Paraluman
| Paraluman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Sigrid Sophia Agatha von Giese December 14, 1923 Tayabas, Tayabas, Philippine Islands (now Tayabas, Quezon, Philippines) |
| Died | April 27, 2009 (aged 85) Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1940–1985 |
Sigrid Sophia Agatha von Giese, better known by her screen name Paraluman (December 14, 1923 – April 27, 2009), was an award-winning Filipina actress. Her contemporaries include the likes of Fernando Poe, Sr. and Carmen Rosales, she was a major contract star of Sampaguita Pictures.
Paraluman was born in Tayabas, Quezon to a German father, Lothar von Giese, and a Filipina mother, Tecla de Torres, who was herself from Tayabas. Educated at Assumption College, the young Paraluman herself was an avid movie fan. She loved reading magazines about her favorite celebrities. Her interest in showbiz increased when she learnt that their next-door neighbour was the actress Corazón Noble, and she would often climb their fence to catch glimpse of the actress. Her curiosity yielded positive results because Noble's younger sister, Lily, noticed her and they soon became friends.
It was widely rumoured during World War 2 that Paraluman was a mistress of Yamashita. When Yamashita surrendered, the United States Armed Forces of the Far East captured them in the hopes to save Paraluman, her family and accomplices from the Filipino mob who wants to kill them for being “Maka-Pili”. Paraluman begged for her life with a Filipino Lieutenant who eventually saved them. According to witness accounts, Paraluman was bald when captured due to lice infestation while in hiding. After the war, Paraluman returned to acting.
Her extraordinary beauty led the seventeen-year-old Paraluman to be recommended by another sister of Corazón Noble, Norma, to film producer Luís Nolasco. Her first movie was Flores de Mayo (1940), and she initially used the screen name Mina de Gracia. She was rechristened "Paraluman" (archaic Tagalog for "muse" or "magnetic needle") by Fernando Poe, Sr., who signed her as a full-fledged star in X’otic Films' Paraluman (1941). This was followed by the actresses' roles in the films Bayani ng Bayan and Puting Dambana.
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