The following year, De León appeared in two productions. He starred in Elwood Perez'Masarap, Masakit ang Umibig, which earned him a Best Actor nomination at the25th FAMAS Awards.[15] He then appeared inMike de León's coming-of-age pieceKung Mangarap Ka't Magising, which premiered at thethird Metro Manila Film Festival.[16] In 1978, he starred in twoIshmael Bernal films, one of which was the dramaLagi Na Lamang Ba Akong Babae?.[17] This earned him his fifth Best Actor nomination, at the27th FAMAS Awards. He next starred in the dramaIkaw Ay Akin.[18] His performance received critical acclaim, winning him a Best Actor trophy at theGawad Urian Awards. In 1979, he starred in one of the first Filipino films on peasant oppression,Ang Alamat ni Julian Makabayan.[19]
After playing a series of dramatic roles, De León starred in Mike de León's musical comedyKakabakaba Ka Ba?. Released in 1980, the film was praised for its satirical plot and good mix of music.[20] The same year, he appeared in two more production: the dramaTaga sa Panahon, which premiered at thesixth Metro Manila Film Festival,[21] andAguila.[22] His portrayal earned him a Best Actor nomination at the29th FAMAS Awards. In 1981, he starred in Elwood Pérez'sPakawalan Mo Ako.[23] His performance earned him his ninth Best Actor nomination, at the30th FAMAS Awards. De León had three releases in 1982:Ishmael Bernal'sRelasyon,[24] for which he won Best Actor at theCatholic Mass Media Awards as well as another nomination at the FAMAS Awards;[25][26] the mystery dramaHaplos,[27] for which he received his second Best Actor win at theMetro Manila Film Festival; and finally, Lino Brocka's thriller dramaCain at Abel.[28] The film was the first Filipino entry at theSan Sebastián International Film Festival, and De León received his third Best Actor nomination at the Gawad Urian Awards.[29]
In 1983, De León appeared in Ishmael Bernal's drama filmBroken Marriage,[30] which earned him Best Actor nominations from bothFAMAS and Gawad Urian.[31][32] He appeared in three productions in 1985: the drama musicalBituing Walang Ningning,[33] Mike de León's romantic dramaHindi Nahahati ang Langit,[34] andCarlo J. Caparas'God... Save Me! For this performance, De León received a Best Actor nomination at theFAMAS. He began television work in 1986, with thesketch comedyGoin' Bananas.[35] In 1987, he appeared in Lino Brocka'sMaging Akin Ka Lamang,[36] which earned him his fourteenth Best Actor nomination at theFAMAS Awards. The following year, he starred in the romantic dramaKapag Napagod ang Puso.[37] Writing forManila Standard, critic and directorLav Díaz praised De León's complex performance, stating that the film was "another big step for Christopher de Leon [...] toward greatness in the art of acting".[38] De León received his first Best Actor nomination at theLuna Awards, and won Best Actor at theFAMAS and Movie Magazine Awards.[39]
Later in 1988, De León appeared inLaurice Guillen'sMagkano ang Iyong Dangal?.[40] His portrayal was once again praised by critics, with Lav Díaz stating that his acting "almost reaches the point that whenever people watch a film [de Leon] is featured in, he is now the one being watched instead of the film".[41] For the final year of the decade, De León starred in two productions, including the third instalment of theanthology film,3 Mukha ng Pag-ibig and[42]Eddie García'sImortal.[43] He won his third Best Actor award at theMetro Manila Film Festival and received nominations from FAMAS and Gawad Urian in the same category.[44][45]
De León starred in two Lino Brocka films in 1990, includingBiktima,[46] for which he won Best Actor at theLuna Awards andStar Awards for Movies. He had a supporting role in the political thrillerGumapang Ka sa Lusak,[47] which scored him a Supporting Actor of the Year win at the Star Awards and a nomination at the Gawad Urian in the same category.[48][49] He also appeared in the romantic dramaMy Other Woman,[50] for which he won Best Actor at the FAMAS, Gawad Urian, and Catholic Mass Media Awards.[51][52][48] This distinction made him the second Filipino actor to win Best Actor from allmajor award-giving bodies in the country for two films. The following year, he worked again withLaurice Guillen in her dramaIpagpatawad Mo.[53] His critically acclaimed portrayal won him Best Actor again at FAMAS, Luna, and Star Awards.[54][55] In 1992, De León starred inJoel Lamangan'sHiram na Mukha, followed by thebiopicGaano Kita Kamahal a year later.[56] He tied withPhillip Salvador as Movie Actor of the Year at the Star Awards and received Best Actor nominations at the Gawad Urian and Luna Awards.[57] In 1993, De León started making appearances in the weekly anthologyStar Drama Presents.[58]
In 1995, De León starred inChito Roño's action thrillerEskapo.[59] The following year, he appeared inRory Quintos'Sa Aking mga Kamay.[60] After making a cameo in the biblical dramaKristo,[61] De León starred in the family dramaMadrasta.[62] His performance received praise, winning him top honors at theYoung Critics Circle and Star Awards.[63][54] At the27th Box Office Entertainment Awards, he was hailed as the "Box Office King". The same year, he starred in the dramaNasaan ang Puso, for which he won Best Actor at the23rd Metro Manila Film Festival.[64] In 1998, he played a priest in the action dramaAma Namin. The following year, he starred in the fantasy filmWansapanataym: The Movie.[65] De León closed the decade with an acclaimed performance inJoel Lamangan'sBulaklak ng Maynila. His portrayal earned him Best Actor wins at Luna and the Metro Manila Film Festival, as well as nominations from Gawad Urian and the Young Critics Circle.[66]
2000–2019: Further critical and commercial success
In 2020, De León played a supporting role in the drama seriesLove Thy Woman.[108][109] He next appeared in an episode of the anthology seriesI Can See You, the following year. He also made a special appearance in the drama seriesHuwag Kang Mangamba.[110] In 2021, De León had a supporting role inErik Matti's crime thrillerOn the Job: The Missing 8.[111] In 2022, he played a supporting role in the action drama seriesLolong. Before its premiere, De León revealed in an interview that he performed all of his stunts.[112] In 2023, De León reprised his role in the psychological thrillerCattleya Killer, the sequel to the 1996 filmSa Aking mga Kamay.[113]
In 2007, De León decided to run as vice governor of the province ofBatangas. He was supposed to be the running mate of incumbent vice governor Ricky Recto but instead ran with former Batangas police director Nestor Sanares;[116] he lost toMark Leviste. He ran once more in 2010, this time for board member of the Second District of Batangas, which he won. Garnering the highest number of votes among those elected, he became Senior Board Member of Batangas.[117] In 2013, he was a candidate for the 2nd Congressional District of the province of Batangas but lost to Rep. Mandanas' chief of staff,Raneo Abu.[118]
2013 Philippine House of Representatives election at Batangas' 2nd district
De León has been named the most successful Filipino drama actor for three decades (1970s, 1980s, 1990s).[119] TheDaily Tribune named him the third greatestleading man in Philippine cinema, behindRogelio de la Rosa andLeopoldo Salcedo.[120] He was one of the highest-paid film actors in the Philippines during the 1980s, with a salary reaching over ₱300,000 per film.[121] In a 2001 interview with journalist Remy Umerez,César Montano described De León as the most professional actor he had ever worked with, saying: "He comes to the set fully prepared and you better watch out if you don't know your lines well. He can memorize a revised script in the wink of an eye." Montano also praised De León's acting style, saying: "He has a very sharp memory and his approach to acting is infectious...Difficult scenes become easy to stage with seasoned actors like Boyet."[122]
De León has starred in numerous critically acclaimed films that hold significance withinPhilippine cinema. In 2006, six renowned film critics through thePhilippine Daily Inquirer listedGumapang Ka sa Lusak (1990) andDekada '70 (2002) among the 21 best Filipino films in the last 21 years.[123] In 2007, thePhilippine Entertainment Portal named three films,Aguila (1979),Dekada '70 (2002), andGanito Kami Noon... Paano Kayo Ngayon? (1976) on their list of top ten Philippine historical films of all time.[124] In 2021,Far Out Magazine namedTatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976) one of the ten essential films from the Philippines.[125] In 2023, critics from thePhilippine Entertainment Portal named De León among the best actors of the year for his role inWhen I Met You in Tokyo.[66]
De León's first marriage was to actressNora Aunor. The couple, who eventually separated,[126] had five children, including actressesMatet andLotlot de León.[127] De León's second marriage, to actressSandy Andolong, produced five children.[3]
On March 17, 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, De León announced that he had been diagnosed withthe virus.[129] He claimed to beasymptomatic, and was not in contact with anyCOVID-19 carriers.[130] He recovered and was released from hospital on March 24.[131]
Among numerous accolades for his acting work, De León has won a total of eightFAMAS Awards, twoGawad Urians, fourLunas, nineStar Awards, and eightMetro Manila Awards.[132] In 1991, he became the second Filipino actor to achieve the "Grand Slam", for his performances inBiktima (1990) andMy Other Woman (1990), winning in the Best Actor category from all major Philippine award-giving bodies. De León has been inducted into the hall of fame of two of these: FAMAS (1993) and the Metro Manila Film Festival (2019), in the Best Actor category.[133][134] For his contributions toPhilippine cinema, De León is also a recipient of several honorary accolades. In 2008, he was presented with the Lino Brocka Lifetime Achievement Award at theGolden Screen Awards.[135] In 2011, he was awarded the Ulirang Artista Lifetime Achievement Award by the PMPC Star Awards for Movies.[136] In 2017, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Acting at theInternational Film Festival Manhattan.[137] The same year, he was named one of the "People of the Year" byPeople Asia magazine.[138]
^Arcache, Maurice (March 12, 1989).My lips are sealed... sometimes. Manila Standard. p. 30.Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. RetrievedApril 3, 2024.
^Diaz, Lav (July 4, 1988)."Sulit ang pagod" [The exhaustion is worth it].Manila Standard (in Tagalog). Standard Publications, Inc. p. 14.Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 12, 2021.Walang pasubaling isa na namang malaking hakbang ni Christopher de Leon ang pelikulang ito tungo sa kadakilaan sa sining ng pag-arte...
^Diaz, Lav (December 31, 1988)."Kuwentong seks" [Sex story].Manila Standard (in Tagalog). Manila Standard News, Inc. p. 16.Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. RetrievedAugust 24, 2020.Umaabot na halos sa puntong kapag nanuod ang tao ng isang pelikulang kinatatampukan niya, siya na ang pinanunood at hindi ang pelikula.
