Robin Padilla

Padilla played his first major role in the 1985 comedy film Public Enemy No. 2: Maraming Number Two starring Eddie Garcia and Nida Blanca. In 1991, Padilla played the lead roles in the blockbuster hit movies Maging Sino Ka Man and Ang Utol Kong Hoodlum.[7] Padilla figured in a filming accident when an explosion scene for Ang Utol Kong Hoodlum burned the actor, leaving scars around his abdomen and arms.[8]

In 1994, Padilla was convicted for illegal possession of firearms and sentenced to a maximum of eight years in jail.[9] In 1998, he was granted a conditional pardon by former president Fidel V. Ramos.[10] Padilla wrote and starred in the 1996 film Anak, Pagsubok Lamang which was shot almost entirely inside the New Bilibid Prison where Padilla was incarcerated.[11][12] After his release, Padilla starred in the 1998 film Tulak ng Bibig, Kabig ng Dibdib. Padilla was again injured while filming after his stunt car flipped and landed on its roof.[7]

In 1999, Padilla crossed over to television programs through the ABS-CBN comedy show Pwedeng Pwede. In 2002, he reprised his role as Anghel in the movie Hari ng Selda: Anak ni Baby Ama 2, a sequel to the 1990 film. The following year, he top-billed his first primetime action-drama series, Basta't Kasama Kita. In 2005, he did two movies: the horror thriller Kulimlim and the comedy La Visa Loca. He received Best Actor honors in the 2006 Gawad Urian Awards.

Padilla's contract with ABS-CBN expired in 2006. He transferred to GMA Network and starred in the 2007 TV series Asian Treasures. He also signed a two-film contract under GMA Films, starring in Till I Met You and the 2009 horror-suspense film Sundo with Viva Films. Padilla later opted out of his exclusive contract to be able to make films for other outfits, including Star Cinema Productions, FLT Films, Millennium Cinema, and GMA Films. That same year, he played the titular role of Totoy Bato, an adaptation of a novel by Carlo J. Caparas.

In 2010, Padilla returned to ABS-CBN. His projects with the network included the 2011 sitcom Toda Max. In 2011, Padilla directed his first TV commercial under his own production company, RCP Productions.[13]

In 2013, Padilla once again returned to GMA Network, where he featured in a cameo role in Adarna alongside his daughter Kylie Padilla. He also played the lead role in the 2013 action thriller 10,000 Hours under Viva Films, winning the Best Actor award in the 39th Metro Manila Film Festival and Actor of the Year in the 2014 Box Office Entertainment Awards.[14]

On December 1, 2015, he again returned to ABS-CBN and was one of the judges for the fifth season of talent competition show Pilipinas Got Talent.

Padilla is an anti-malaria advocate since 2004. He became the spokesperson for the Department of Health's "Movement Against Malaria" campaign, appearing in infomercials to promote the use of mosquito nets.[15][16]

In 2007, Padilla established the Liwanag ng Kapayapaan Foundation, a pre-school for underprivileged Muslim children in Quezon City.[17] Padilla temporarily closed the school after it failed to acquire the necessary government permits to continue operations.[18] In September 2010, the school re-opened.[19]

Padilla has also promoted Muay Thai in the Philippines, and donated ₱2,500,000 to the Muay Association of the Philippines where he also served as chairman.[20][21][22]

Padilla is a supporter of the controversial Philippine drug war,[23] hailing the campaign as "most successful" and claiming that extrajudicial killings are a legitimate part of the government's anti-crime strategy.[24][25]

Robin was born to Casimero "Roy" Padilla Sr. and Lolita Eva Cariño. He has eight siblings—three brothers and five sisters. He is half-Igorot from his mother's side.[26] His father, Roy was a film director and politician who served as vice-governor of Camarines Norte in the 1970s and assemblyman in the 1980s.[27] His mother was an actress.[1] His siblings BB, Rommel, and Royette, are also actors. His half-brother Casimero succeeded in their father's political endeavors, serving as a union leader, a congressman, and a three-term governor of Camarines Norte.[28] He is also the uncle of actors Bela Padilla, Daniel Padilla, and Mark Anthony Fernandez. Robin is also the great uncle of Grae Fernandez, via his father.

In 1994, Padilla was convicted for illegal possession of firearms and sentenced to a maximum of eight years in jail.[29] In 1998, he was pardoned by President Fidel Ramos.[30]

Formerly a Jehovah's Witness, Padilla converted to Islam, adopted the name Abdul Aziz, and married his first wife Liezl Sicangco in a Muslim ceremony while he was still serving his prison sentence.[31] He has four children with Sicangco, including actress Kylie Padilla.[32]

In November 2009, Padilla announced that he and Sicangco had divorced in 2007.[33] On August 19, 2010, Padilla and Mariel Rodriguez were married at the Taj Mahal in India.[34] Padilla and Rodriguez had met during his stint as a host of Wowowee.[35] Rodriguez gave birth to their first daughter in November 2016 in Delaware,[36] and a second daughter in November 2019.[37] Despite their marriage, Rodriguez remained a Roman Catholic.[38][39] In July 2017, Padilla became a grandfather when his eldest daughter gave birth.[40]

In 2014, Padilla campaigned for presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte and in May 2016 filed a libel case against a Twitter user for calling him an "ex-convict".[41] In November 2016, Padilla was granted an absolute pardon from President Rodrigo Duterte to endow him full civil and political rights.[42]

On October 8, 2021, Padilla filed his certificate of candidacy for senator under PDP–Laban for the 2022 election.[3]

• Robin Padilla at IMDb