Nora Aunor
The Superstar

Born Nora Cabaltera Villamayor on May 21, 1953in Iriga, Camarines Sur, Nora Aunor, long considered the Superstar of the Philippine entertainment industry, is actually more than an singer (that’s how she started, after this “little brown girl with a golden voice,” as Wikipedia.com describes her to be, was recommended by singer Carmen Soriano to Alpha Records in 1968), stage actress(she appeared in such plays as Minsa's Isang Gamo-gamo, Trojan Women, and DH: Domestic Helper), television personality (she hosted the longest running musical variety show in the Philippines, Superstar; and starred in ABS-CBN’s soap Bituin, among others), radio personality (her programs included Fiesta Extravaganza and Operetang Putol-Putol, both in DZXL), and movie star (since the 1960s, she has starred in over 170 films).  She is, in fact, an icon – representing, perhaps, how great things can come from small packages, and where they are least expected.

Aunor’s colourful life story was put in the limelight when, in 1967, she won the top prize of Tawag ng Tanghalan, at that time the most popular national amateur singing contest in the Philippines – a big leap for someone who used to just sell cold water by the railroad tracks of Iriga City.  Going mainstream with Alpha Records, Aunor’s early foray in the music industry wasn’t an immediate hit, but, eventually, the public warmed to her, and she started producing hit after hit, including It's Time to Say Goodbye, Silently, Forever Loving You, and It's Not Unusual.

When the silver screen beckoned, Aunor was teamed with Tirso Cruz III, a partnership called Guy and Pip, which produced such box office hits as And God Smiled at Me, Guy and Pip and Till We Meet Again.  Other onscreen partners included Edgar Mortiz, Manny de Leon, Don Johnson, Joseph Estrada, and Christopher de Leon (whom she married in the 1970s, though the marriage was annulled in the 1990s).

Befitting her superstar tag, Aunor is a major force in the Philippine entertainment industry.  Consider the following:

She has the most number of singles in Philippine recording history (over 260 singles, with her recorded songs reaching over 500), and notched over 30 gold singles (on its own, her cover of Pearly Shells in 1971 sold approximately one million units).

She has the most number of awards for acting. 
From the Manila Film Festival, she won Best Actress for Naglalayag (2004); from the Catholic Mass Media Awards, Best Actress for Bakit Bughaw ang Langit (1981), and Bulaklak ng City Jail (1984); from the Metro Manila Film Festival, Best Actress for Atsay (1978), Ina Ka ng Anak Mo (1979), Andrea: Paano Maging Isang Ina (1990), and Muling Umawit ang Puso (1992); from Star Awards, Best Actress for Merika (1984), and Ang Totoong Buhay ni Pacita M. (1991); from the Film Academy of the Philippines, Best Actress for Bilanging ang Bituin sa Langit (1989); from the Gawad Urian, Best Actress for Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976), and Bona (1980); and from the FAMAS, Best Actress for Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976), Bulaklak ng City Jail (1984), and Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit (1989).
International awards include Best Actress for Naglalayag (2004) from the Brussels Festival of Independent Films, and Best Actress for The Flor Contemplacion Story (1995) from the Cairo International Film Festival.

She is the only actress to receive the Centennial Honor for the Arts from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (in 1999).

And, in 1997, she was the only Filipino actress to be featured by HBO, an American cable network, in a documentary about the lives and achievements of the world's greatest actresses (in Asia, only Gong Li of China was featured with Aunor).

With four Philippine National Artists (Gerardo de Leon, Lamberto Avellana, Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal) directing many of her films, it is no wonder that many of Aunor’s films are internationally well-received (e.g. Bona was cited as one of "The Best 100 Films in the World" by the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles in the USA in 1997).