John Lloyd Cruz
Cruz in 2010
Born	John Lloyd Espidol Cruz (1983-06-24)June 24, 1983 (age 42) Pasay,Metro Manila, Philippines
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1997–present
Agents	ABS-CBN (1996–2017) GMA Network (2021–present)[1] Crown Artist Management (2021–2025)
Children	1

John Lloyd Espidol Cruz (born June 24, 1983)^[2] is a Filipino actor. Regarded as the "King of Contemporary Cinema" by the media,^[3] Cruz has top-billed several box-office successes. He has more than ten films with box office grosses of ₱100 million in the Philippines.^[4]

CNN Philippines described Cruz as "the quintessential image of the contemporary leading man."^[5] He began acting at the age of 15 and has over 30 productions to his credit.^[6] A breakthrough role on the soap operaKay Tagal Kang Hinintay (2002–2003), where he first started working with actress and frequent co-starBea Alonzo, followed his starring role in the television dramaTabing Ilog (1999–2003), which he appeared in as a teenager.^[7] With around 80 awards won throughout his career including twoFAMAS Awards and twoGawad Urian Awards, Cruz is one of themost-awarded Filipino actors. He was the first Filipino and Southeast Asian actor to receive the Star Asia Award at theNew York Asian Film Festival.^[8] He was the fifth highest-grossing Filipino actor in the 2010s, raking over a total of ₱2.3 billion in box office receipts.^[9] His 2015 filmA Second Chance grossed over ₱556 million which makes it one of thehighest grossing Philippine films in history.

John Lloyd Espidol Cruz is the youngest child of Luisito Llora and Aida Espidol Cruz. He was called by the nickname"Idan" among his family and some close friends. Cruz finished his grade school at Marikina Catholic School in 1996. He was later discovered by a talent scout in a mall while hanging out with friends to watchMagic Temple. Due to his father's failing marble business, Cruz decided to enter showbiz to help his family recover from financial problems. He first appeared inGMA Public Affairs' reenactment legal talk showCompañero y Compañera, followed by the crime and investigative seriesCalvento Files. This was followed by several guest appearances and shows. At age 14, Cruz became a member ofABS-CBN'sStar Magic, where he became an alumnus of Batch 5. He was also a member of the then-teen trio called Koolits withBaron Geisler andMarc Solis.^[10][11][12]

Since he started his showbiz career in 1996, he was a contract talent forABS-CBN.

In 1998, he played Jojo inSa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako, a short-lived weekly miniseries.

In 1999, Cruz played the role of Rovic in the teen dramaTabing Ilog, alongsideKaye Abad, which lasted for more than four years. His breakthrough role came in 2002 by portraying the character of Yuri inKay Tagal Kang Hinintay, where he is paired withBea Alonzo. He was later cast inIt Might Be You andIkaw ang Lahat sa Akin.

In 2006, Cruz was cast in the highly successful soap operaMaging Sino Ka Man along with Bea Alonzo,Anne Curtis andSam Milby. In early 2007, he began endorsingUnilab's medication Paracetamol (Biogesic).^[13] In 2009, he made another collaboration with Bea Alonzo and played the male protagonist Armando inI Love Betty La Fea, a Philippine adaptation of the Colombian telenovelaYo Soy Betty La Fea. In 2010, Cruz was paired withAngel Locsin in the critically acclaimed dark fantasy seriesImortal, a sequel of the original seriesLobo.

As a TV host, Cruz had recurring appearances in the longest-running Sunday noontime variety show,ASAP. He was also recruited as one of four members of theKanto Boys alongsideASAP mainstaysVhong Navarro,Billy Crawford andLuis Manzano.

In 2014, Cruz played the role of Romeo in the Saturdaysitcom seriesHome Sweetie Home withToni Gonzaga, which lasted until he left the show in 2017. He went on indefinite leave from show business after a controversial relationship with model and actressEllen Adarna, who was his fellow co-star inHome Sweetie Home.^[14] Since 2019, Cruz makes occasional cameos in commercial ads.

On May 16, 2021, he signed up withCrown Artist Management. The following month, he made an appearance at GMA's broadcast ofShopee's "6.6. Mid-year Sale" TV event.^[15] On November 9, 2021, he officially signed a contract withGMA Network as part of his TV comeback.^[16][17][18] He starred in the Sunday sitcomHappy Together (pronounced as Happy To Get Her) which aired until August 2023.

John Lloyd Cruz starred withSarah Geronimo inA Very Special Love produced by Star Cinema and Viva Films, which was released on July 30, 2008. The film grossed₱185 million at the box office.^{[19][20][21][22]} In February 2009, Cruz's follow-up movie with Geronimo,You Changed My Life, a sequel toA Very Special Love also produced by Star Cinema and Viva Films, hit the box office.^[23] The film's total theatrical earnings reached₱240 million and was ranked as thehighest grossing Filipino film of all time in that same year.^[24] In mid-2009, he shifted from his regular roles for a more controversial, challenging project withVilma Santos, in which he portrayedLuis Manzano's lover in the movieIn My Life. Cruz has been nailed as the "Box-Office King" for three-consecutive years: in 2007 forOne More Chance, in 2008 withA Very Special Love, and in 2009 withYou Changed My Life, which became the top-grossing film of his career during that time until approximately six years later.

Cruz's reunion movie with love team partner Bea Alonzo,Miss You Like Crazy, released in February 2010 as Star Cinema's post-office offering, was a box office hit earning more than₱140 million in its seven-week run and still the second top Filipino movie of 2010. He was later paired again with Toni Gonzaga in another box-office film titledMy Amnesia Girl that earned₱12.8 million on its first day (November 2010) and surpassing 100 million in its first-week run. It was directed by the box-office director Cathy Garcia Molina.^[25][26] It earned₱165 million in its one-month run and was the top-grossing film of 2010. Plans for making a movie with theKanto Boys ofASAP was proposed for 2011 but was never pushed through. In 2012, Cruz and Alonzo starred in the filmThe Mistress to celebrate their 10th anniversary as a love team.The Mistress was critically acclaimed, leaving a total box-office gross of₱260 million and being the third highest grossing Filipino film of all time. He then reunites again with Geronimo forIt Takes a Man and a Woman, a third and final sequel of the filmsA Very Special Love andYou Changed My Life, which was released in 2013.

In 2015, Cruz starred and produced a thriller movieHonor Thy Father, which was first screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the2015 Toronto International Film Festival. He plays the part of a man who, after a period of estrangement from his family, returns home to seek their help when his wife gets them into trouble with violent investors whose money her dad had lost in a ponzi scheme. Also in that same year, Cruz and Alonzo starred again together in the movieA Second Chance, the sequel of highly successful 2007 filmOne More Chance. The film was released on November 25, 2015, and earned₱556 million, becoming the highest grossing Filipino film of 2015.^[27]

Cruz has been also recognized as one of three honorees of the Star Asia award at the 15th New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). He is the first Filipino and Southeast Asian actor to receive the honor. He joins Hong Kong's Miriam Yeung and South Korea's Lee Byung-hun – all box office stars in their own countries – as that year's recipients of the award.

Cruz won the Boccalino d’Oro prize or Golden Jug Award for Best Actor for his lead role inLav Diaz’s "Essential Truths of The Lake",76th Locarno Film Festival on August 11, 2023.^[28]

Cruz launched his apps business,Trike Now, a tricycle booking apps in 2021.^[29]

Cruz has dated numerous personalities in the past, which include actressesKaye Abad,Krista Ranillo,Ciara Sotto,Heart Evangelista,Ruffa Gutierrez,Shaina Magdayao,Angelica Panganiban andEllen Adarna. He also dated stylist Liz Uy in late 2006.^[35]

Cruz has a son with Adarna named Elias Modesto.^[36] In December, Elias performed apiano recital under teacher Ryan Aviso.^[37] Thecoparenting couples officially published their son's 2024graduationyearbook.^[38]

In 2023, Cruz confirmed his relationship with visual artist Isabel Santos after romance rumors surfaced in 2021.^[39]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJohn Lloyd Cruz.

• John Lloyd Cruz atIMDb
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• Filipino television personalities
• Filipino male television actors
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• GMA Network (company) people
• Comedians from Pasay

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