Glaiza de Castro

Glaiza Castro Galura-Rainey (born January 21, 1988), professionally known by her stage name Glaiza de Castro, is a Filipino actress, recording artist and television personality.

Noted for her range in playing a wide range of roles, she is prominent in television and in mainstream, independent and socio-political films.

Her performances have earned her accolades including a Luna Award and a Facine Film Festival Award, in addition to a number of nominations from the FAMAS Awards and Gawad Urian Awards.

At age 13, De Castro made her first screen appearance in the series Kasangga (2001).

Between 2002 and 2005, she would only appear in films sporadically, playing bit parts in movies such as Singsing ni Lola (2002) and Miss Pinoy (2005).

By 2006, she began to appear in films more frequently, with minor parts in the horror films Sukob and White Lady, as well as the Manny Pacquiao biographical film, Pacquiao: The Movie.

Her most prominent film role during this point in her career was in the film adaptation of Carlo Vergara's graphic novel, Zsazsa Zaturnnah; the film was an entry to the 2006 Metro Manila Film Festival.

After four years with ABS-CBN, de Castro returned to her home network, GMA Network in 2006.

One of her first roles back was as Honey on the fantasy-adventure series, Fantastikids, where she starred alongside Marky Cielo, Jackie Rice and Ryza Cenon, as well as former child star Paolo Contis and former beauty queen Melanie Marquez.

The reception to the show was mostly warm; journalist Paul Daza of The Philippine Daily Inquirer compared it favorably to its counterpart on ABS-CBN (fantasy-drama anthology Komiks), and commented that, based on ratings, "it would seem like the new [GMA-7] stars are outshining the more established [ABS-CBN] performers."

At this time, she also performed regularly on GMA's regular Sunday variety show, SOP Rules.

In films, she gained critical acclaim for her performances in Still Life (2007), Astig (2009), Liway (2018), and Midnight in a Perfect World (2020).

In 2007, De Castro appeared in the afternoon teen drama Boys Nxt Door.

The series has been dubbed in Malay on the Malaysian channel 8TV and became the first Filipino drama to air in South Korea, via KBS2.

The second role was in the 2007 action-adventure series, Asian Treasures, GMA-7's most expensive show to date.

De Castro played Clara, an expert on history and geography who would use this knowledge to help the main characters find the titular treasures.

2007 also saw her featured prominently in the independent film Still Life, a film written and directed by Katski Flores, about an artist stricken with a terminal illness who has traveled to an isolated island to paint his last work.

In the film, de Castro plays Emma, a woman who relates her past to the main character.

Her portrayal of Emma was noted by film critic Tito Valiente of Business Mirror as "one reason the short life on that island becomes very real."

Valiente went on to note that de Castro's character was "vulnerable but not whiny. Even in tears she conjures an image of a woman whose only way out of life is finding life in anything."

The film was a finalist at that year's Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, where De Castro received a Golden Screen Awards nomination in the Best Actress category.

She also played a supporting role that year in the romantic film Batanes, alongside top GMA actress Iza Calzado, Taiwanese singer-actor Ken Chu, and Marky Cielo.

The following year, 2008, she started shooting another independent film, Rakenrol.

The film is based on director Quark Henares' views on growing up in the local rock scene, as well as his own personal experiences in starting a band.

In 2008, she played the lead role in the television adaptation of the 1991 film, Kaputol ng Isang Awit.

In the series, De Castro played Sarah Monteza a poor girl with a good voice but low self-esteem.

She continued playing minor and supporting roles in the succeeding years and rose to fame after playing Eunice Aragon in the series Stairway to Heaven (2009).

De Castro described the film, which was still in production as of March 2009, as "a lighter version of Almost Famous and "a fun, feel-good movie".

The following year, she starred in her first titular role Grazilda (2010) and played Binayaan in the historical epic series Amaya (2011).

She gained further recognition as Heidi Fernandez in the series Temptation of Wife (2012).

Her performance earned her a nomination at the Golden Screen TV Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

In 2015, she starred alongside Rhian Ramos in the first lesbian series in the Philippines, The Rich Man's Daughter.

For her work in music, she has earned Gold record for her album Synthesis (2015) and has been named Female Rock Artist of the Year at the PMPC Star Awards for Music.

De Castro began her career with GMA Network playing a minor role in the soap opera Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin.

However, after only a few months with the company, she transferred to rival network ABS-CBN and became a contract artist of Star Magic, the company's training ground for young talent.

During her time in ABS-CBN, she continued to play both supporting and minor roles, two of the most prominent being the role of Halley in the teen-oriented show, Berks.

The following year, De Castro starred in one of her biggest roles to date, Pirena, in the series Encantadia (2016).

For her role, she won Best Actress at the Gawad Filipino Media People's Choice Awards and Television Actress of the Year at the PEPsters' Choice Awards.

In 2018, she starred in another titular role Contessa which earned her Best Actress wins at the EdukCircle Awards and Alta Media Icon Awards.

In 2022, she starred in the variety series Running Man Philippines with an ensemble cast.