An acting career that spanned six decades, both on TV and in the movies, can only be called illustrious, no less. That was the career charted by actress Gloria Romero, who was in the limelight for more than sixty years before her death in January 2025.

She was incomparable. While other actors her age had long retired, faded into oblivion or, sadly, passed away, Romero continued facing the cameras for a very long time. Without doubt, she was admired for her longevity in the entertainment industry.

Thankfully, she never had any major health concern, except for vertigo. Even then, she was never sidelined from acting because of that.

Enviable, too, even to many of her peers since she was never idle. She was constantly busy with work – film projects, TV series and even product endorsements as an octogenarian.

In December 2018, Romero headlined the award-winning Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry, “Rainbow’s Sunset,” directed by Joel Lamangan and written by Eric Ramos. She bagged the Best Actress award from the festival.

The film top-billed Eddie Garcia and Tony Mabesa in a sensitive story about gay romance. Romero played Sylvia, the kind, tolerant and understanding wife of Garcia.

“Nanginginig ako. (I’m shaking),” Romero said in her acceptance speech. “What a pleasant surprise. This is a perfect Christmas gift to me. I didn’t think that at 85 years old, I would still get a Best Actress award.”

In February 2024, two months after she turned 90, her peers came together to pay tribute to “Mommy Glo.” It was one of her final major public appearances; Romero passed away peacefully on January 25, 2025.

Born in Denver, Colorado on December 16, 1933, Romero was Gloria Galla in real life. She was the daughter of Pedro Galla, a Filipino, and Mary Borrego, an American.

Romero had a brother, Tito Galla, who also joined show business briefly. Her eldest sister was Louise, while youngest brother is Gilbert.

When she was four, Romero’s family visited the Philippines in 1937. They took the slow boat to Manila and travelled for nearly two months. However, the vacation that was originally planned for only a year was extended repeatedly until the war broke out.

At that time, Romero’s youngest brother, Gilbert, was born in the Philippines. Forced to good, her family settled in Pangasinan, the hometown of her father.

Her mother died at a very young age of 28 due to an accident. During the war, the families were forced to stay inside the house, not even with candlelights at night for fear of the Japanese soldiers.

Romero’s mother accidentally tripped on the stairs outside the latter’s room and fell down, causing her death later on. That made the family stay in the Philippines for good and gave up their life in the US.

Romero spent her grade school years at Mabini Elementary School in Pangasinan, then high school at Riverview High School, also in the town of Mabini.

She never finished high school. When her Physics teacher told her that she would not graduate, Romero simply said, “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I’ll be a movie star.”

Young as she was then, Romero already dreamed of getting into the silver screen. In her Olive Oyl frame, as she described herself then and known by her original name, Gloria Galla, Romero started as a bit player in “Ang Bahay sa Lumang Gulod,” under Premiere Productions in 1950.

She did two more films under Premiere – “Prinsipe Don Juan,” with Efren Reyes and Anita Linda and “Bahay na Tisa,” starring Leila Morena.

The following year, Romero transferred to Sampaguita Pictures, where she was cast in a crowd scene in “Kasintahan sa Pangarap,” starring real-life couple Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran.

Romero played other bit parts in “Bernardo Carpio,” with another real-life couple, Cesar Ramirez and Alicia Vergel; “Dugong Bughaw,” with Norma Valles and Tessie Martinez; and “Rebecca.”

In “Prinsesa at Pulubi,” Romero was flattered no end when she was made to hold the cape of Tessie Agana.

Romero did not lose hope and patiently waited for a good break. She got her first speaking part on the big screen playing a nurse in “Ramon Selga,” with Pancho Magalona and Lillian Leonardo. Romero’s only cryptic line was: “Yes, doctor.”

It was in 1952 when she was re-christened with her screen name, Gloria Romero, given by Dr. Jose R. Perez, Sampaguita Pictures producer and big boss. Her last name was taken from Eddie Romero, her director in “Kasintahan sa Pangarap” (1951). The respected film director later became a National Artist.

She was introduced in “Madame X,” the film that topbilled Ramirez and Vergel anew. Romero played the couple’s daughter in the movie.

A memorable role in “Palasig” (1952) gave her leading lady status, opposite Cesar Ramirez. But it was Romero’s first lead role in “Monghita” (1953), where she was paired with Oscar Moreno, that sealed her bankability and wide appeal as an actress.

There was no stopping Romero in making movies, one after another. She averaged eight films a year. Those who were merely her co-stars earlier eventually became her leading men, including Pancho Magalona in “Musikong Bumbong” (1954).

Romero was paired with a number of leading men – Ramon Revilla in “Apat na Taga” (1953), Fred Montilla in “Recuerdo” (1953), Ric Rodrigo and Luis Gonzales in “Pilya” (1954), Rogelio de la Rosa in “Artista” (1954).

However, it was Romero’s marked role in “Dalagang Ilokana,” opposite Dolphy, that gave her first Best Actress award from FAMAS in 1954. The film remained one of her favorites for a long time.

Her beautiful face was once singled out for the plum role of the Virgin Mary in the Easter play, “Martir sa Golgota.”

Throughout her career, Romero did more than 200 films, including “Cofradia” (1953), “Kurdapya” (1955), “Pagdating ng Takip-Silim” (1956), “Miss Tilapia” (1956), “Hong Kong Holiday” (1957), “Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang” (1958), “Dance-O-Rama” (1963).

Opposite her most popular leading man, Luis Gonzales, Romero made over 30 films, including “Vacacionista” (1956), “Teresa” (1956), “Lupa sa Lupa” (1960) and the classic “Iginuhit ng Tadhna: The Ferdinand E. Marcos Story” (1965) and “Pinagbuklod ng Langit,” where she both played former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Romero’s box office success subsequently made her “Queen of Philippine Movies,” a prestigious tag that, ironically, she was too shy to hear.

She became the longest, exclusive contract star of Sampaguita Pictures, long before Regal Films and producer Lily Monteverde came into the showbiz front.

On September 24, 1960, Romero tied the knot with handsome actor Juancho Gutierrez, a guy with whom she fell in love at first sight. She was radiant in a bridal gown by Ramon Valera. The ceremony took place at Santuario de San Antonio Parish in Forbes Park, Makati.

Their much-publicized altar date was dubbed as “Wedding of the Year,” with Romero’s younger brother, Tito Galla, as best man and only sister Louise, a nurse based in the US at that time, as maid of honor.

The youngest sibling, Gilbert, is a medical doctor also based in the US. The brother returned to the Philippines for good in 2015.

Romero’s fellow Sampaguita Pictures artists – Daisy Romualdez, Barbara Perez, Susan Roces and Amalia Fuentes – were the bridesmaids in the ceremony.

The couple honeymooned in Tagaytay, Baguio and also in the US.

Romero and Gutierrez have a daughter, Maritess, now 54 (this was in 2019). She was named Maria Teresa after Saint Therese. Romero also has a grandson, Christopher. The latter once claimed in a TV interview he is a “spoiled” grandson.

Romero and Gutierrez separated after only eight years of being together as a married couple. However, after Gutierrez suffered a stroke in 2002, Romero was convinced by her daughter to take care of Gutierrez, so she took him back. The latter died of multiple organ failure in October 2005.

Romero also tried contravida roles and remembered Mario O’Hara’s “Condemned” or Laurice Guillen’s “Mahawi Man ang Ulap” as her most memorable villain portrayals.

Both films were shown in 1984, her most productive year as a veteran actress when she did a record of seven films. In 1990, she impressively did seven films again.

In 2000, Romero secured another FAMAS Best Actress award for Guillen’s all-star cast opus, “Tanging Yaman,” where Romero played the matriarch who had Alzheimer’s disease.

Romero received the same award from the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) and Urian, given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino in 2001.

As Best Supporting Actress, Romero was honored by the FAMAS for Ishmael Bernal’s “Nagbabagang Luha” (1988), FAP for Eddie Garcia’s “Saan Nagtatago ang Pag-ibig” (1987) and Urian for Maryo J. de los Reyes’ “Magnifico” (2003).

In the late director De los Reyes’ “Magnifico,” with script by Michiko Yamamoto, Romero was Jiro Manio’s grandmother on her deathbed due to pancreatic cancer. In a strange twist of faith, though, it was Manio as Magnifico, who died at the end of the story.

On June 19, 2004, Romero was accorded the prestigious Natatanging Gawad Urian, given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino at the 27th Gawad Urian.

On September 4, 2009, Romero became the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

Romero’s TV career was never less memorable for the roles she played and best remembered for. In the ABS-CBN sitcom, “Palibhasa Lalake,” which ran for 12 years, Romero was the drunkard but consenting Tita Minerva.

In “Okay Fine! Whatever,” she was the permissive Lola Barbie, while in “Familia Zaragoza,” she was the rich and domineering Dona Amparo and in “Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas,” she was the aristocratic Dona Valeria Valencia.

Admired for her beauty, grace, style and statuesque bearing, Romero did not only invade the movies and TV. In her heyday, Romero modeled for Camay soap, Superwheel even Coca-Cola.

Beauty czar Ricky Reyes tapped Romero back in 2003 to be the face for the campaign, “Ganda ng Lola Mo Noh!” Her beautiful face was plastered on giant billboards and buses.

Even in her mid-eighties, Romero was endorsing the herbal supplement Lola Remedios, with veteran stars Nova Villa and Pilita Corrales.

Up until the time of her death, Romero shunned any cosmetic procedure done to her face or body.

Meanwhile, the actress valued her closely-knit, small family. Her brother, Tito, succumbed to brain cancer in 1979. He died in the US. When youngest brother Gilbert went home in 2015, after decades of residing in the US, Romero insisted that he stayed with her and her daughter in their New Manila house.

The actress had a new room added to the house for the youngest Galla, who never married and instead, acted as guardian to their brother Tito’s children.

From the ugly and unglamorous to the rich and unforgettable roles on TV and the movies, Romero was undoubtedly admired and praised for her accomplishments that made her a force to reckon with in the entertainment industry for a very long time.