Piolo Pascual

Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual was born on January 12, 1977,^[12] in Malate, Manila,^[13] to Amelia "Amy" Nonato Pascual and Philip Victoriano Pascual as their youngest child among six children.^[14] His German-Spanish father was a casting director for international films that were shot in the Philippines, as well as an occasional actor.^[15] Pascual attended elementary and high school at St. Francis School in Santa Ana, Manila, where he joined the school's theater group.^[13]

While he was in third year high school in 1994, Pascual started appearing in the teen variety show That's Entertainment.^[16] He eventually left the show to get into college full-time, studying at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), where he initially took up a Bachelor of Arts course in general education, but later shifted to physical therapy to prepare for his immigration to the United States.^[17] Pascual was a member of UST's theater company, Teatro Tomasino.^[18] He did not graduate from college, choosing to pursue an entertainment career instead.^[19]

However, Pascual's acting career was interrupted at age 18 when he and his sister moved to the U.S. to join their mother, who had already been living and working there for six years.^[14] They lived in Los Angeles, where he worked multiple jobs, including as an ER representative in the hospital where his mother worked and as a security guard for the Academy Awards. When Pascual turned 21, he returned to Manila in order to pursue his acting career again.^[14][20]

In 1994, Pascual started his career in That's Entertainment. Then he appeared in some TV shows including Mara Clara and Gimik. His loveteam with Judy Ann Santos became phenomenal in early 2000s.^{[citation needed]} Their four movies, Kahit Isang Saglit, Bakit 'Di Totohanin, Till There Was You, and Don't Give Up on Us, earned more than P100 million in the box office. His movie with Claudine Barretto, Milan, became his top-grossing film up to date.^[21]

In his early singing career, he joined Diether Ocampo, Bernard Palanca, Jericho Rosales and Carlos Agassi to form The Hunks, an all-male group.

In 2002, Pascual played the role of Jules in the award-winning film, Dekada '70. He received eight awards in the Best Supporting Actor category and was given special recognition as a Best Supporting Actor for the same role by the GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards.^[22]

In 2003, Pascual's debut album Piolo, went platinum.^{[citation needed]} His second album My Gift hit Platinum status as well. His 5th solo album Timeless hit Triple Platinum status.

In 2007, he paired to Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez in Paano Kita Iibigin, Piolo Pascual portrayed Lance Monteagudo.

In 2008, he starred in a fantasy TV series Lobo together with Angel Locsin. The show gained accolades from Banff World Media Festival and International Emmy Awards.

In 2009, Pascual became a producer for Manila, an independent twinbill film under Bicycle Pictures. After its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2009,^[23] Manila had its official Philippine premiere in cinemas in July 2009 as the opening film of the 5th Cinemalaya Film Festival.^[24][25] He starred in the Philippine version of Lovers in Paris together with KC Concepcion the same year. Together with some directors and writers, Pascual created his film studio, Spring Films, which is known for its popular Kimmy Dora movie series.^[26]

In 2013, Pascual went to Cannes again with the movie On the Job.^[27]

Pascual has a son, Iñigo Dominic Lázaro Pascual, born on September 14, 1997. Pascual is also the uncle of Filipino actor Benjamin Alves.

In 2013, Pascual joined the PETA campaign, Free Mali, whose aim was to move Mali, the lone elephant at the Manila Zoo, to a larger area. Mali died in 2023.^[32]

As of 2024, Pascual has been romantically involved with Shaina Magdayao.^[33]

Despite his "pretty boy" image, Pascual is oftentimes rumored and believed to be gay.^[34]