Channel 7 (analog) and Channel 15 (digital), is the flagship TV station of Philippine television network GMA. The station is owned and operated by GMA Network Inc. with its studios are located at the GMA Network Center, EDSA corner ...
. Along with the move, she also finally changed her stage name to Bela Padilla.
In 2011, Bela was awarded the Miss Friendship and the Media's Darling awards in the Asian Super Model Contest that was held in
Guilin
Guilin ( Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''; alternatively romanized as Kweilin) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the west bank of the Li River and borders Hunan to the nort ...
and
Nanning
Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of ...
in the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ( ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, on 6 and 7 September.
In March 2012, Padilla was at the center of a controversy when her ''
FHM Philippines
''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...
'' magazine cover was withdrawn due to accusations of
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
.
In 2015, Padilla returned to ABS-CBN after signing an exclusive contract with
Dreamscape Entertainment Television
Dreamscape Entertainment is a Philippine television production company and entertainment division of ABS-CBN Corporation. It is one of the media conglomerate's television production units that supplies telenovelas for the flagship television n ...
, one of ABS-CBN's famous TV assets, and played the role of Carmen in the hit teleserye ''
FPJ's Ang Probinsyano
''FPJ's Ang Probinsyano'' (lit. ''FPJ's The Provincial Man''; abbreviated as ''FPJAP'' and internationally known as ''Brothers'') is a 2015 Philippine action drama television series under ABS-CBN Entertainment replacing ''Nathaniel''. Bas ...
'', inspired from the
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 ...
film of the same title, co-starring
Coco Martin
Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno (born November 1, 1981), known professionally by his stage name Coco Martin (), is a Filipino actor, director, and film producer. He is best known for playing the lead roles in ''Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'', '' Walang H ...
,
Maja Salvador
Maja Ross Andres Salvador-Ortega (; born October 5, 1988) is a Filipino actress, performer, television host, occasional producer, and talent manager. Referred to as the “Majestic Superstar”and the "''Queen of Revenge Drama''", Salvador is ...
and
Susan Roces.
In 2019, Bela Padilla starred in ''
Sino ang Maysala?: Mea Culpa'' as Juris.
Personal
On November 24, 2021, Bela revealed that she relocated to the UK.
Filmography
Television
Film
Music video appearances
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Padilla, Bela
1991 births
Living people
Filipino child actresses
Filipino Christians
Filipino film actresses
Filipino people of British descent
Filipino people of English descent