Sharon Cuneta

HAPPY AT THIRTY, Megastar Sharon Cuneta

will perform at the Peppermill Resort Hotel

in Reno, NV this sunday, may 24th at 8pm

with daughter KC Concepcion in a concert

billed as SHARON CUNETA MEGATHIRTY

CONCERT produced by Charlie Ugalde's

Echofaze Productions.

Loreta Benitez, also known as Megastar Sharon Cuneta’s “Yaya Luring”

dies of cardiac arrest. The 80-year old yaya who has been with the Cuneta

family since Sharon was 5 years old. Yaya Luring was said to be the most

famous yaya and was able to have her own commercial with Sharon for

Fujifilm in 2002.

Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan (born Sharon Gamboa Cuneta on January 6,1966) is a popular Filipina singer,actress and tv host dubbed as the Megastar of Philippine Entertainment.

Her mother (Elaine Gamboa-Cuneta) hails from Santa Ana, Pampanga while her father (Pablo Cuneta; 1910-2000) was the mayor of Pasay City for decades. She is half-Tagalog in paternal side and fourth-Kapampangan and fourth-Spanish both in maternal side.

The young Sharon - quite figuratively - grew up surrounded by music. She used to listen to her dad's collection of 45s, 78s and 33 1/3s. Music is in her veins. Her aunt is of course '60s Shingaling Sweetheart Helen Gamboa. Sharon the tot made her first TV appearance in Kuya Ike Lozada's show. "In the Bulilit portion, where she mimicked her Tita Helen's songs."

1978-1983: Rise to Fame

Sharon first appeared on Philippine pop charts in 1978 as a 12 year old, singing the tune "Mr. D.J." The tune became wildlypopular and earned her the title of "D.J.'s Pet" (which was also the name of her first album). [1] Other hit albums followed, and Cuneta was asked to sing many movie soundtracks of the time - becoming the first "movie soundtrack star" in the country. In 1988, Sharon did a lux soap commercial, where she took a bubble bath and said before they touch her skin, her skin belongs to Lux. She earned money for that commercial.

She was given films from Viva Films. At age 15, she starred in her first feature film, 1981 Dear Heart paired with fellow teeny-bopper Gabby Concepcion. The movie was a huge success thus crowning her as the Popular Teenage Queen of RP movies by Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation, Inc. (GMMSF).

Her early movie roles launched her as a "poor little rich girl". Although raised in an influential rich political family, she appealed to the sosyal (socially rich) and masa (mass) crowd of Philippine society, with her intelligence, humor and down-to-earth personality.

She started her hosting abilities with other teenage prodigies with shows like GMA Supershow, later called Germspesyal, with German Moreno and C.U.T.E. (Call Us Two For Entertainment) with her aunt from Pampanga, former actress Helen Gamboa, via GMA 7.

She drove her way to fame in the early 80's as a young recording singer and eventually made it successful as a teen actress. Being the one on top among her contemporaries, Cuneta has earned acting awards in her early years in the business. Bukas Luluhod ang Mga Tala[2] was her history-breaking movie in 1984 and followed by another certified blockbuster Bituing Walang Ningning[3] in 1985, thus tagged her as The Philippines' Megastar

1984-Present: Mega Stardom

Sharon's success was seen by many of the Filipino people. Her movies were all box-office hits thus crowning her as the Box-Office Queen for so many years starting from 1984 where she wore her first crown. Her music records made to the charts and her television shows was loved by many Filipinos. Her acting abilities were also recognized by the critics and various award-giving bodies granting her the Grandslam Best Actress in 1996 for the movie Madrasta. Sharon became one of the rare actresses along with Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos, and Lorna Tolentino to be given a grand slam best actress award in Philippine Cinema. She became a household name in the Philippines that you can see her face in everywhere you go; in big billboards, in TV commercials and even in the labels of products she endorses. Her popularity made her One of the Most Admired Filipinos. Her musical-variety show, T.S.C.S. (The Sharon Cuneta Show) was one of the longest running television shows in Philippine Showbiz from 1986 through 1997.

She achieved continuous recognitions both in her recording and acting career. During her era, Cuneta's movie projects were mostly certified blockbusters and history-breaking. Her supremacy in the movies which remains to be unbeatable was her winning as box-office queen of Philippine cinema for many years. A perfect example of an actress who never fails to shine and hit box-office success since her first movie project till her latest ones.

Cuneta achieved mega stardom since then and considered as one of the Philippine cinemas greatest box-office queens.

Sharon is the first Filipina artist to sell out at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium first in 1988 and her latest June 11th, 2005 concert. Her poster is enshrined in The Shrine's Hall of Fame next to stars Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand and the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. She created a traffic jam in the 90's and puzzled the former Mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley. After hearing of her success, the mayor attended the concert and awarded Sharon with an Honorary Key to the City of Los Angeles.

She also had a duet in the 2001 with famous Hong Kong star Andy Lau, with whom she sang "In Your Eyes" composed by Jim Brickman.

On April 28, 1996, Sharon Cuneta walked down the aisle for the second time and married Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan. She used to be married to popular actor Gabby Concepcion. She then gave birth to her second child Simone Francesca Emmanuelle (Frankie) in December 2000 and followed it with a third one, Mariel Daniella Sophia (Miel), in September 2004. Her daughter KC was legally adopted by her husband Senator Pangilinan.

Sharon's late father, Pablo Cuneta, was mayor of Pasay City for four decades. He died at the age of 90 on September 2000.

In 2004, The Brussels International Film Festival named Sharon Cuneta as Best Actress for her movie Crying Ladies where she played Stella Mate, an ex-convicted-divorced-single mother hustling her way through Manila streets who accepts a job with two other friends to cry professionally at Chinese Funerals in order to provide for her son.

In January, 2005 she returned with a show Wish Upon A Mega, a 39th Birthday Celebration granting 39 well-wishers their dreams come true.

In January 6th 2006, The Megastar returned with a 40th Birthday celebration on ABS-CBN's entitled Ang Pagbabalik Ng Bituin (roughly translated as "The Return of the Star"). The next month a new gab-fest talk show simply entitled Sharon was aired, which she still currently hosting right now.

She is also presently pursuing an Associate in Arts degree at the University of the Philippines Open University, UP Los Baños, Laguna.