Christopher de Leon

Christopher Strauss de Leon (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor and politician. Often referred to by Philippine media as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and television productions including period, romantic drama and thriller. His work, covering more than five decades, has received various accolades, including eight FAMAS Awards, two Gawad Urian Awards, four Luna Awards, nine Star Awards, and eight Metro Manila Film Festival Awards. De Leon began acting as a teenager, winning the FAMAS Award for Best Actor for his screen debut in Lino Brocka's Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974). He gained wider recognition for his portrayal of a naive peasant in Eddie Romero's Ganito Kami Noon... Paano Kayo Ngayon? (1976), earning him his second FAMAS for Best Actor. He won his first Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor for his portrayal in Ishmael Bernal's Ikaw ay Akin (1978). De Leon continued to gain recognition and critical acclaim for his film work in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, with leading roles in Haplos (1982), Imortal (1989), Biktima, My Other Woman (both in 1990), Ipagpatawad Mo (1991), Gaano Kita Kamahal (1993), Madrasta (1996), Nasaan ang Puso (1997), Bulaklak ng Maynila (1999), Dekada '70 (2002), Mano Po III: My Love (2004) and Magkaibigan (2008). De Leon is cited by critics as one of the best Filipino actors of all time and was named one of the highest-paid Filipino actors in the 1980s. He is the recipient of many honorary accolades. He was awarded with the FAMAS Circle of Excellence Award in 2005, a star on the Eastwood City Walk of Fame in 2006, the Lino Brocka Lifetime Achievement Award by the Golden Screen Awards in 2008 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in Acting at the International Film Festival Manhattan in 2017. He achieved Grand Slam in 1991, the second actor to win Best Actor in all major award-giving bodies in the country. He is also one of the elite group of actors to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the FAMAS Awards (1993) and the Metro Manila Film Festival (2019), in the Best Actor category.