Marlene Daudén (born November 9, 1937) is a Filipino actress. Known for her performances in drama, particularly with themes of

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

, she was one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and one of the leading dramatic actresses of the period. She has appeared in 75 motion pictures throughout her career spanning nearly two decades. Her accolades include five

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 ...

and a Manila Film Festival Award.

Life and career

Early life and background

Born to a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

- Irish father and a Spanish-Filipino mother, Dauden grew up in a Spanish-speaking household. In 1956, she finished as a finalist in the competition Goldwin Girl of the Philippines.

1957-1971: Breakthrough and stardom

In 1957, Dauden, who just graduated from high school at St. Scholastica's College, was discovered by film producer Jose Roxas Perez and was then launched in the romantic drama ''Mga Ligaw na Bulaklak''. A stranger to the

Filipino language Filipino ( ; , ) is the national language of the Philippines, the main lingua franca, and one of the two official languages of the country, along with Philippine English, English. It is only a ''de facto'' and not a ''de jure'' standard langu ...

, Dauden had to learn how to speak the language and ask assistance from her co-stars early in her career as she only spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

at school and

at home. Later that year, she was cast in a secondary role in ''Gabi at Araw''. The following year, Dauden appeared in ten film productions. Among them, she received two nominations for the

FAMAS Award for Best Supporting Actress The FAMAS Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the FAMAS Awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Award, which are voted on by Palanca Award The Carlos Palanca Me ...

for her roles in ''Talipandas'' and ''Anino ng Bathala'', winning one for the latter. In 1959, she appeared in five productions under

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 ...

. Dauden starred as the titular role in the live adaptation of

Mars Ravelo Marcial "Mars" Custodio Ravelo (October 9, 1916 – September 12, 1988) was a Filipino people, Filipino comic book cartoonist and graphic novelist. Dubbed as the "''King of Pinoy Komiks''", he is notable for creating ''Darna, Dyesebel, Captain ...

's ''Rosa Rossini''. She received her second FAMAS Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the action drama ''Kamandag''. In 1967, Dauden was named Miss Philippine Movies.

1972-1978: Final projects and retirement

In 1972, Dauden starred in the romantic drama ''Babae... Ikaw ang Dahilan!'' with

Amalia Fuentes Amalia Amador Muhlach (born August 27, 1940 – October 5, 2019); commonly known as Amalia Fuentes (), was a Filipino actress and filmmaker whose career spanned six decades. She was the Queen of Philippine Movies in the 1960s and one of the to ...

and

Eddie Rodriguez Luis Clemente Enriquez (August 23, 1932 – October 12, 2001), better known by his stage name Eddie Rodriguez, was a Filipino film actor and director. Early life Enriquez was born on August 23, 1932, in Zamboanga City. He spent his childhood ...

. The film was an official entry to the 7th Manila Film Festival, where she was named Best Actress. Later that year, Dauden and her family decided to permanently migrate to

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, which was also the time when then President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

placed the Philippines under martial law. Her next film role was in the drama ''Siya’y Umalis, Siya’y Dumating'', which was an official entry to the first ever

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 ...

in 1975. After years of absence, she appeared in her final film project ''Kung Kaya Mo Kaya Ko Rin'' in 1978, where she starred with

Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...

and

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 ...

Public image and reception

Nestor Torre of '' Entertainment Inquirer'' described Dauden as an "orchidaceous beauty... reminiscent of

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...

and other Italian screen beauties". On a research conducted by ''

SunStar Sunstar or Sun Star may refer to: Astronomy *The Sun Newspapers * '' Merced Sun-Star'' in California, United States * ''Sun Star'' (Alaska), a student newspaper in Alaska, United States * '' SunStar'' in the Philippines :* '' SunStar Cebu' ...

'' writer Mila Espina, she named her one of the most beautiful faces in the Philippines, based on survey results. Dauden is often regarded by numerous critics as one of the greatest Filipino actresses in Philippine cinema. She was the first Filipino actress to achieve five competitive

. John Ryann Gallego of the ''

'' described her, including

Carmen Rosales Januaria Constantino Keller (March 3, 1917 – December 11, 1991), better known by her stage name Carmen Rosales and by her nickname Mameng, was a noted Filipina actress and World War II guerilla fighter. Her acting career spanned the decades i ...

and

Lolita Rodriguez Lolita Rodriguez (born Dolores Marquez Clark; January 29, 1935 – November 28, 2016) was a Filipino actress whose career spanned four decades. Regarded as the "Queen of Philippine Drama", she was noted for her restrained, subtle acting style ...

, as a "natural and versatile" actress. Dauden, together with frequent collaborators Lolita Rodriguez and

, are credited for popularizing the love triangle drama in Philippine cinema, following the reception of the romantic drama ''Sapagkat Kami'y Tao Lamang''. Writing for ''

Manila Bulletin The ''Manila Bulletin'' () (also known as the ''Bulletin'' and previously known as the ''Manila Daily Bulletin'' from 1906 to September 23, 1972, and the ''Bulletin Today'' from November 22, 1972, to March 10, 1986) is the Philippines' largest ...

'', Jojo Panaligan described the trio as "the precursor of today’s infidelity triangles."

Acting credits

Film

Television

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

*
The Unofficial FAMAS Awards Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dauden, Marlene 1941 births Living people 20th-century Filipino actresses Filipino emigrants to the United States Filipino film actresses Filipino people of Irish descent Filipino people of Spanish descent Filipino television actresses Filipino television personalities St. Scholastica's College Manila alumni