Celebrating her 50th anniversary in show business, superstar Nora Aunor, with her astonishing record number of winning performances and nominations, is one of the greatest actresses in the world.
From her famous real rags-to-riches life story, selling water at the railroad station to the time when she was unrightfully stripped of her place in the hall of National Artists, Aunor has won more than a hundred awards, local and international, the most of any actor in history.
Born Nora Cabaltera Villamayor in San Francisco, Iriga City in the province of Camarines Sur in May 1953 to Antonia Cabaltera and Eustacio Villamayor, the diminutive Bicolana has nine siblings, including the late former actor Eddie Villamayor. Aunor’s early performing dreams leaned toward music. The future singing sensation had her grandma Theresa as her first teacher in singing learning her first song, American pop singer Teddy Randazzo’s 1958 hit “The Way of a Clown.”
Aunor, who spent Grade I at Mabini Memorial College (‘59-’60) and transferred to Nichols Air Base Elementary School (‘60-’62) where she reached Grade 2, joined her first singing contest, Darigold Jamboree in Naga City and won with the song “You and the Night and the Music,’ a 1930’s standard popularized by Frank Sinatra. Her prize money was spent to pay for the school fee of Aunor’s older sister.
Buoyed by another win at a rival radio program, The Liberty Big Show, Aunor moved to Manila to try her luck using her mentor-Aunt Belen’s surname, Aunor, who accompanied her to the auditions. Aunor was 14-week-undefeated champion in Darigold Jamboree’s Bulilit contest on Channel 11 before her career-defining feat in Tawag ng Tanghalan with the Bing Crosby song ‘Moonlight Becomes You” as grand champion in 1967 and the rest was history.
Aunor began her movie career in Sampaguita Pictures in 1967 with a singing part in Conrado Conde’s All Over the World, a musical-romance starring Eddie Gutierrez, Loretta Marquez and Rosemarie Sonora, followed up with a co-starring role in Mar S. Torres’ Way Out in the Country, with Vilma Valera, Bert LeRoy, Jr. and Blanca Gomez.
In 1969, Aunor appeared with Tirso Cruz III in Mitos Villareal’s Young Girl with Ricky Belmonte and Jeanne Young. The Guy-Pip pairing made German Moreno’s Guy and Pip movie in 1971 a box-office monster, remaining in theaters for six months and broke box office records with P8 million gross equivalent to P560 million in present average ticket prices (surpassing Vice Ganda’s SPG gross).
Aunor also became one of the highest-paid recording artists with her singles and albums selling in large numbers in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Dubbed the ‘Girl with the Golden Voice,’ Aunor was a multi-awarded singer. She recorded the most singles in Philippine recording history (with more than 260 singles), and more than 500 songs with more than 30 gold singles, a record in the local music industry. Her “Pearly Shells” (1971), with estimated sales of one million units, is one of the biggest-selling singles in the local recording industry.
Aunor’s transformation from teen idol star to a highly-esteemed actor started when she won her first best actress award in 1972 at the 3rd Quezon City Film Festival in Danny Holmsen/Mar Torres’ And God Smiled at Me with Tirso Cruz III. She made Banaue and Fe, Esperanza, Caridad with great national artists-directors Gerardo de Leon and Lamberto Avellana
Aunor also conquered the prestigious Cannes Festival in 1981 with the screening of Lino Brocka’s Bona at the Director’s Fortnight. She was featured in the French daily Le Monde and was compared to Italian actress Giulietta Masina of Federicco Fellini’s La Strada. Aunor could have won best actress had Bona finished its sub-titles for an entry in the Main Competition. Aunor would wait for 14 years to become the first local actress to win an international acting award for Joel Lamangan’s opus The Flor Contemplacion Story at the 1995 Cairo International Film Festival.
Aunor also walked the red carpet at the 1983 Berlin Film Festival with the screening of Ishmael Bernal’s Himala, which was nominated for the Golden Bear Award (Best Film). Himala competed and won the Bronze Hugo Award at the 1983 Chicago International Film Festival and was also awarded Best Asia-Pacific Film of All Time at the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Aunor made her Cannes’ return in 2015 with Brilliante Mendoza’s Taklub, which was screened at the Un Certain Regard section and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Special Mention. The Hollywood magazine called Aunor “The Grand Dame of Philippine Cinema” for her brilliant performance in the film.
Aunor was also honored in 2015 with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 2nd ASEAN International Film Festival in Sarawak, Malaysia for her contribution in the film industry, not only in the Philippines but also in other countries belonging to the ASEAN. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the AIFFA to personalities who have broken international barriers in the course of their career.
A consummate and perfectionist artist, Aunor constantly turned out a string of highly acclaimed and stirring performances over the course of her illustrious career like in George Rowe’s Paru-Parung Itim (1973), Mario O’Hara’s Tatlong Taong Walang Dios (1976), Bakit Bughaw ang Langit (1981) and Bulaklak sa City Jail (1984), Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara’s Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo, Eddie Garcia’s Atsay (1978), Bernal’s Ikaw ay Akin (1978) and Bakit May Pag-ibig Pa? (1978), Brocka’s Ina Ka ng Anak Mo (1979) and Nakaw na Pag-ibig (1980), Danny Zialcita’s T-Bird at Ako (1982), Elwood Perez’ Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit (1989), Gil Portes’ Merika (1984) and Andrea, Paano ba ang Maging Isang Ina?
(1990), Joel Lamangan’s Bakit May Kahapon Pa? (1996), Maryo J. De los Reyes’ Naglalayag (2004) and Brilliante Mendoza’s Thy Womb (2012), and others.
