John Arcilla

Arcilla played General Mariano Noriel, who was a member of the War Council that oversaw Andrés Bonifacio's case in 1897.

Romeo "John" Gonzales Arcilla (born June 24, 1966) is a Filipino actor.

Arcilla and his family moved to his mother's hometown in Baler, Aurora due to the declaration of martial law in 1972.

Arcilla began to show interest in acting at age 7.

He was a member of the community-based Philippine Educational Theater Association-Metropolitan Teen Theater League (PETA-MTTL).

Arcilla won Best Actor awards at the 78th Venice International Film Festival and the Gawad Urian Awards for his performance in On the Job: The Missing 8. He is the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to win the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.

He played the role of Antonio Luna in the historical drama film Heneral Luna, Hagorn in the fantasy drama television series Encantadia, and Renato Hipolito in the action drama television series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.

John Arcilla was born in Quezon City, Philippines to Filipino parents, Dominador Gil Alemania Arcilla and Eustaquia Gonzales.

In 1986 he graduated from Saint Joseph's College of Quezon City (SJCQC).

He was also an acting scholar of the Actors Workshop Foundation under Laurice Guillen, Johnny Delgado, and Leo Martinez from 1987 to 1990.

Arcilla appeared in various television shows in 1987, including the variety show Goin' Bananas as a "gag artist", as well as in the drama anthologies Lovingly Yours, Helen and Star Drama Theater Presents.

Arcilla joined Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas in 1988 and was a member until 1989.

There, he was trained by stage director and National Artist for Theater, Tony Mabesa.

From 1989 to 1990, Arcilla worked as a casting director for Foote, Cone & Belding.

One of Arcilla's early film appearances was as a photojournalist covering the release of political detainees in Lino Brocka's Orapronobis (Fight for Us, 1989).

From 1991 to 1997, Arcilla was a resident actor and senior member of Tanghalang Pilipino's Actor Company, the resident theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Arcilla had a bigger role in Raymond Red's first full-length feature, Bayani in 1992.

At the Cultural Center, he played lead roles in several productions, including Orosman and Zafira, Walang Sugat, and Ryan Cayabyab's Rizal musical trilogy: El Filibusterismo in 1993, Noli Me Tángere in 1995, and Illustrado in 1996.

In Sakay (1993), Arcilla played General Leon Villafuerte, the revolutionary chief of staff in Macario Sakay's Tagalog Republic.

Arcilla gained exposure through a 1994 TV commercial for Purefoods with the slogan "Coffee na lang, dear" ("Just coffee, dear"), which led to his involvement in more projects outside theater.

Arcilla's film break was in Sa 'Yo Lamang (1995), where he played Hector, the loving elder brother of Andrew (played by Richard Gomez).

Arcilla won Best Actor at the 1996 Manila Film Festival for his role as Lino in the film Mulanay.

A year later, he starred in Ligaya ang Itawag Mo sa Akin and won a Best Supporting Actor Award at the Gawad Urian.

From 1998 to 2005, Arcilla starred in several supporting roles in film and television, including the 2000 drama series, Pangako sa 'Yo, the 2003 action-crime drama, Basta't Kasama Kita, and 2005 fantasy drama, Sugo.

He played the lead role in the film adaptation of Tony Perez' play about infidelity, Sa North Diversion Road.

Arcilla and co-star Irma Adlawan had also performed in the theater version.

Arcilla was also part of the main cast of Rama at Sita, a 1999 Filipino musical adapted from the Indian epic Ramayana.

In 2000, Arcilla became a guest actor for Repertory Philippines and played Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Arcilla has also been in various television commercials for brands including Tide and Gold Eagle, and companies such as National Steel Corporation and Development Bank of the Philippines.

They were each nominated at the 2006 Golden Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Leading Role (Drama) respectively.

In 2006, Arcilla starred in the film Compound.

He was nominated for a Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Drama) at the 2007 Golden Screen Award and earned a nomination for Movie Actor of the Year at the Star Awards for Movies.

In 2009, he earned his third Gawad Urian nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the film Manila Skies.

Arcilla starred in three films in 2010: the indie film Halaw, for which he won a Best Actor Award at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, Amigo, an American-Filipino drama film based on the Philippine–American War, and Petrang Kabayo, a comedy-drama.

He returned to television in 2010 in the suspense drama Magkaribal.

In 2011, he played supporting characters in two television shows, Machete and Mana Po.

He was also in two films, Thelma and No Other Woman.

Arcilla had a cameo role in the 2012 spy thriller The Bourne Legacy, playing the head security guard.

He also played Mariano Trias in the Emilio Aguinaldo biopic, El Presidente.

Arcilla was also in the cast of Lilet Never Happened, which won the Best Cast Ensemble at the 2013 International Film Festival Manhattan.