Roseo José Dagdag Rosales Jr. (24 March 1974 – 4 December 2011) also known as RJ Rosales, was a
Filipino Australian singer, actor, musical theatre performer, and TV presenter.
Biography
Early life
Born in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, his family migrated to Sydney when he was thirteen. His parents are Roseo Macalintal Rosales and Erlinda Dagdag. He spent his early adult years in Sydney, where his family still resides, while he constantly moved to Singapore and Manila for work. Rosales finished a
BS Mathematics degree from the
University of Western Sydney
Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, Australia. The university in its current form was founded in 1989 as a federated network u ...
and worked as a banker before entering show business. His childhood idols included James Ingram, Mariah Carey, Anthony Warlow and
Martin Nievera
Martin Ramon Razon Nievera (; born February5, 1962) is a Filipino-American singer and television host. In his career spanning more than three decades, Nievera has garnered eighteen platinum, five double platinum, three triple platinum, and one ...
.
Career
Rosales started his professional career by joining the cast of the original Australian production of ''
Miss Saigon
''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed rom ...
'' in 1996 as part of the ensemble. A major turning point for a banker with a BS Mathematics degree. However, the production only lasted three months, but later on in the late-1998 Rosales moved to Singapore and began a successful career both in theatre and television. His theatre credits that include leading roles in ''
Chang & Eng'', ''The Student Prince'', ''Man of Letters'', ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
'', and ''Forbidden City''. He also made numerous Singapore television appearances that included ''Spin'' and ''Style Doctors''.
In addition, his work has extended to the Philippines where Rosales is also praised as a successful singer, actor, host and recording artist, performing with several popular artists, the most notable being the hit movie theme song ''Together Forever'' with
Carol Banawa
Carol Claire Aguilar Banawa-Crisostomo (born March 4, 1981), better known in the Philippines as Carol Banawa, is a US-based Filipina singer, actress, and nurse. She is a Star Magic Batch 4 alumna.
Early life and career
Raised in Batangas, she ...
. It was his regular stint in
ASAP, the number 1 musical variety show in the Philippines that made him a household name in the country.
He has held live concerts in the United States, Australia, Singapore, Japan and
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.
In the movie scene he was seen in the
MMFF Best Movie for 2005, ''
Blue Moon
A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season.
The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon a ...
'', where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Later work
From 2007 to 2008 Rosales was in Australia, performing in the revived production of
Sir Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...
's musical ''Miss Saigon'', in which he portrays ''Thuy'', alongside
Laurie Cadevida
Laurie Kristi Cadevida is a musical theatre performer and the younger sister of Filipino singer Kris Lawrence. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She appeared on Ed McMahon's short-lived PAX Network talent competition ''Next Big ...
. For this role, he was nominated for the 2007
Helpmann Award
The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001.
The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical th ...
s Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. During the latter part of the tour, Rosales also understudied and played the role of the Engineer, again earning him rave reviews. After completing the 14-month Miss Saigon tour that wowed audiences in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, RJ went back to Singapore to stage his comeback solo concert at the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay dubbed as ''A Musical Journey with RJ Rosales'' on 29 August 2008.
Death
Rosales unexpectedly died in Sydney on 4 December 2011. The funeral mass was held at the Blessed John XXIII Parish Church in
Stanhope Gardens. Rosales was laid to rest at the Pine Grove Memorial Park in Kingston St.,
Minchinbury.
Filmography
TV show
* ''Style Doctors'' (2004)
* ''
ASAP'' (1995–2004)
* ''
Showbiz Lingo
''Showbiz Lingo'' (later ''Showbiz Lingo Plus'') was a Philippine weekly entertainment news and talk show. It was first broadcast on August 2, 1992, replacing ''Junior Patrol'', under the name ''Showbiz Lingo'' and on May 11, 1997, after a reform ...
'' (1996–1999)''
* ''
Attagirl'' (2001–2002)
* ''Da Pilya en Da Pilot'' (2001–2002)
* ''
Sa Puso Ko Iingatan Ka
''Sa Puso Ko Iingatan Ka'' (International Name: My Heart, Take Care / ) is a Philippine primetime drama series made by ABS-CBN. It aired from June 18, 2001 to February 14, 2003. The show starred Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual.
The series re-ai ...
'' (2002)
* ''
Miss Earth
Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one of t ...
'' (2002)
* ''Your Honor'' (2001–2002)
* ''Spin'' (2000–2001)
* ''ABCs of Health'' (2000–2001)
* ''The Making of Miss Saigon'' (2001)
Film
* ''
Blue Moon
A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season.
The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon a ...
'' (2006)
Stage
* ''
Into the Woods
''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...
'' (2011), as Cinderella's Prince, Esplanade Theatre, Singapore
* ''
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
''I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change'' is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music by Jimmy Roberts. It is the second-longest running Off-Broadway musical.Gans, Andrew"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change Ends NYC Run A ...
'' (2011), Singapore Drama Centre, National Library of Singapore
* ''Crazy Christmas'' (2010), Singapore Drama Centre, National Library of Singapore
* ''Her Son, Jose Rizal'' (2010) as Jose Rizal, Tom Mann Theatre, Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia
* ''
Beauty & The Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine T ...
'' (2009) – as The Beast, Singapore Drama Centre, National Library of Singapore
* ''A Musical Journey with RJ Rosales'' (2008), Esplanade Recital Hall
* ''
Miss Saigon
''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed rom ...
'' (1996, 2007–2008) – 1996:Ensemble 2007–2008: as Thuy; Understudy as The Engineer
* ''
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City () is a Chinese palace, palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples includ ...
'' (2006) – as Prince Tuan, Esplanade Theatre, Singapore
* ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
'' (2006) – Esplanade Theatre, Singapore
* ''Man of Letters'' (2006) – NUS University Cultural Centre, Singapore
*''All About Men 2'' (2005), Music Museum, Manila, Philippines
* ''Beautiful Sunday: Songs from the Heart by RJ Rosales'' (2004) – Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore
[ Songs from the Heart by RJ Rosales]
* ''Something Stupid Called Love'' (2003)
* ''East Meets West'' (2003)
* ''
Chang & Eng – the Musical'' (1999, 2001, 2002) – as Chang
* ''
Sayang
''Buruguduystunstugudunstuy'' is an album by the Filipino alternative rock band Parokya Ni Edgar, released in 1997 by Universal Records
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a D ...
'' (2001) – as DJ Mike, Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel
* ''
The Student Prince
''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play '' Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a score with some of Romberg's most enduri ...
'' (2000)
* ''In Celebration of Musical Theatre'' (2000)
* ''Underground – the Musical'' (1999)
* ''Locker Room'' (1999)
* ''35@2000'' (1999)
* ''Filipinas Circa 1880 – the Musical'' (1998)
Music videos
*
* ''Together Forever''
* ''You’re All That I Live For''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosales, Rj
1974 births
2011 deaths
Star Magic
Filipino male musical theatre actors
Australian male musical theatre actors
20th-century Filipino male singers
People from Manila
Male actors from Sydney
Filipino emigrants to Australia
Filipino television personalities
Filipino male television actors
Male actors from Manila
Western Sydney University alumni
Musicians from Sydney
Musicians from Manila