Kathryn Bernardo
Bernardo in April 2025
Born	Kathryn Chandria Manuel Bernardo (1996-03-26)March 26, 1996 (age 29) Cabanatuan,Nueva Ecija, Philippines
Alma mater	Enderun Colleges
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	2003 (2003)–present
Agent	Star Magic (2003–present)
Musical career
Genres	Pop OPM
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2014 (2014)–present
Labels	Star
Musical artist

Kathryn Chandria Manuel Bernardo^[1] (born March 26, 1996) is a Filipino actress. Known for her work in mainstream productions, she has starred in three of thehighest-grossing Filipino films of all time;The Hows of Us (2018),Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019), andHello, Love, Again (2024). Her accolades include aSeoul International Drama Award, anAsian World Film Festival Award, twoFAMAS Awards, and 14Box Office Entertainment Awards.^[2][3][4][5]

Born inCabanatuan,Nueva Ecija, Bernardo began her career as a child actress in the 2000s and rose to prominence for her role as one of the title characters inMara Clara (2010). She gained wider audience for her portrayal of a lost princess in the romantic dramaPrincess and I (2012), which was first of her many collaborations with actorDaniel Padilla. Later that year, she played a young embalmer in the supernatural horrorPagpag: Siyam na Buhay, where she received a nomination for aMetro Manila Film Festival Award for Best Actress. She achieved stardom with numerous romantic films, includingThe Hows of Us (2018), for which she was awarded aStar Award for Movie Actress of the Year.^[6][7][8]

For her portrayal of a struggling domestic worker in the romantic dramaHello, Love, Goodbye (2019), she received a nomination for aLuna andGawad Urian for Best Actress. She sought roles in other genres and starred oppositeDolly de Leon in the black comedyA Very Good Girl (2023), for which she won aFAMAS Award for Best Actress.Forbes Asia named her one of the most influential people inAsia-Pacific.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Bernardo was born on March 26, 1996^[13] inCabanatuan,Nueva Ecija, Philippines. She is the youngest of four siblings and was raised by her parents, Luzviminda and Teodore Bernardo.^[14]

Bernardo was raised as a member ofIglesia ni Cristo.^[15] It is believed that became aborn again Christian in 2016.^[16]

Before her acting debut in 2003, Bernardo attended Flowerlane Montessori Children's House in Cabanatuan and later OB Montessori Center in Quezon City.^[17] Due to her busy schedule, she joinedUST Angelicum College's homeschooling program in 2011.^[18][19] While pursuing a marketing degree atEnderun Colleges, she had to pause her studies because of scheduling conflicts with her television seriesGot to Believe.^[20] As of 2021, she expressed her desire to earn a college degree in marketing or communication arts.^[21]

Bernardo began acting in 2003, she appeared as the young Cielo in ABS-CBN'sIt Might Be You. In 2006, she had her first main role in the TV seriesSuper Inggo, playing Maya, the love interest of the main character. Afterwards, she appeared in various ABS-CBN shows, includingKrystala andVietnam Rose, before joining the children sketch comedy showGoin' Bulilit.

As a child actress, Bernardo played the roles of young Victoria in ABS-CBN'sMagkaribal and young Jenny in GMA'sEndless Love, and both shows premiered on June 28, 2010.^[22]

Her breakthrough role came when she bagged the leading role of Mara David in the remake of 1992 drama seriesMara Clara. The series was a smashing hit and solidified her reputation as a rising actress.^[23] Following the success ofMara Clara series, Bernardo starred in the teen-oriented showGrowing Up, where she played Ella, a 15-year-old girl living with her single mother.^[24][25]

Bernardo's film career started in 2003 appearing in a cameo role as young lupe in the movieLupe: A Seaman's Wife. The following year, she was cast in the superhero comedy filmGagamboy and played the role of Tsoknat, directed by Erik Matti. However, she gained wider prominence in the family drama movieWay Back Home directed by Jerry Lopez Sineneng which she starred alongside Mara Clara co-starJulia Montes in 2011.^[26][27] In the same year, she joined the cast in the horror filmShake, Rattle & Roll 13, her performance in the movie was received with positive reviews from critics.^[28][29]

After the success ofMara Clara, Bernardo further rose to prominence in the top-rating primetime drama seriesPrincess and I, co-starred alongsideDaniel Padilla andEnrique Gil. In the series, she played the titular role of Mikay/Princess Areeyah. The show was notable for being the first Philippine series filmed inBhutan, earning acclaimed for its grand production.^[30][31] Later that year, Bernardo and Padilla joined the ensemble cast of the romantic-comedy film24/7 in Love and the comedy-parody filmSisterakas alongsideVice Ganda which was an official entry to2012 Metro Manila Film Festival.^[32]

Dubbed asKathNiel, their first starring film as a tandem was in the coming-of-age romantic comedy filmMust Be... Love, which was released in March 2013.^[33][34] In August of that year, they paired up in the television seriesGot to Believe, which sustained high ratings in its entire run.^[35] In December 2013, they starred in the horror filmPagpag which was an entry to the39th Metro Manila Film Festival.^[36][37] Their collaboration continued with the successful film adaptation ofShe's Dating the Gangster in July 2014, which was one of the highest-grossing films of the year.^[38][39] Bernardo and Padilla received stars on the Eastwood Walk of Fame in Quezon City, a recognition of their contributions to Philippine entertainment industry in December 2014.^[40]

Over the years, Bernardo and Padilla collaborated on several successful films and television series. They teamed up in the 2015 filmCrazy Beautiful You, followed by the 2016 filmBarcelona: A Love Untold, which became the second highest-grossing film of that year. For the first time, Bernardo received her Box Office Queen title inBarcelona: A Love Untold at the48th Box Office Entertainment Awards in 2017.^[41] Their partnership continued inCan't Help Falling in Love in 2017. All of these films achieved significant box office success.^[42]

On television, they starred together in the 2015 remake ofPangako Sa 'Yo. They continued their partnership on the small screen in the fantasy seriesLa Luna Sangre in 2017.^[43]

In 2018, Bernardo made history as the first Filipino actress to reach the local box office of₱800 million pesos mark inThe Hows of Us alongside Padilla.^[44] For her performance, she won her first Best Actress award at the 35thPMPC Star Awards for Movies and at the2019 EDDYS Award.^[45][46] The next year, she achieved this box office milestone again inHello, Love, Goodbye, withGMA actorAlden Richards. The film was commercially successful as it grossed₱880 million worldwide; breaking box office records in the Philippines and overseas.^[47][48] The movie held the record of being the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time for more than four years (2019–2024). In these two successful movies, Bernardo received thePhenomenal Box Office Star awards twice at theBox Office Entertainment Awards for two consecutive years (2019-2020) and she also won Film Actress of the Year award in 2020.^[49][50][51]

In 2022, Bernardo reunited with Padilla in the television series2 Good 2 Be True, marking their final project together before their eventual break-up in 2023.^[52] She was hailed as the Outstanding Asian Star at the 18thSeoul International Drama Awards.^[53]

In 2023, Bernardo starred inA Very Good Girl, her first solo film in several years, alongsideDolly de Leon. For her performance, she earned her firstBest Actress Award at the72nd FAMAS Awards in 2024.^[54] Internationally, she also won theNational Winner Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at theAsian Academy Creative Awards. In that same year, she regained theBox Office Queen title for the second time in the52nd GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards.^[55]

After five years, Bernardo reunited withAlden Richards inHello, Love, Again, the sequel of their 2019 filmHello, Love, Goodbye.^[56] The film was commercially successful worldwide becoming the first Filipino film to gross over₱1 billion.^[57] She was honored with the Star Rising Leopard Award at the 10th Asian World Film Festival in November 2024.

In 2025, she returned to television as one of the judges for theseventh season ofPilipinas Got Talent.^[58]

In 2018, Bernardo confirmed her long-term relationship with actorDaniel Padilla, which began on May 25, 2012.^[59][60] On November 30, 2023, the pair announced the end of their relationship.^[61][62]

Since April 2024, she has owned a house inAntipolo.^[63][64]

In 2017, Bernardo launched her nail salon business,KathNails by KCMB, which has eight branches across the Philippines.^[65]

In 2019, Bernardo and her partner at the time, Daniel Padilla, opened their first business venture together, a barbershop named theBarbero Blues, located in front of Kathnails by KCMB, Bernardo's nail salon.^[66]

In 2020, Bernardo, a self-proclaimed foodie, tried her luck in the food business by starting a rice meal take-out franchise,Rice in a Box, which has over 100 franchises across the Philippines under the Binondo Food Group, owned by Lester Pimentel, the action movie director that Bernardo had worked with during her La Luna Sangre series.^[67]

In 2022, she opened another nail salon,The Glow Up Lounge, which has five branches nationwide.^[68]

She co-founded aboutique hotel,Isla Amara, inEl Nido, Palawan in 2022, alongside actorPiolo Pascual and other partners.^[69]

In September 2025, together with her family, Bernardo launched a new business venture, EMPOLO MNL, a fashion sanitary ware brand from Germany. The company recently celebrated the grand opening of its new branch in Greenhills, San Juan, with Bernardo and her family in attendance. The brand focuses on precision, purity, and design for modern living spaces.^[70]

In December 2014, Kathryn Bernardo along with 23 other actors, was given her star at theEastwood City Walk of Fame, the Philippine version of Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[84]

In October 2025,Madame TussaudsHong Kong revealed in a social media post that Bernardo will be having her was figure in their museum, and it will officially be launched in 2026.^[85]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toKathryn Bernardo.

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• 1996 births
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• Actresses from Nueva Ecija
• Filipino film actresses
• Filipino television actresses
• Filipino Christians
• Goin' Bulilit cast members
• Former members of Iglesia ni Cristo
• People from Cabanatuan
• Star Music artists
• 21st-century Filipino women singers

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