Paolo Ballesteros

Paolo Ballesteros
Ballesteros in 2012
Born	Paolo Elito Ballesteros IV November 29, 1982 Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
Other names	Paolo Ballesteros
Occupation	Actor, TV Host, model, comedian, product endorser
Years active	2001-present
Height	5'9

Paolo Elito Macapagal Ballesteros IV (born November 29, 1982 in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines) better known as Paolo Ballesteros is a Filipino actor, TV host, model and impersonator.Other name Philippines Transformer Star. He has appeared in films and several TV shows, and has been one of the co-hosts of longtime noontime show Eat Bulaga! since 2001. Currently, he is managed by talent manager Joji Dingcong who previously handled Piolo Pascual and Cogie Domingo.

Career

2001–2006

In 2001, Ballesteros joined the noontime show Eat Bulaga! as segment host for the campus pageant "U-Bet", with fellow newcomers Phoemela Barranda and Derek Ramsay. After "U-Bet" ended its run, he was immediately elevated to regular host status. His daily exposure on the show and immense rapport with the veteran "Bulaga" hosts won him a wide fan base.

In 2002, he was nominated for Best New Male Personality at the Star Awards for Television. He won the award, besting fellow nominees Dennis Trillo and Railey Valeroso. He also started appearing in other TV shows like "Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin" and "Kahit Kailan" of GMA-7. However, he was best known for his wacky stint in the now-defunct GMA sitcom "Daddy Di Do Du" as Danica Sotto's boyfriend. Soon after, he was cast in movies like "Pakisabi na Lang" and "Anghel sa Lupa" of Regal Films.

In 2003, Ballesteros's TV stints were limited only to Eat Bulaga! and "Daddy Di Do Du" however he was kept busy by performing in comedy bars like "Klownz" and "Zirkoh," which are owned by fellow Eat Bulaga! co-host Allan K.

He made his name as a young host/TV comedian, and was then paired with Ciara Sotto. Their team which started in the "Bulagaan" segment of Eat Bulaga! soon branched out to other TV shows. They did Season 7 and Season 9 of "Love to Love" which gained high ratings. They were also paired in "Enteng Kabisote 3". However, their pairing soon ended when Ciara quit Eat Bulaga! to perform in concerts abroad.

In 2007, Ballesteros' appearance on the daily noontime show Eat Bulaga! was reduced to a weekly stint on Saturdays. His other TV show, "Daddy Di Do Du" ended and was replaced with "Fulhaus". While on free time, he was included in the digital sci-fi independent film "Xenoa" where he was involved in several difficult action scenes. After "Xenoa", Ballesteros was included in the cast of "Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan" as one of the main villains of the show (the other being Jay Manalo). He plays Ida, the transvestite grandson of Kuuma Le-ar. The role of Ida of Zaido paved his way on becoming a household name in primetime television. Ballesteros became more famous due to his role as "Precious Paola Nicole" in BEBOT segment of Eat Bulaga, where he won the title in 2005. After Zaido, he returned to Eat Bulaga on weekdays. He later joined the cast of Dyesebel which also starred Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes. In 2009, Ballesteros played "Afie" in the drama "Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang" where he worked with Marian Rivera for the second time.

2010–present

In 2010, Ballesteros worked with Claudine Barretto in an episode of the GMA drama-anthology "Claudine" where he once again played a transvestite. Unlike his previous gay roles where his characterizations were described as "campy" by some critics, his role in that particular episode as a vengeful tranvestite half-brother of Barretto drew rave reviews.

In the later part of 2010, Paolo unofficially formed a comic trio with Eat Bulaga! co-hosts Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola when they were assigned to host the show's segment "Juan for All, All for Juan. " In this segment, Paolo and his co-hosts visit different barangays and give various gifts in cash and kind to the lucky homeviewers.

Later in 2011, Ballesteros won Eat Bulaga!'s EB Universe 2011 contest as Ms. Philippines' Shamcey Mwah Mwah Tsup Tsup (parody of Shamcey Supsup) in a special episode.

He also joined the cast of I Heart You, Pare which premiered on February 7, 2011, starring Regine Velasquez and Dingdong Dantes. Paolo portrayed the role of Vodka, a drag queen. Vodka was the star performer of Club Love and Tonette’s (played by Regine Velasquez) biggest rival among the club's gay performers. The show ended its run on May 27, 2011.

To this date, he is kept busy with his hosting job in Eat Bulaga! doing a segment for "Juan for All, All for Juan" along with the comic duo Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola.

However in March 2016, he was reportedly suspended from Eat Bulaga! for six months due to the rants he posted on his Facebook account regarding the live show set-ups like about the catering and others.^[1] During his suspension, Ballesteros spent his time in portraying his main roles in two different movies: Die Beautiful and Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo May BF?. Ballesteros returned to Eat Bulaga! in September 5, 2016.^[2] Ballesteros internationally won his first Best Actor award for playing his role in Die Beautiful in 29th Tokyo International Film Festival.

Impersonation and makeup transformation

Ballesteros is renowned for his various impersonation of female and male artists and has earned international acclaim for his makeup skills.^[3] To this date, he has posted pictures of his numerous makeup transformations through his Instagram account, transforming himself into the likes of Tyra Banks,^[4] Caitlyn Jenner,^[5] Angelina Jolie, Mariah Carey, Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Stewart, Lucy Liu, Rihanna, Demi Moore, Katy Perry, Madonna, Megan Fox^[6] to a name of few, as well as local artists like Marian Rivera, Nora Aunor, and Vic Sotto.^[7]

Filmography

Television

Television
Year	Title	Role	Network
2001	Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin	Paul	GMA Network
2001–present	Eat Bulaga!	Himself/Co-Host/Performer/Lola Tidora/Doña Isadora Smash y Zobeyala/Mommy Dub/Doña Ariana Miley-Zobeyala
2002–03	Kahit Kailan	PJ
2005-06	Daddy Di Do Du	Paolo
2005	Love To Love	Eric (Episode: "Love-an O Bawi")
2006		Amando / Mandy (Episode: "Best Friends")
2007–08	Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan	Ida
2008	Dyesebel	Bukanding
2009	SRO Cinemaserye Presents: "Rowena Joy"	RJ
	Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang	Alfie
2010	The Last Prince	Diwani Anexi
	Claudine	Carlo (Episode: "Doble Cara" - June 26, 2010)
	Midnight DJ	Venus (Episode: "Dedbol in a Major Major Way")	TV5
	Face To Face	Himself
2011	I Heart You, Pare!	Vodka	GMA Network
	Kung Aagawin Mo Ang Langit	Aloha
2013	Kidlat	Walter / Warla	TV5
	The Ryzza Mae Show	Himself (Guest: "Birthday Special, Part 2" - June 14, 2013)	GMA Network
	Vampire Ang Daddy Ko	Andres Bonifacio / Andong "Dong" (Guest: November 30, 2013)
2014	Karugtong Ng Puso: An Eat Bulaga Lenten Drama Special	Reynaldo / Baldo
	Marian	Himself/Co-Host
2015	Biro Ng Kapalaran: An Eat Bulaga Lenten Drama Special	Obet
	Sabado Badoo	Himself Cameo Footage Featured

Film

Films
Year	Title	Role	Film Producer
2002	Pakisabi Nalang na mahal ko siya	Martin	Regal Films
2003	Anghel sa Lupa	Ariel
2004	Enteng Kabisote: Okay ka, Fairy Ko: The Legend	Fantastikman	OctoArts Films and M-Zet Productions
2006	Metlogs (Metrosexual Jologs)	Rodelio "Rodel" Dapulo	Grupong Sinehan Production
	Enteng Kabisote 3: Okay ka, Fairy Ko: The Legend Goes on and on and on	Pao	OctoArts Films and M-Zet Productions
2007	Xenoa	Zeus	Xion Films, Visual Camp, and Multimedia Arts
2008	Xenoa 2: Clash of the Bloods
2009	Kimmy Dora: Kambal sa Kiyeme	Cameo Role / Waiter	Spring Films, MJM Productions, Solar Films, and Star Cinema
2010	Pendong	Paulino	Oxin Films
2011	Pak! Pak! My Dr. Kwak!	Anton	Star Cinema, M-Zet Productions, APT Entertainment, and OctoArts Films
	Enteng Ng Ina Mo	Gay Lover	Star Cinema, M-Zet Productions, OctoArts Films, and APT Entertainment
2012	D' Kilabots Pogi Brothers Weh?!	Tweety	APT Entertainment and M-Zet Productions
2013	My Little Bossings	Alat	OctoArts Films, M-Zet Productions, APT Entertainment, and Kris Aquino Productions
2014	So It's You	L.A.	Regal Films
	My Big Bossing's Adventure	Alat	M-Zet Films, APT Entertainment, Octoarts
2015	My Bebe Love	Raymond	M-Zet Films, APT Entertainment, Octoarts Films, GMA Films, Meda Productions
2016	Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin	Señorito Bogz Lee Ginintuan	Viva Films, Heaven's Best Entertainment
	Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo may Boyfriend?	Benj	Viva Films,
	Die Beautiful	Trisha	Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum, APT Entertainment, TheIdeaFirst Company, October Train Films
	Enteng Kabisote 10 and the Abangers	Lola Tidora	OctoArts Films, M-Zet Productions

Awards

Awards
Year	Award Giving Body	Project/Title	Award
2002	2002 PMPC Star Awards For TV	Daddy Di Do Du	Winner, Best New Male TV Personality
2016	29th Tokyo International Film Festival	Die Beautiful	Winner, Best Actor Award

References

1. "Paolo Ballesteros suspended from Eat Bulaga for six months?". PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal). March 17, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
2. "Paolo Ballesteros back on 'Eat Bulaga'". Manila Bulletin. September 5, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
3. "Paolo Ballesteros: 12 wild makeup transformation moments". Rappler.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
4. "Tyra praises Paolo Ballesteros' makeup transformation". ABS-CBNnews.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
5. Orofino, Emily. "He Did It Again! A Man Transforms Into Caitlyn Jenner With Makeup". Popsugar.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
6. Peterson, Jessie. "See One Guy Transform Himself Into 16 Celebrities With Makeup". MTV.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
7. "LOOK: Vic Sotto, first male celebrity makeup transformation ni Paolo Ballesteros". GMA News. Retrieved 13 August 2015.

External links

• Paolo Ballesteros at the Internet Movie Database