Gerardo de Leon

Gerardo de León
Gerardo de León on a 2013 stamp of the Philippines
Born	(1913-09-12)September 12, 1913 Manila, Philippine Islands
Died	July 25, 1981(1981-07-25) (aged 67) Manila, Philippines
Occupation	Actor, film director
Years active	1934–1976

Gerardo de León, ONA (September 12, 1913 – July 25, 1981), was a Filipino actor-turned-film director. He made his acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal.

De León, who was born Gerardo Ilagan, was a member of the Ilagan clan of Philippine motion pictures, which includes Robert Arevalo, Conrado Conde, Angel Esmeralda, Eddie Ilagan, Ronaldo Valdez, musical scorer Tito Arévalo, and his daughter Liberty Ilagan. De León was a medical doctor by profession, but his ultimate love for film has won him over. He made eight more films as an actor before he became a director. He made his directorial debut with Bahay-Kubo (1939), starring Fely Vallejo, who later became his wife. One of his unfinished projects was Juan de la Cruz (1972) with Fernando Poe, Jr..

Nicknamed "Manong", de León is the most awarded film director in the history of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences' FAMAS Awards. From 1952 to 1971, he was awarded seven FAMAS Awards, three of them received consecutively. His 1961 film The Moises Padilla Story was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 32nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

All of the films for which he won Best Director also won Best Picture at the FAMAS, namely Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo (1952), Hanggang sa Dulo ng Daigdig (1958), Huwag Mo Akong Limutin (1960), Noli Me Tangere (1961, adapted from the novel of the same title), El Filibusterismo (1962), Daigdig ng mga Api (1965), and Lilet (1971).