De Leon is the son of Gil de León and Lilia Dizon. He is of German Jewish descent from his maternal grandfather.[6] On May 11, 1999, he was given a US certificate of
citizenship, passed to him through his maternal grandfather and his mother.[7] He studied fine arts at the University of the East in Manila.[8]
The following year, De Leon appeared in two productions. He co-starred with Vilma Santos and Mat Ranillo III in Elwood Perez' Masarap, Masakit ang Umibig, which earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 25th FAMAS Awards.[15] He then appeared in Mike De Leon's coming-of-age Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising, which premiered at the third Metro Manila Film Festival.[16] In 1978, he starred in two Ishmael Bernal films, one of which was the drama Lagi Na Lamang Ba Akong Babae?.[17] This earned him his fifth Best Actor nomination, at the 27th FAMAS Awards. He next starred in the drama Ikaw Ay Akin.[18] His performance received critical acclaim, winning him a Best Actor trophy at the Gawad Urian Awards. In 1979, he starred in one of the first Filipino films that tackles peasant oppression in the Philippines, Ang Alamat ni Julian Makabayan.[19]
1980s: Critical acclaim
After playing a series of dramatic roles, De Leon starred in Mike De Leon's musical comedy Kakabakaba Ka Ba?. Released in 1980, the film was praised for its satirical story and good mix of music.[20] The same year, he appeared in two more production: the drama Taga sa Panahon, which premiered at the sixth Metro Manila Film Festival,[21] and Aguila.[22] His portrayal earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 29th FAMAS Awards. In 1981, he starred in Elwood Perez' Pakawalan Mo Ako.[23] His performance earned him his ninth Best Actor nomination, at the 30th FAMAS Awards. De Leon had three releases in 1982: Ishmael Bernal's Relasyon,[24] for which he won Best Actor at the Catholic Mass Media Awards as well as another nomination at the FAMAS Awards;[25][26] the mystery drama Haplos,[27] for which he received his second Best Actor win at the Metro Manila Film Festival; and finally, Lino Brocka's thriller drama Cain at Abel.[28] The film was the first Filipino entry at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and De Leon got his third Best Actor nomination at the Gawad Urian Awards.[29]
In 1983, De Leon appeared in Ishmael Bernal's drama film Broken Marriage.[30] This earned him Best Actor nominations from FAMAS and Gawad Urian.[31][32] He appeared in three productions in 1985: the drama musical Bituing Walang Ningning,[33] Mike de Leon's romantic drama Hindi Nahahati ang Langit,[34] and Carlo J. Caparas' God... Save Me! For this performance, De Leon received a Best Actor nomination at the FAMAS. He ventured into television in 1986, through the sketch comedy Goin' Bananas.[35] In 1987, he appeared in Lino Brocka's Maging Akin Ka Lamang,[36] which earned him his fourteenth Best Actor nomination at the FAMAS Awards. The following year, he starred in the romantic drama Kapag Napagod ang Puso.[37] Writing for Manila Standard, critic Lav Diaz praised de Leon's complex performance, stating that the film was "another big step for Christopher de Leon [...] toward greatness in the art of acting".[38] De Leon received his first Best Actor nomination at the Luna Awards and won Best Actor at the FAMAS and Movie Magazine Awards.[39]
Also in 1988, De Leon appeared in Laurice Guillen's Magkano ang Iyong Dangal?.[40] His portrayal was once again praised by critics, with Lav Diaz stating that his acting performance "almost reaches the point that whenever people watch a film [de Leon] is featured in, he is now the one being watched instead of the film".[41] For the final year of the decade, De Leon starred in two productions, including the third segment of the anthology film 3 Mukha ng Pag-ibig and[42]Eddie Garcia's Imortal.[43] He won his third Best Actor trophy at the Metro Manila Film Festival and received nominations from FAMAS and Gawad Urian in the same category.[44][45]
1990s: Established leading man
De Leon starred in two Lino Brocka films in 1990, including Biktima,[46] for which he won Best Actor at the Luna Awards and Star Awards for Movies. He had a supporting role in the political thriller Gumapang Ka sa Lusak,[47] which scored him a Supporting Actor of the Year win at the Star Awards and a nomination at the Gawad Urian in the same category.[48][49] He also appeared in the romantic drama My Other Woman,[50] for which he won Best Actor at the FAMAS, Gawad Urian, and Catholic Mass Media Awards.[51][52][53] This distinction made him the second Filipino actor to win Best Actor from all major award-giving bodies in the country for two films. The following year, he starred in Laurice Guillen's drama Ipagpatawad Mo.[54] His portrayal was praised by critics, and he won Best Actor again at FAMAS, Luna, and Star Awards.[55][56] In 1992, De Leon starred in Joel Lamangan's Hiram na Mukha, followed by the biopic Gaano Kita Kamahal a year later.[57] He tied with Phillip Salvador as Movie Actor of the Year at the Star Awards, and he received Best Actor nominations at the Gawad Urian and Luna Awards.[58] In 1993, De Leon started making appearances in the weekly anthology Star Drama Presents.[59]
In 1995, De Leon starred in Chito Roño's action thriller Eskapo.[60] The following year, he appeared in Rory Quintos' Sa Aking mga Kamay.[61] After making a cameo in the biblical drama Kristo,[62] De Leon starred in the family drama Madrasta.[63] His performance received praise, winning him top honors at the Young Critics Circle and Star Awards.[64][55] At the 27th Box Office Entertainment Awards, he was hailed as the "Box Office King". The same year, he starred in the drama Nasaan ang Puso, for which he won Best Actor at the 23rd Metro Manila Film Festival.[65] In 1998, he played a priest in the action drama Ama Namin. The following year, he starred in the fantasy drama Wansapanataym: The Movie.[66] De Leon closed the decade with an acclaimed performance in Joel Lamangan's Bulaklak ng Maynila. His portrayal earned him Best Actor wins at Luna and the Metro Manila Film Festival, as well as nominations from Gawad Urian and the Young Critics Circle.[67]
2000–2019: Further critical and commercial success
Between 2000 and 2010, De Leon only appeared in ten films and ventured further into television. In 2000, he hosted the Filipino version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?[68] Veronique del Rosario-Corpus, Viva TV president, revealed that he underwent training and workshops to prepare for his first hosting stint.[69] He later received a nomination for Best Game Show Host at the PMPC Star Awards for Television. The following year, De Leon starred with an ensemble cast in Laurice Guillen's American Adobo, which premiered at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. In 2002, he starred in the romantic drama series Ang Iibigin ay Ikaw as well as its sequel, Ang Iibigin ay Ikaw Pa Rin (2003).[70] The same year, he appeared in the historical drama Dekada '70, under the direction of Chito Roño.[71] The film premiered at the 28th Metro Manila Film Festival. His performance earned him Best Actor nominations from Gawad Urian and Luna. In 2003, De Leon appeared as one of the members of the council in the second season of StarStruck.[72] He next played in the second installment of Mano Po 2: My Home and reprised his role in Mano Po III: My Love, in 2004.[73][74] He also appeared in the drama series Hanggang Kailan.[75] In 2005, he had a role in the third installment of Now and Forever, Agos.[76] The same year, he portrayed an antagonistic role in the fantasy action Darna.[77]
In 2020, De Leon played a supporting role in the drama series Love Thy Woman.[109][110] He next appeared in an episode of the anthology series I Can See You, the following year. He also made a special appearance in the drama series Huwag Kang Mangamba.[111] In 2021, De Leon played a supporting role in Erik Matti's crime thriller On the Job: The Missing 8.[112] In 2022, he played a supporting role in the action drama series Lolong. Prior to its premiere, De Leon revealed in an interview that he performed all of his stunts.[113] In 2023, De Leon reprised his role in the psychological thriller Cattleya Killer, the sequel to the 1996 film Sa Aking mga Kamay.[114]
In 2007, De Leon decided to run as vice governor of the province of Batangas. He was supposed to be the running mate of incumbent vice governor Ricky Recto but instead ran with former Batangas police director Nestor Sanares;[117] he lost to Mark Leviste. He ran once more in 2010, this time for board member of the Second District of Batangas, which he won. Garnering the highest number of votes among those elected, he became Senior Board Member of Batangas.[118] In 2013, he was a candidate for the 2nd Congressional District of the Province of Batangas but lost to Rep. Mandanas' chief of staff, Raneo Abu.[119]
2013 Philippine House of Representatives election at Batangas' 2nd district
De Leon has been named the most successful Filipino drama actor for three decades (1970s, 1980s, 1990s).[120] He was one of the highest-paid film actors in the Philippines during the 1980s, with a salary reaching over ₱300,000 per film.[121] In a 2001 interview with journalist Remy Umerez, Cesar Montano described De Leon as the most professional actor he had ever worked with, saying: "He comes to the set fully prepared and you better watch out if you don't know your lines well. He can memorize a revised script in the wink of an eye." Montano also praised De Leon's acting style, saying: "He has a very sharp memory and his approach to acting is infectious...Difficult scenes become easy to stage with seasoned actors like Boyet."[122]
De Leon's first marriage was to actress Nora Aunor. The couple, who eventually separated,[127] produced five children, including Matet and Lotlot.[128] De Leon's second marriage is to actress Sandy Andolong. The couple has five children, including Gabriel.[3]
On March 17, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, de Leon announced that he had been diagnosed with the virus.[130] He claimed to be asymptomatic and was not in contact with any COVID-19 carriers.[131] He recovered from the disease and was released from the hospital on March 24.[132]
Among numerous accolades for his acting work, De Leon has won eight FAMAS Awards, two Gawad Urians, four Lunas, nine Star Awards, and eight Metro Manila Awards.[133] In 1991, he became the second Filipino actor to achieve "Grand Slam", for his performances in Biktima (1990) and My Other Woman (1990), winning Best Actor from all major award-giving bodies in the country. De Leon has been inducted into the hall of fame of two major Philippine award-giving bodies: FAMAS (1993) and the Metro Manila Film Festival (2019), in the Best Actor category.[134][135] For his contribution to Philippine cinema, De Leon is also a recipient of several honorary accolades. In 2008, he was presented with the Lino Brocka Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Screen Awards.[136] In 2011, he was awarded the Ulirang Artista Lifetime Achievement Award by the PMPC Star Awards for Movies.[137] In 2017, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Acting at the International Film Festival Manhattan.[138] The same year, he was named one of the "People of the Year" by People Asia magazine.[139]
^Diaz, Lav (July 4, 1988). "Sulit ang pagod" [The exhaustion is worth it]. Manila Standard (in Tagalog). Standard Publications, Inc. p. 14. Retrieved February 12, 2021. Walang pasubaling isa na namang malaking hakbang ni Christopher de Leon ang pelikulang ito tungo sa kadakilaan sa sining ng pag-arte...
^Diaz, Lav (December 31, 1988). "Kuwentong seks" [Sex story]. Manila Standard (in Tagalog). Manila Standard News, Inc. p. 16. Retrieved August 24, 2020. Umaabot na halos sa puntong kapag nanuod ang tao ng isang pelikulang kinatatampukan niya, siya na ang pinanunood at hindi ang pelikula.