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

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

frequently cast in musical films. He was a gifted

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

r, often paired with frequent on-screen partner

Nida Blanca Dorothy Guinto Jones (January 6, 1936 – November 7, 2001), popularly known by her stage name Nida Blanca, was a Filipina actress. After a successful acting career in films during the 1950s, many of which are with actor Nestor de Villa, sh ...

in both

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

. 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, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

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

Bayani Casimiro Bayani Casimiro Sr. (July 16, 1918 – February 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 danc ...

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 ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 peop ...

in the province of

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province i ...

. He was a pre-medical student when he was signed by LVN Pictures. 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 movie 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 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

, 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 es ...

where in

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

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

Gloria Romero Gloria Romero may refer to: *Gloria Romero (actress) Gloria Anne Borrego Galla (born December 16, 1933), known professionally as Gloria Romero (), is a multi-awarded Filipino actress, regarded as the “Queen of Philippine Movies”, her care ...

. 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 (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 ...

television show, ''The Nida-Nestor Show''. In the 1980s, de Villa made his screen comeback when he was again paired with Blanca in two movies for

Viva Films Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr. History Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta-Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to qual ...

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

Sharon Cuneta Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan ( , ; born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, television host, and socialite. Regarded as one of the most successful and highest-earning individuals in the Philippine entertainment industry, she has ...

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

Maricel Soriano Maricel Soriano (; born Maria Cecilia Dador Soriano; February 25, 1965) is a Filipina film and television actress, occasional host and dancer. With a career spanning of over 50 years, Soriano is one of the most celebrated artists and popularly ...

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, Lady Lee, RR Herrera, Chuckie Dreyfus, Glaiza Herradura, Rose Ann Gonzales, Matet de Leon and A ...

. 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 an American-born Filipino commercial and film director, producer. Personal life Soriano was born and raised in Los Angeles. 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.

Filmography

Movies

TV shows

Death

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

Notes

External links

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