Romeo John Gonzales Arcilla (born June 24, 1966) is a Filipino international actor and environmentalist.[1] He is best known for playing the role of the Antonio Luna in the historical drama film Heneral Luna, Hagorn in the fantasy drama television series Encantadia and Renato Hipolito, in the action drama television series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.
Personal life[]
John Arcilla was born in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines to Filipino parents, Dominador Gil Alemania Arcilla and Eustacia Gonzales. He is a descendant of Manuel L. Quezon from his mother's side. Arcilla and his family moved to his mother's hometown Baler, Aurora due to the declaration of martial law in 1972. There, he began to show interest in acting at age 7, when he had fantasies of performing on stage in front of a large audience. He was heavily influenced by his parents, from his mother who was a fan of Broadway and Hollywood actors such as Julie Andrews, Yul Brynner & Marilyn Monroe and from his father who was very interested in film.[2][3][4]
Education[]
Arcilla finished high school at Mount Carmel College of Baler (MCC Baler). He was an avid participant and member of the Philippine Educational Theater Association-Metropolitan Teen Theater League (PETA-MTTL) community based, during his high school days. He graduated as a scholar of mass communication from Saint Joseph's College of Quezon City (SJCQC). He was an acting scholar of the Actors' Workshop Foundation under Laurice Guillen and Leo Martinez from 1987 to 1990.
Career[]
Arcilla joined Tanghalang Pilipino, which is the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He played the lead roles in several plays, including Orosman and Zafra, Walang Sugat, and Ryan Cayabyab's Rizal musical trilogy. He continued performing between 1990-1997 and during which, he also got his first work outside of theater in a bacon TV commercial "Coffee na lang Dear" and became incredibly popular, allowing him to do more mainstream projects.[5]
He appeared on television and starred in several films, gaining recognition for his performance in the 1996 film, Mulanay for which he won Best Actor at the 1996 Manila Film Festival. A year later, he starred in Ligaya Ang Itawag Mo Sa Akin and won another Best Supporting Actor award at the Gawad Urian.
From 1998-2005 Arcilla once again starred in several supporting roles in film and television, including the 2000 drama series, Pangako Sa 'Yo, the 2003 action-crime drama, Basta't Kasama Kita and 2005 fantasy drama, Sugo. He played the lead role in the film adaptation of Tony Perez' play about infidelity, Sa North Diversion Road. Arcilla and co-star Irma Adlawan have previously played their roles in the theater version. Both actors were nominated at the 2006 Golden Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Leading Role (Drama) respectively.[6]
In 2006, Arcilla starred in the film Compound. He was once again nominated for a Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Drama) at the 2007 Golden Screen Award and earned a nomination for Movie Actor of the Year at the Star Awards for Movies. In 2009, he earned his third Gawad Urian nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the film Manila Skies.
He starred in three films in 2010, the indie film Halaw for which he won a Best Actor award at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival,[7] Amigo, which is an American-Filipino drama film based on the Philippine-American War, and the comedy-drama, Petrang Kabayo. He returned to television in 2010 in the suspense drama Magkaribal. In 2011, he played supporting characters in two television shows, Machete and Mana Po. He was also in two films, Thelma and No Other Woman.
He had a minor role in the 2012 spy thriller The Bourne Legacy, where he played the head security guard.[8] He also played Mariano Trias in the Emilio Aguinaldo biopic, El Presidente.
In 2013, he starred in the British-Filipino independent film Metro Manila which was selected as the British entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. Arcilla earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 16th British Independent Film Awards.[9]
In 2015, Arcilla played Gen. Antonio Luna in the historical biopic film, Heneral Luna. Having played several national heroes before, he was already familiar with historical films. To prepare for the role, he carefully analyzed the positive and negative sides of the general's personality, taking note of his temper and vulnerability.[10][11] The film broke the record for highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time.[12] Owing to the popularity of his role as Antonio Luna, Arcilla would later reprise or parody his role as the general in various television commercials.[13]
Currently, John Arcilla plays the villainous Renato "Buwitre" Hipolito on FPJ's Ang Probinsyano starring Coco Martin. He will next appear in "A Hard Day" alongside Dingdong Dantes.
Filmography[]
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1991 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Alkansya | |
| 1992-1994 1995-1997 |
Valiente | Froilan / Benjie |
| 1998 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Desaparesidos | |
| 1999 | G-mik | Cesar Rivera |
| 2000 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Boses | |
| 2000-2002 | Pangako Sa ’Yo | Simon Barcial |
| 2001 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Baras | |
| Maalaala Mo Kaya: Mami and Siopao | ||
| Maalaala Mo Kaya: Taho | ||
| 2002 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Dyobus at Polbo | |
| 2003-2004 | Basta't Kasama Kita | Godofredo "Prince" Gonzales |
| Buttercup | Orly | |
| 2003 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Ferry Boat | |
| 2004 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Salamin | |
| 2004-2005 | SCQ Reload: OK Ako! | Dennis Roxas |
| 2005 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Kuwintas | |
| Magpakailanman: Vicente Undecimo | Mang Ente | |
| 2005-2006 | Sugo | Romeo |
| 2006-2007 | Komiks Presents: Da Adventures of Pedro Penduko | Mang Tony |
| 2006-2008 | Abt Ur Luv | Ramon Brondial |
| 2007 | Pangarap na Bituin | Benedict Tuazon |
| Sineserye Presents: May Minamahal | Ronald Tagle | |
| Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang: The Palace of the Dwarves | Lard | |
| 2007-2008 | Boys Nxt Door | Buboy's Father |
| 2008 | Carlo J. Caparas' Gagambino | Alejandro Bayani |
| I Am KC | Himself | |
| 2009-2010 | Sana Ngayong Pasko | King |
| May Bukas Pa | Eduardo | |
| 2010 | Magkaribal | Hermes Agustin |
| Habang May Buhay | Manuel Corpuz | |
| 2011 | Pablo S. Gomez's Machete | Alfonso |
| Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Mana Po | Vino Dela Paz | |
| Wansapanataym: Family Tree | Fidel Sandoval | |
| Wansapanataym: Ang bagong car ni Carl | Tatay | |
| Mula Sa Puso | Don Fernando Pereira Sr. | |
| Wansapanataym: Si Marcelino, ang payong at ang ulan | Tatay | |
| 2012 | My Beloved | Romeo Quijano |
| Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Lumayo Ka Man Sa Akin | Juanito Falcon | |
| Maalaala Mo Kaya: Kalendaryo | Fidel Chavez | |
| Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Hiyas | Donato Salvador | |
| Wansapanataym: The Amazing Gelliescope | Daddy | |
| 2012-2013 | A Beautiful Affair | Leopoldo "Epong" Riego |
| 2013 | Be Careful With My Heart | Wedding Priest |
| Apoy Sa Dagat | Odessa's Father | |
| One Day, Isang Araw: Gamer Girl | Eduardo | |
| Magpakailanman: School Bullying Caught on Cam | Tatay | |
| 2014 | Magpakailanman: Ang aking kakaibang pag-ibig | Tatay Ador |
| Pure Love | Peter Santos | |
| Maalaala Mo Kaya: Mikropono | Benny | |
| Maalaala Mo Kaya: Birth Certificate | Tatay | |
| Magpakailanman: Mag-inang aborsiyonista | Berto | |
| Magpakailanman: Girl boy bakla tomboy | Manny | |
| 2015 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Pictures | Papa |
| Oh My G! | Joe "Daddy-Ninong" Luna | |
| Magpakailanman: Brother na, sister pa | Ricardo | |
| 2016 | The Story of Us | Danillo "Danny" Manalo |
| That's My Amboy | Joselito "Lito" Tapang | |
| Magpakailanman: Mag-ama sa loob ng bilangguan | Hector | |
| Encantadia | Hagorn | |
| 2017 | Magpakalianman: Pag-ibig sa likod ng kababalaghan | Chito |
| Magpakailanman: Ang Bestfriend Kong Aso | Sergio | |
| 2017–present | FPJ's Ang Probinsyano | Renato "Buwitre" Hipolito[14] |
| 2018 | Barangay 143 | Coach B |
| 2019 | Ipaglaban Mo: Gayuma | Pedring |
| 2020 | Bangon Talentadong Pinoy | Himself / Talent scout |
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | 1989 | Orapronobis | Photojournalist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Bayani | Mariano Noriel | |||||
| 1993 | Sakay | Gen. Leon Villafuerte | |||||
| 1995 | Sa'yo Lamang | Hector | |||||
| 1996 | Mulanay | Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actor Nominated — Gawad Urian Award for Best Supporting Actor | |||||
| 1997 | Ligaya Ang Itawag Mo Sa Akin | Polding | Gawad Urian Award for Best Supporting Actor | ||||
| 1999 | Burger Boys | ||||||
| 2000 | Ang Babaeng Putik | Lt. Ramil | |||||
| Anino | Man in black | Short film | |||||
| Biyaheng Langit | Berto | ||||||
| Gusto Ko Nang Lumigaya | |||||||
| 2001 | Trip | Joboy and Celine's Dad | |||||
| 2002 | Sana Totoo Na | Carlo | |||||
| Diskarte | Insp. John Gomez | ||||||
| Forevermore | Ronaldo | ||||||
| 2003 | Ligaya...Katumbas ng Buhay | ||||||
| 2004 | Now That I Have You | Oscar Morelos | |||||
| 2005 | Sa North Diversion Road | Man | |||||
| 2006 | Compound | ||||||
| 2007 | A Love Story | Steve | |||||
| 2008 | Ay Ayeng | ||||||
| 2009 | Villa Estrella | Dave | |||||
| Manila Skies | Crispin | Nominated — Gawad Urian Award for Best Supporting Actor | |||||
| 2010 | Halaw | Hernand | Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival Best Actor in New Breed Full Length Feature Nominated — Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor | ||||
| Amigo | Nenong | ||||||
| 2011 | Thelma | Aldo Molino | |||||
| No Other Woman | Mario Dela Costa | ||||||
| Huling Araw ng Pagsisilbi | Short film | ||||||
| 2012 | The Bourne Legacy | Joseph | Hollywood movie debut - Cameo role | ||||
| Lilet Never Happened | |||||||
| El Presidente | Mariano Trías | ||||||
| 2013 | Metro Manila | Douglas Ong | Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Gawad Urian Award for Best Supporting Actor | ||||
| 2014 | Muslim Magnum .357: To Serve and Protect | Col. Jose Ramos | |||||
| 2015 | Heneral Luna | Gen. Antonio Luna | |||||
| 2016 | Birdshot | Mendoza | |||||
| 2019 | Second Coming | Priest | |||||
| Kuwaresma | Arturo Fajardo | ||||||
| The Panti Sisters | Don Emilio y Panti | ||||||
| Miracle in Cell No. 7 | Johnny San Juan |
Awards and nominations[]
Arcilla has earned a number of acting awards and nominations at various award-giving bodies in the Philippines and in 2013, earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 16th British Independent Film Awards.
He was conferred the Dangal ng Aurora in 2005 for his exceptional talent as one of the country's acclaimed actors in theater, film, and television industries. He was also awarded as one of the Outstanding Citizens of San Luis, Aurora in 2009 for his exemplary achievements in the field of performing arts.[15]
| Year | Award Giving Body | Category | Work | Result | 1996 | Metro Manila Film Festival | Best Actor | Mulanay | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Gawad Urian Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Ligaya Ang Itawag Mo Sa Akin | Won | |||||
| 2006 | Golden Screen Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Drama) | On The North Diversion Road | Nominated | |||||
| 2007 | Golden Screen Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Drama) | Compound | Nominated | |||||
| Star Awards for Movies | Movie Actor of the Year | Nominated | |||||||
| 2009 | Gawad Urian Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Manila Skies | Nominated | |||||
| 2010 | Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival | Best Actor (New Breed) | Halaw | Won | |||||
| 2011 | 25th PMPC Star Awards for Television | Best Single Performance by an Actor | Maalaala Mo Kaya - Episode "Cross" | Nominated | |||||
| 2013 | 16th British Independent Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Metro Manila | Nominated | |||||
| 2016 | 2016 Platinum Stallion Media Awards | Best Film Actor[16] | Heneral Luna | Won | |||||
| 14th Gawad Tanglaw Awards | Gantimpalang Dr. Jaime G. Ang Presidential Jury Award for Film[17] |
Won | |||||||
| Highest Merit on Film Performance | Won | ||||||||
| 10th Asian Film Awards | Best Actor[18] | Nominated | |||||||
| 34th Film Academy of the Philippines Awards | Best Actor | Won | |||||||
| MEDIA WORKS Commexcel Student Choice Awards of San Juan De Letran | Actor of the Year | Won | |||||||
| University of Makati-AGHAM Theatre Co. | 2nd Gawad Malayang Filipino | Humanities & Performing Arts Achievements Recognition | Won | ||||||
| Pangasinan Government URDUJA Film Festival[19] | Best Actor | Heneral Luna | Won | ||||||
| Gawad Filipino Awards | Pinakamahusay na Aktor sa Telebisyon[20] | Encantadia | Won |
Honors and recognitions[]
| Year | Honor Giving Body | Honor/Recognition Given | 2005 | Aurora Province Government | Dangal ng Aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Outstanding Citizens of San Luis, Aurora | ||||
| 2012 | Marikina City Government | Sapatos Festival Walk of Fame | |||
| 2015 | City of Parañaque | Meritorious contribution in the field of performing arts | |||
| 2016 | PMPC Star Awards 2016 | Celebrity Face of the Night | |||
| University of Makati AGHAM Theater Company | Gawad Malayang Pilipino | ||||
| Youth for Leadership Summit | Award for Excellence for Arts and Culture | ||||
| Philippine Department of National Defense Government Arsenal | Momento ng Natatanging Pag Ganap for
Heneral Luna | ||||
| Manila City | PARANGAL ARAW NG MAYNILA
Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan para sa PELIKULA (Arkitektura, Eskultura, Musika, Dula sa Tanghalan, Pintura, Makabagong pamaraan at Diwa ng Lahi) | ||||
| YES! Magazine | Most Beautiful Stars
Idol | ||||
| PEOPLE ASIA | People of The Year Award [21] | ||||
| Philippine Army Office of the Chief of Staff for CMO, G7 | Appreciation for contributions to the Filipino soldier, specifically for raising the Filipino people's sense of patriotism and awareness to the sacrifices of the Filipino soldier[22] | ||||
| GAWAD AMERIKA Awards | Most Outstanding Performance for Theater TV and Film | ||||
| The PEP Awards | Editors' Choice: Breakout Star of the Year | ||||
| Walk of Fame Philippines | Eastwood City Walk of Fame Star[23] | ||||
| Inding-indie Golden Choice Award | 3rd Inding-indie Short Film Festival 2016 Pinaka-dalubhasang Artista |