Kris Aquino

Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino, better known as Kris Aquino (born February 14, 1971 in Quezon City, Philippines) is a prominent television and movie personality in the Philippines. She is the fifth and youngest child of Corazon Aquino, former President of the Philippines and Benigno Aquino, Jr., a popular opposition senator during the Marcos regime. She is the youngest of five siblings: Maria Elena "Ballsy", Nadine Albert "Eggy", Benigno "Noynoy" the III, who is currently Tarlac representative and Victoria Eliza "Viel". She and her only brother, Noynoy, are the only ones left unmarried among them. In recent years, Aquino has been labeled "The Philippines' Queen of Talk," due to her success in hosting talk shows. She was also crowned as the 2004 Box Office Queen for her hit movies such as Feng Shui and So... Happy Together.

Aquino spent most of her elementary school days in the United States because the Aquino family was in exile. After returning to the Philippines in 1979, Aquino started out as a precocious presence in rallies against the Marcos government.

After the 1986 expulsion of President Ferdinand Marcos, the teenaged Kris stepped into the limelight, starting with guest spots on television dramas and comedies, as well as talk shows. Finally, she made her film debut with actor Rene Requiestas in the comedy Pido Dida.

Aquino afterwards had a commercially steady, though critically panned career and managed to score an acting nomination for The Fatima Buen Story. She also starred in a film based on a true-life murder, The Vizconde Massacre. Its financial success and successive crime films of the same vein in which she starred in gained her the nickname "Massacre Queen" by newspaper critics.

Kris graduated from Ateneo de Manila University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature.

It was not until 1994, that she did a film (Nandito Ako) with action star Philip Salvador that started one of Kris' very controversial love affairs. Aquino became pregnant and had a child, Joshua, who has ADHD.

With her movie career slowing, Aquino shifted her sights on a television career as a talk show host launched through The Kris Aquino Show produced by VIVA on Channel 4. But it was in GMA Network showbiz oriented talk show Startalk where she co-hosted with Boy Abunda and Lolit Solis that her hosting capabilities were noticed. Media conglomerate and GMA Network's rival ABS-CBN noticed her undeniable hosting wit, offered her a contract and launched Today with Kris Aquino, one of the most successful talk shows of the 1990s. In January 2003 to May 2004, she hosted yet another successful morning talk show entitled Morning Girls with Kris and Korina alongside popular media personality Korina Sanchez. As of 2005, she hostsThe Buzz with Mr. Boy Abunda and Ms. Cristy Fermin for the same network, as well as Pilipinas, Game KNB?, a game show similar in format to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. She had been also controversial for wearing plunging dresses which noted her as a fashion-talk show queen.

Aquino is also known for her troublesome relationships. Over the past decade, she has been linked to two married men. Her latest relationship became a cause célèbre in 2003 after it ended in gunplay and Aquino accused her lover, former Parañaque mayor and actor Joey Marquez, on live television, of giving her venereal disease. At present, Kris is linked having a relationship with the local PBA player, her fiancé, James Yap. They are to be married next year.

Selected filmography

Hiram (2004) ABS-CBN Soap-Opera
Pilipinas, Game KNB? (2004) ABS-CBN Game Show
So... Happy Together (2004) Movie
Feng shui (2004) Movie
Good Morning, Kris! (2004)ABS-CBN Talk Show
Mano po 2: My home (2003) Movie
You and Me Against the World (2003) Movie
Morning Girls (2002) ABS-CBN Talk Show
Milyun Milyon na, Game Ka Na Ba? (2002) ABS-CBN Game Show
Dekada '70 (2002) Movie
Mano po (2002) Movie
Jologs (2002) Movie
Game K N B? (2001) ABS-CBN Game Show
The Buzz (2000) ABS-CBN Entertainment News
Puwedeng-puwede (1999) TV Series
Hiwaga ng Panday (1998) Movie
Startalk (1994) GMA-7 Entertainment News
The Kris Aquino Show (1994) Channel 4
The Fatima Buen Story (1994) Movie
Geron Olivar (1993) Movie
Humanda ka mayor (1993) Movie
Mahal kita walang iba (1992) Movie
Siga at ang sosyal, Ang (1992) Movie
Kai xin gui shang cuo shen (1991) Movie
Shake, Rattle & Roll III (1991) Movie
Pangako ng puso (1990) Movie
Pido Dida (1990) Movie
Bakit pa kita minahal Movie

Movie Career

Kris Aquino got her start in movies with the help of Regal Films, one of the oldest film outfits in the Philippines. Her first few movies were mostly wholesome stories, the most enduring of which was the Pido Dida series, where she was paired with the late comedian Rene Requiestas. She later on she shifted into more serious roles, notably with massacre films such as The Vizconde Massacre. Despite her being a big draw in the box office, her acting skills were considered stiff and mechanical.

She first drew praise for her acting when she bagged a nomination from the Urian award-giving body, composed of film critics, for the film The Fatima Buen Story. She eventually won a supporting actress award for the film Mano Po (Regal FIlms), where she portrayed a weak-willed and submissive scion of a wealthy Filipino-Chinese clan.

But Aquino's most successful movie in her career is Feng Shui, a Star Cinema production that featured Chinese influences and omen. Feng Shui, which was made during the wave of "Asian-style horror" flicks that spreaded throughout the continent since 2002's The Ring, made over P180,218,395. It was the highest grossing Filipino movie of 2004, and the second most successful movie overall next to Spider-Man 2 which made over P225,000,000

Like anyone else, Aquino had her share of box-office flops. Her 2003 movie with actor Robin Padilla, You and Me Against The World, flopped at the box-office right from the start. Made for P25,000,000 and released immediately after Aquino won acting awards (for her performance in 2002's Mano Po), You and Me Against The World made only P4,389,005. The film's producers lost an estimated P23,000,000, even with home videos accounted.

Because You and Me Against The World failed to attract an audience, several movie theaters pulled the film out and replaced it with another film. Some theaters were reported to have done this on the movie's 2nd day of play.

External links

Kris Aquino at IMDb