From pageant stage to silver screen

Our survey of Filipino beauty queens who’ve successfully parlayed their crowns for show biz fame continues with today’s focus on our Miss International title holders:

If we’ve had only three homegrown Miss Universe queens reigning all over the galaxies, the similarly prestigious Miss International tilt has been more generous with six Filipinos officially hailed as the world’s most beautiful women (in 1964, 1970, 1979, 2005, 2013 and 2016). Only Venezuela has had more, with seven.

Our first Miss International, Gemma Cruz, chose not to make performing her main profession, but achieved national recognition as a cultural leader and icon, with a specific expertise in Philippine history.

For her part, Edita Vital (1960 Miss International-Philippines) did become a movie star, even playing Maria Clara in Gerry de Leon’s iconic film on Jose Rizal, “El Filibusterismo” (1962).

She acquitted herself well in a stellar cast that included the vastly more experienced Charito Solis. She also starred in “Noli Me Tangere” and “Mga Tigreng Taga-Bukid.”

Our next Miss International, Aurora Pijuan (1970), made two movies.

Next to “go show biz” in a big way was 1979 Miss International winner, Melanie Marquez. It was a “logical” move for the teen queen because her father, Artemio Marquez, was a film director, some of whose movies starred Nora Aunor.

Aside from becoming a movie star, Melanie was also known for her “ditziness,” especially her penchant for coming up with “malaprop” statements that had an unintentionally comedic twist to them (“I’m proud of my long-legged,” etc.).

Melanie is currently making a comeback on TV as Bea Alonzo’s “idiosyncratic” boss in “A Love to Last”—where another Miss International (2013), Bea Rose Santiago, guested.

Fil-Am Lisa Manibog, the 1982 Philippine winner, became an award-winning US television producer. Sabrina Artadi (1985) has hosted a cooking show on TV.

Alice Dixson (1986) became a movie-TV star who’s popular to this day. The “I can feel it!” girl is remembered for “Okay Ka, Fairy Ko.” She also starred in movies like “Sinungaling Mong Puso.” In 2011, she made her TV comeback by way of teleseryes like “Babaeng Hampaslupa” and “MariMar.”

Alma Concepcion (1994) also went into acting, with screen credits including “Goodbye America” and “Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig.”

Miss International 2005 winner Precious Lara Quigaman has similarly become a TV-film luminary, with starrers like “Dalaw” and “The Healing.”

Krista Kleiner (2010) appears in commercials, and the 2016 Miss International winner, Kylie Verzosa, a preschool teacher and model before she joined the tilt, is an advocate against depression and suicide.

Could she also become a show biz or media luminary? She should consider it, because the added popularity could give her advocacies an attention-calling boost!