Judy Ann Santos

Santos was awarded the Box Office Queen title at the 30th Box Office Entertainment Awards.

Judy Anne Lumagui Santos (born May 11, 1978) is a Filipino actress and film producer.

Judy Anne Lumagui Santos was born on May 11, 1978, in Manila, Philippines, to Carolina Lumagui (née Fontanela), a bank officer, and Manuel Dayrit Santos, a businessman and proprietor of the now defunct Victoria Supermart in Tanay, Rizal.

She has two older siblings: Jeffrey and Jacqueline.

The family soon moved to Antipolo, Rizal, where Santos's father worked.

In 1986, her parents separated and the children lived with their mother.

Three years later, Santos's mother left for Toronto, Ontario, to work as a personal care assistant to provide for her children's needs.

Santos and her siblings remained in the Philippines and lived with their nanny, Sabina "Binay" Quinatana, with whom she was close growing up, and moved to Quezon City where she attended elementary and high school.

At the age of eight, Santos began her professional acting career when she made her debut by portraying a minor role in the television series Kaming Mga Ulila (1986).

At the age of ten, her first leading role was the title character in the children's television series Ula, Ang Batang Gubat (1988).

Her career prospects improved when she was cast by director Argel Joseph, with whom she worked with in Kaming Mga Ulila, to play the eponymous character in the children's television series Ula, Ang Batang Gubat (1988).

She then unsuccessfully auditioned for the lead role in the soap opera Anna Luna (1989).

She later appeared in several supporting roles in films, including Impaktita (1989), Regal Shocker: The Movie (1989), and Dyesebel (1990).

Prolific in film and television in the Philippines since the early 1990s, she is known for her comedic and dramatic roles in independent films and blockbusters, as well as for her portrayals of oppressed and impoverished women.

She has received various accolades, including a Cairo International Film Festival Award, a Gawad Urian, two Luna Awards, two Metro Manila Film Festival Awards, and three FAMAS Awards.

Santos began her career as a child with supporting roles in film.

Santos became more recognized when she and Gladys Reyes starred in the soap opera Mara Clara (1992).

Santos's breakthrough came when she starred opposite Gladys Reyes in Mara Clara (1992), a show that aired until 1997, and is one of the longest-running Filipino television series.

Santos reprised her role in the 1996 film adaptation and won the German Moreno Youth Achievement Award and Best New Movie Actress at the FAMAS Awards for her performance.

That year, she starred in the teen series Gimik (1996) as part of an ensemble cast that included Marvin Agustin, Mylene Dizon, Diether Ocampo, and G. Toengi.

After being typecast for previously playing impoverished roles, Santos struggled portraying the role of a socialite in the show.

"It's totally out of my comfort zone. Everything about Dianne in Gimik is not me," she said.

Esperanza (1997), in which she played the protagonist, was a turning point in Santos's career.

She said that while the character is oppressed, she is braver and stands her ground.

During its run, Esperanza received the highest Nielsen ratings for a television series episode with a reported 67 percent viewership.

The show was later adapted as a film and earned Santos a nomination for Best Actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival.

She then co-starred with Wowie de Guzman and Rico Yan in Paano ang Puso Ko? (1997).

Her starring roles in the drama series Esperanza (1998), Sa Puso Ko Iingatan Ka (2001), and Basta't Kasama Kita (2003) established her as a leading actress on primetime television.

The following year, Santos left the series and had a reduced role in its 1999 film adaptation.

In 1999, Santos starred in the Judy Ann Drama Special, an installment of ABS-CBN anthology series Star Drama Presents.

She was the youngest actress featured in the television franchise.

Next, she was cast opposite Fernando Poe Jr.. in Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko... (1999), which became the first Filipino film to gross over ₱100million (US$1.9million).

In 2000, Santos was cast alongside Leandro Muñoz and Piolo Pascual in the romantic drama Kahit Isang Saglit (2000).

Pascual was in three releases with Santos from 2001 to 2003.

She received critical acclaim for her role as a woman with dissociative identity disorder in the psychological drama Sabel (2004), for which she won a Gawad Urian and Golden Screen Award for Best Actress.

Among her highest-grossing releases are the Jose Javier Reyes-directed comedy Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo (2006) and its sequel Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo (2007).

Santos co-produced the independent drama Ploning (2008) and starred in Mindanao (2019), which were the Philippine submissions for Best International Feature Film at the 81st and 93rd Academy Awards, respectively.

She is also a chef and a restaurateur.

In 2015, she wrote a cookbook called Judy Ann's Kitchen, which won a Gourmand International's Cookbook Award for Best Authors and Chefs Outside Europe.

Santos is married to Ryan Agoncillo, with whom she has three children.