With their captivating charm and unmistakable handsomeness, it’s arguably impossible for our moms, aunts, or perhaps even older sisters not to get swooned by their looks and impressive talents during their matinee idol days decades ago.
They might have gone past their heydays for a very long time now, it’s indeed astonishing how these former heartthrobs have managed to stay good-looking and impress us with their notable performances through the years. Here, they would then turn into father figures to the younger generation of artists in teleseryes and films they starred in.
However, before they get to impress us with how effective they are as fathers on-screen, they are great and amazing daddies first to their broods in real life. With this year’s Father’s Day celebration just around the corner, let’s get to know these former “crush ng bayan” celebrity dads who are currently nailing fatherhood both on-screen and in real life.
Christopher de Leon
Before being recognized by avid Kapamilya viewers as one of the most omnipresent father figures in teleseryes in the previous years and at present in the afternoon soap opera Love Thy Woman as Adam Wong, the strict yet loving dad to Dana (Yam Concepcion) and Jia (Kim Chiu), he used to be one of the most sought-after and bankable leading men in the country from the 70s up to the 90s. He starred in over 120 films since the beginning of his career, which brought him innumerable accolades and nominations from various award-giving bodies, and had his TV debut via the all-male gag show Goin’ Bananas that also featured veteran actors Jay Ilagan, Johnny Delgado, and Edgar Mortiz.
READ: How Christopher de Leon showed his extraordinary acting talent in Kapamilya TV roles
But unlike on Love Thy Woman, wherein he only has two daughters, Christopher has a total of 10 kids in real life. His marriage to Superstar Nora Aunor produced five offspring – Lotlot, Ian, Matet, Kiko, and Kenneth – three of which became thespians like them as well. They got separated and he later on got hitched with actress Sandy Andolong to whom he also has five children, namely Miguel, Mariel, Rafael, Gabriel, and Mica. Besides, in spite of having different moms, they are seem to be tightly bonded with one another, nonetheless, as seen on their posts on Instagram.
Despite his hectic schedule, he still gets to enjoy being a patriarch to his continuously growing family and even support them in their respective endeavours and take good care of them. Thus, the 63-year-old award-winning actor couldn’t help but feel bad every time he has to be hard on them, as what he told the King of Talk during his interview on Tonight With Boy Abunda in 2016.
Albert Martinez
Among the most popular matinee idols in the 80s who rose to stardom after becoming a part of the elite group of stars then dubbed “Regal Babies” and being paired with veteran actress Snooky Serna, Albert appeared in a slew of teleseryes and movies wherein his brilliance as a bankable leading man was highlighted. However, he had to temporarily step out of the limelight when he and his deceased wife Liezl tied the knot in the late 80s and decided to live in the USA for some years.
He made a showbiz comeback in the 90s and it was in 2000s when he started to portray paternal roles in teleseryes, with his stints in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano (2015), The Good Son (2017), Bagani (2018), Kadenang Ginto (2019), and The General’s Daughter (2019) as the recent ones.
WATCH: Albert Martinez’s extraordinary, much-admired portrayals as a Kapamilya actor
The 59-year-old actor may have been a father to a number of young artists on-screen, but it’s definitely his three children Alyanna, Alissa, and Alfonso who dearly love him the most. They may be already grown-ups and are occupied by their respective lives, as Alyanna has now a family of her own and Alissa just tied the knot with her partner recently, but they’re still able to find time to bond with him.
LOOK: Albert Martinez with his precious children
Going through the snaps and clips uploaded by Alyanna on IG, we could see how they are so fond of going places together and having their family portrait taken every Christmas, as well as how Albert is devoted grandpa Albert is to his first grandchild Adalynn Riley. Besides in Entertainment.ABS-CBN.com’s exclusive interview with him in 2017, we also discovered that he loves cooking for his family every time he’s at home on Sundays.
Ariel Rivera
He might be initially known as a prolific singer-songwriter, which was already enough for him to win the hearts of many girls then (thus, relinquishing the “Kilabot ng Kolehiyala” title from 70’s crooner Hajji Alejandro), but Ariel’s acting chops was later on discovered when he was bestowed a starring role in the 1992 flick “Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal” that earned him the “Best Supporting Actor” trophy in the Metro Manila Film Festival that year. He eventually became a sought-after leading man since then, until he was tapped to portray paternal roles in the 2000s, with Hanggang Saan (2017), Maalaala Mo Kaya (“Jersey” and “Drawing” episodes), and Sandugo (2019) as his latest stints.
WATCH: Ariel Rivera & his acclaimed, well-loved father roles in Kapamilya teleseryes
Just like in Sandugo, the 53-year-old actor also has two sons in real life to his beloved wife Gelli de Belen, namely Joaquin Andres and Julio Alessandro. However, they weren’t able to be with them most of the time as their sons are currently living and studying in Canada while he and Gelli are working here in the Philippines.
“They’re doing very well. But, unfortunately for us (Gelli), we’re not doing well because we miss them so much every day. When we’re in the room, in which we spent about 89% of our time together, we still see memories of them. It’s difficult for us,” he said when asked by Tito Boy about how they’ve been doing during his guesting on TWBA last year.
PHOTOS: Meet the sons of Ariel Rivera who are now all grown up
He also went on to express how proud he is of them for growing up into “fine young men – respectful, well-educated, and knowledgeable about their surroundings”.
Ian Veneracion
Of course, who would not get smitten by Ian, who’s been capturing the hearts of many girls since his heydays as a child star? He would then become a matinee idol in the 90s and in recent years, an on-screen dad and husband in Got To Believe (2013), Pangako Sa ‘Yo (2015), A Love To Last (2017), Make It With You (2020), and iWant’s “My Single Lady” (2020).
While there are a lot of women who certainly have a crush on her, many of us know that he’s been happily married for two decades to his non-showbiz wife, to whom he shares three children – Deirdre, Draco, and Duccio. He might have managed to keep his personal life out of the limelight, but the 45-year-old actor-singer has been generous enough to share some of his bonding moments with them, which usually consist of going on various thrilling adventures and going places while on their motorbikes.
Besides, he and his firstborn Deirdre (or Dids) also showed up together on Magandang Buhay together for the first time last March, as they shared her “coming out” story that happened when she was only 16 years old.
“Just don’t ever be so apologetic about it. Not even to me. You can be whoever you want to be and I have full support,” the actor’s advice to his unica hija as he recalled the moment when she first opened up to him regarding her sexuality.
Cris Villanueva
Those who have been so immersed on the local entertainment scene since the late 80s probably recognize him as one of the hottest leading men during that era as he used to be a part of That’s Entertainment and even got paired with popular singer-actress Tina Paner. But in his pursuit of attaining his dream of becoming a dramatic actor, her decided to part ways with her and began his solo career.
And Cris indeed made it as he starred in a number of teleseryes and films in the coming years and became known as an unprecedented character actor. As he portrayed a handful of kontrabida roles in the previous series he starred in, such as in Halik (2018) and The Killer Bride (2019), he might be despised by its avid viewers and probably have them think that he’s not a great dad in real life.
But actually, the 49-year-old actor is an awesome and doting dad to his five children with his gorgeous wife Zharine, namely, Zara, Marley, Geoff, Zeena, and Zac. In some of his posts on IG, we could see how supportive he is of their respective endeavors and how he encourages them to exert their full potential.
WATCH: Zara opens up about her daddy Cris Villanueva
Unlike the usual roles he played, it was revealed during his and his firstborn Zara’s guesting in Magandang Buhay last January that he’s actually lenient and amiable to them, his children, as they’re able to maintain an open communication with them.
Romnick Sarmenta
For sure, many of us know him since he’s been in the industry for four decades as he kicked-off his career as a child star in the late 70s. From his acting debut in the classic teleserye Gulong ng Palad (1977-1985), he turned out to be one of the most well-loved heartthrobs of his generation, especially when he joined That’s Entertainment and got paired with actresses Jennifer Sevilla and Sheryl Cruz.
Just like the other names in this list, Romnick later on got tapped to do father roles, particularly in television dramas, with his stints in La Luna Sangre (2017) and Halik (2018) being his most recent. He may usually appear as an abusive and tough dad on-screen, but he’s apparently not the same in real life for he’s a cool and affectionate dad to his five adorable children – Abijah, Zeke, Bo, Merel, and Yuwela – that he shares with his ex-wife Harlene Bautista.
PHOTOS: Meet Romnick’s amazing 5 in these loveable photos
The 48-year-old actor admitted opting not to take a lot of work in the previous years as he wanted to be present in their lives while they were growing up. He used those times to get to know each one of them and get closer to them, for he didn’t want them to go through the same plight as him. And true to his word, he indeed made the most out of it as we could see happy pictures of him spending time with them whenever possible.
Richard Gomez
Tall, dark, and handsome. With these physical characteristics, not to mention his impressive acting chops, a lot of women in the 80s had apparently fallen head over heels on him, making him among the most sought-after leading man of his time and even got paired with famous actresses like maricel Soriano, Sharon Cuneta, and Dawn Zulueta.
And just like the others in this list, he also turned out to be one of the well-loved father figures on-screen in the recent years, such as in Walang Hanggan (2012), “She’s Dating The Gangster” (2014), “The Trial” (2014), You’re My Home (2015), and “Three Words To Forever” (2018).
He may have been a dad to a number of younger artists, but the 54-year-old actor-politician actually only has one child to his beautiful wife of 22 years former model-actress and current Fourth District of Leyte Congresswoman Lucy Torres, named Juliana.
LOOK: Photos of Richard Gomez with gorgeous unico hija Juliana
Contrary to the belief that he’s a strict dad to her since she’s their only offspring, Richard actually is a lenient, cordial, and awesome dad to her as we usually see them hanging out together through their posts on Instagram.
Now that she’s already of legal age, he revealed that he has braced himself on the possibility of her having a boyfriend soon and that they’ve been giving her life advices regarding their past experiences.
“She needs to choose them well. Sabi ko, kung hahanap ka ng isang boyfriend, ‘wag kang hahanap ng isang boyfriend na katulad ng daddy mo. Pero kung maghahanap ka ng asawa, hanapin mo ‘yong katulad ng daddy mo,” he quipped when asked by the King of Talk about the piece of advice he had given Juliana with regards to dating.
Aga Muhlach
From being an adorable child star who had his showbiz debut via the 1975 film "May Isang Tsuper Ng Taksi," Aga eventually emerged as one of the most popular matinee idols of his generation. This started with the success of the 1984 two-part youth-oriented comedy flick "Bagets," which he starred alongside William Martinez, Herbert Bautista, JC Bonnin, and Raymond Lauchengco, and later on skyrocketed into becoming one of the most in-demand leading men as he took on mature roles.
Amid his box office hit romance dramas through the 1980s and into the 1990s, Aga would become the endearing “Doc Aga” in the weekly sitcom Oki Doki Dok, which aired from 1993 to 2000. He would then headline other ABS-CBN sitcoms, such as Da Body and Da Guard, OK Fine, Whatever, and That’s My Doc.
Though he may not have appeared in any Kapamilya teleserye, his stint in the 2016 reality talent search Pinoy Boyband Superstar as one of the jurors-slash-mentors to the contestants somehow showcased his paternal side that only his three children Luigi, Andres, and Atasha have probably experienced.
LOOK: 35 photos of Aga Muhlach with his beautiful family
Even though they seem to refuse posting a lot about their private lives on IG, it's safe to say that they are tightly bonded, as evidenced by his interviews on Tonight With Boy Abunda last year, wherein he was asked by Tito Boy regarding his and wife Charlene Gonzalez's plan on sending their twins abroad for college.
“Pangarap namin sa kanila 'yon. That's gonna happen next year. Kasi ito 'yong plinano ko sa kanila," the 50-year-old veteran actor stated. "Para sa'kin plinano ko 'yan no'ng mga bata pa sila, pati 'yong eskuwelahan nila, magkahiwalay sila, which worked naman. They're turning 18 next year aalis na sila, maayos naman ang takbo ng buhay nila salamat sa Diyos. So feeling ko naman, tama 'yong desisyon ko na 'yon, pati ang pag-aaral nila ro'n."
Then he added, "Gusto ko silang pag-aralin do'n [kasi] parang gusto ko silang paliparin e. Matuto kayong mamuhay mag-isa kasi di n'yo matutunan dito 'yan."