Dolly de Leon was born on April 12, 1969, inManila, Philippines.[2][3][4] She is the youngest child of parents who are native ofIlocos andVisayas.[5][6]: 1:05 Her father, Juan de Leon Jr., worked as an engineer.[7] Her mother, Rosie de Leon, was a homemaker and a professionalbowler,[8] who earned a gold medal when the Philippines won theteam event at the1983 Southeast Asian Games.[9] Her maternal grandfather, Manuel Earnshaw, was an opera singer who performed at theManila Metropolitan Theater.[10] She has an older brother, who is seven years her senior. Growing up, she considered herself an introvert: "I didn't have any playmates. I would talk to myself, my dolls. I would dress up. Typical kid [who's] always living in a fantasy world."[6]: 1:05 De Leon disliked school and has stated that she disobeyed rules and "wanted to do things [her] way".[6]: 1:40 Although she struggled academically, De Leon excelled in the performing arts.[6]: 2:10 She acted in school theater productions and was a member of the drama, dance, and glee clubs.[11][12]
De Leon attended theUniversity of the Philippines Diliman, where shemajored intheater arts.[13] Her interest in pursuing a career in acting began when she served as awardrobe supervisor for the stage productions: "I would watch behind in thewings at the backstage and was so amazed at what they were doing and that's when I really fell in love with theater... I want to do stage plays."[6]: 2:31 De Leon's first acting assignment was in a play written by Floy Quintos and directed byTony Mabesa, portraying a rural laundrywoman. Despite having brief speaking parts, she described it as "one of [her] best theater experiences".[6]: 2:58 She considered Mabesa as a mentor who trained her using an "acting-for-dummies style" process, and credits professor Jose Estrella for teaching acting techniques to prepare her for playing roles on film and television.[10] During this period, she appeared in several plays, includingHarold Pinter'sOld Times andSamuel Beckett'sWaiting for Godot. Her other roles include the protagonistPortia inWilliam Shakespeare'sThe Merchant of Venice and the dual parts of a nurse and a messenger in theGreek tragedyMedea.[14][11]
De Leon made her film debut as abackground actor inPeque Gallaga's horror anthologyShake, Rattle & Roll III (1991), a part she later described as one during which she had "the spotlight for a few seconds".[15] Although she had not aspired to become a film actor, De Leon was cast in several screen roles but also acted in plays, calling it her "true love".[16] While struggling to establish her acting career, she worked various jobs, including as a mascot performer, waitress, and cashier to make ends meet. Following this lack of success, she considered quitting acting permanently but her daughter persuaded her to persevere with it; motivated by this, she continued to audition.[16]
During the next decade, De Leon appeared predominantly in small and uncredited roles, playing characters which she described as "a device to get the story moving or a sounding board for the lead".[13] In a 2022 interview withVanity Fair, she expressed frustration at beingtypecast into nameless and fleeting parts, though she did not mind this if it led to steady work, remarking, "If I'm going to keep playing the same characters, I might as well have fun with them, not take everything so seriously."[17] De Leon's career prospects improved when she was cast inJerrold Tarog's horror thrillerAswang (2011), playing the mother ofPaulo Avelino's character.[18]: 2:38 An abridged retelling ofPeque Gallaga's1992 film of the same name,[19] it was nominated for Movie of the Year at the2012 Star Awards for Movies.[20] She then played supporting roles in the television seriesPintada (2012),Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real (2014),Yagit (2014),Mirabella (2014), andPusong Ligaw (2017).[21]
InMidnight in a Perfect World (2020), a horror thriller about unexplained disappearances caused byrolling blackouts,[37] starringGlaiza de Castro,Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Dino Pastrano, and Anthony Falcon,[38] De Leon played the supporting role of Pastrano's mother, in a performance described by Oquiza as unorthodox and "hard to categorize".[22] The film was screened at theFantasia International Film Festival.[37] The following year, De Leon starred in an episode of theHBO Asia horror anthology seriesFolklore, which premiered on December 5, 2021. Directed byErik Matti, it tells the story of a police officer (De Leon) whose son is avoodoo practitioner.[39][28] She then had a guest role in the six-partHBO Go miniseriesOn the Job, a television sequel to the2013 film of the same name.[40][41] De Leon portrayed Inday Arcega, a criminal from an organized syndicate that carries outpolitical executions.[40] That same year, De Leon reunited with Diaz in the period dramaHistory of Ha (2021), in which she played an aging sex worker who meets a disheartenedventriloquist (played byJohn Lloyd Cruz).[42][43] She was drawn to the character's multifaceted persona and was invigorated with the idea of not playing subsidiary roles.[18]: 4:50 Set in the aftermath of the1957 airplane crash of then-Philippine presidentRamon Magsaysay, the project was filmed inSibaltan, Palawan. It premiered at the 2021BFI London Film Festival.[44] Oquiza took note of how well she "blends comic relief with a commanding presence through bluntness and candor", adding that: "Her true brilliance lies in portraying her character's silent vulnerability, facing the reality of aging and lost beauty."[22] According to Fred Hawson ofABS-CBNnews.com, De Leon lent her charm and appeal to the film, and displayed fortitude in her physical performance.[42] She received aGawad Urian Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the role.[45]
De Leon's international breakthrough came in 2022 when she starred inRuben Östlund's satirical black comedyTriangle of Sadness.[46][47][48] The film follows a celebrity couple on a luxury cruise with wealthy guests that end up stranded on an island and fighting for survival.[49] The part of Abigail, a toilet cleaner who usurps command over the survivors, was written by Östlund with a Filipino in mind.[50] The casting director auditioned a number of actors in the Philippines.[51] Impressed by her improvization, Östlund cast De Leon after doing aread-through.[52] De Leon, whose mother is anoverseas migrant worker, believed that the role mirrored certain aspects of her life. Drawing from experiences of family members employed within theservice industry,[53][50] she stated, "Quiet and unassuming, my loved ones kept... their heads down, absorbing microaggressions under a layer of agreeableness, their smiles protecting their livelihoods."[50] Describing the character as a "quadruple threat"—a middle-aged, Asian, immigrant woman—De Leon collaborated closely with Östlund to create Abigail's origin;[54][55] and, to get into her mental space, De Leon wrote afirst-person narrative to identify with her motivations and how she learned to build a fire and catch fish.[55]
Triangle of Sadness premiered at the2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won thePalme d'Or.[56] De Leon's performance received critical acclaim; Esther Zuckerman ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote that she "balances deft comedy, visceral anger and potent sensuality",[47] and Clayton Davis ofVariety praised her "utterly lived-in and commanding" portrayal, describing her as an "acting giant" who delivered the "defining supporting performance of the year".[48] Writing forThe Guardian, Ryan Gilbey considered her to be "intensely satisfying" and credited De Leon for playing a "woman who harbors enough experience of injustice and reserves of strength to pounce on power".[57] De Leon received significant awards attention for her role inTriangle of Sadness.[58] She won theLos Angeles Film Critics Association Award andGuldbagge Award for Best Supporting Actress, and received nominations for theGolden Globe Award andBAFTA Award in the same category.[58] She became the first Filipino to be nominated for the last two awards.[59][60]
After a brief appearance in the revenge drama seriesDirty Linen (2023),[61] De Leon voiced Rosalinda in theadult animated dramaThe Missing (2023). She played the mother ofCarlo Aquino's character who prompts her son to track his uncle's disappearance.[62][63] The film was notable for its use ofrotoscoping, a technique in which scenes are first shot inlive-action, then traced onto animationcels.[64] In his review forRappler, Oquiza remarked that De Leon "emanates a caring and supportive presence" and highlighted her "understated bravura".[65] Similar sentiments were echoed by ABS-CBNnews.com's Fred Hawson, who commended her "sweet maternal interaction".[62] She won Best Supporting Actress at the2023 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.[66]The Missing was submitted for consideration at the96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.[67] De Leon served as jury president of the2023 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival.[68] ThePetersen Vargas-directed black comedyA Very Good Girl, oppositeKathryn Bernardo, was De Leon's next release of the year. Playing the character of a powerful and demanding retail mogul was a departure from De Leon's previous "gritty roles" and an experience she found enjoyable.[69]MovieWeb's Greg Archer called the film a "quirky and fun ride", and considered De Leon to be "deliciously savage and thoroughly fun to experience".[70]A Very Good Girl was a commercial success, earning over₱100million (US$2.03million), making it one of thehighest-grossing Filipino films of 2023.[71]
De Leon began 2024 with two releases that premiered at theSundance Film Festival. She executive produced and starred inGhostlight, a comedy drama directed byKelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson.[72] Set in Chicago, the film casts De Leon as a community theater performer who encourages a dejected construction worker (played by Keith Kupferer) to take part in their production ofRomeo and Juliet. The critic Adrian Horton ofThe Guardian said De Leon "blazes in every scene, not missing a single ego-deflating punchline",[73] whileThe Hollywood Reporter's Jon Frosch found her portrayal of the "bossy, chain-smoking, F-bomb-dropping actress" to have the "right balance of absurdity and pathos".[74] De Leon received anhonorable mention inGold House's Gold List: Film 2025 for Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Rita) for this performance.[75] InNathan Silver's comedy filmBetween the Temples, she played an overbearing stepmother toJason Schwartzman's character.[76] She next appeared inPaul Feig's action comedyJackpot! forAmazon Prime Video.[77] In October of the same year, she began starring in a Filipino production of theFranz Xaver Kroetz wordless solo playWunschkonzert (orRequest Program), retitledRequest sa Radyo, at theSamsung Performing Arts Center inMakati.[78] She alternates the lead role of Ms. Reyes with Filipino actressLea Salonga.[79] De Leon will next star, alongsideNicole Kidman, in the second season of theHulu thriller drama seriesNine Perfect Strangers, based on the 2018novel byLiane Moriarty.[80] She will also appear in the television seriesSeverino, a biopic on the Filipino priestJuan Severino Mallari.[81]
De Leon stated in 2023 that she wasseparated and is a single parent who raised four children. She resides in an apartment with her family, and said that she enjoys domestic routines like reading books, going to beaches, and playing board games.[82] Discussing her early insecurities, she has said she was once socially reticent due to career struggles but has since gained confidence.[83] She has cited the actressIsabelle Huppert as an influence and believes that Huppert's eyes alone express emotions. She also admiresMeryl Streep's acting versatility.[84] As an actor who made her breakthrough in her 50s, De Leon is an advocate for diversity in roles that older women play on screen, arguing that they should not be typecast to maternal characters.[85]
In 2013, De Leon co-founded Ladies Who Launch, a social services organization which provides outreach to underserved communities. During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the group createdsoup kitchens in support of efforts to address food insecurity. She also took part in Project Hulmahan, an initiative which auctioned paintings to raise money for community livelihood programs.[86] In 2023, De Leon taught a master class at the University of the Philippines Diliman's Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts.[87]
^"2023 LEJA Film Awards nominations" (Press release). Latino Entertainment Journalists Association. January 22, 2023. Archived fromthe original on January 22, 2023. RetrievedDecember 23, 2023.
^"2022 Awards (26th annual)" (Press release). Online Film Critics Society.Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2023.
^"2022 PCA Award nominees" (Press release). Portland Critics Association.Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2023.
^"SFBAFCC 2022 Awards" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle.Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 24, 2023.
.jpg)
.jpg)
