Angel Esmeralda

Ángel Esmerelda (October 1, 1915-1985) was a prewar Filipino actor, tumultuous period marked by Pancho Villa’s poignant Mexican revolution, but a most opportune time for Angel, who would grow up to be the filmdom’s golden boy. He is the husband of Sampaguita Pictures leading lady Corazon Noble and the father of Jay Ilagan also known as Ángel Ilagan.

As destiny had it, four years after his birth, the Philippine cinema was born. In 1919, Jose Nepomuceno of Malayan Pictures produced “Dalagang Bukid” based on the country’s most celebrated sarzuela, penned by Angel’s dad, Hermogenes Ilagan. Angel therefore grew up in an environment that was suffused by the sounds and sights of colorful sarzuelas.

During Angel’s entry into movie acting, there was a boon in movie making. Film studios that catered to the insatiable appetites of eager movie fans were sprouting like mushrooms. There were Sanggumay Pictures, X’Otic Films, Excelsior Pictures, Majestic Productions, Oriental Pictures, Salumbides Pictures, Parlatone Hispano Filipino Inc, LVN Pictures and Sampaguita Pictures.

Incidentally, Angel did his first and last films under the same studio. He was 19, when he did his first movie “Ang Dangal”(1934) under Parlatone –Hispano-Filipino Inc. His last was “Pipo” (1970) starring Charito Solis under Nepomuceno Productions. “Ang Dangal” featured Angel opposite Dado Garcia and Patsy. His brother Gerry (de Leon) also starred in the film. (The first film outfit in history was Malayan Pictures. It was later renamed as Parlatone- Hispano-Filipino Inc, until it finally became the Nepomuceno Productions.)

Angel’s contemporaries were Rogelio dela Rosa, Rudy Concepcion, Carmen Rosales, Angelito Nepomuceno, Leopoldo Salcedo, Rosa del Rosario, Ana Maria, Fe Crisostomo, soprano Rosario Moreno, Flora Mirasol, Elsa Oria, Fernando Poe Sr., Patricia Mijares, Fely Vallejo and Ely Ramos who died at the zenith of his career.

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Wikipedia