Joel Torre

José Rizalino "Joel" de León Torre (hoˈse ɾisaˈlino de leˈon ˈtoɾe; born June 19, 1961) is a Filipino actor. He began performing on stage at age seven and rose to fame in the 1980s for his roles in period and historical drama, including Oro, Plata, Mata (1982), Karnal (1983), and José Rizal (1998). His accolades include a Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival Award, three Gawad Urian, and a FAMAS Award.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Early life and education

José Rizalino de León Torre^[6] was born on June 19, 1961,^[7] and hailed from Bacolod.^[8] He is the son of Alfonso Obregon Torre and Luz de Leon Diaz.^[9] Torre began performing in theater at the age of seven,^[9] performing with the Masskara theater group in Bacolod, which was overseen by director Peque Gallaga.^[10]

Torre studied at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod.^[11]

Early career

At age seven, Torre was a member of the Bacolod-based Masskara theater group ran by director Peque Gallaga, where his passion for acting started. He was the youngest member in the group which composed of 13 people. He then played a small role in Lino Brocka's Gumising ka, Maruja which was shot in Bacolod in 1978. A few years later, Gallaga tasked Torre to play a role for his 1982 film Oro, Plata, Mata.^[12][13] In 1990, Torre starred in the action drama Kunin Mo Ang Ulo ni Ismael, based on the radio drama by Rey Langit serialized in DZRH. The film reportedly earned over in Metro Manila.^[14]

In 2024, Torre was cast in the 2024 regional Bacolod film, Under A Piaya Moon.^[15]

Personal life

Torre's middle name, Rizalino, comes from the fact that he was born exactly 100 years after the Filipino national hero José Rizal.^[6] Torre married Christy Azcona in 1990. They have two daughters, Maria "Aila" Ariela and Maria "Marela" Raphaela.^[16]

In 2003, Torres and his wife founded JT's Manukan Grille in Quezon City. It offers Bacolod-style chicken inasal, a native dish of his. Currently, it has 35 branches in the country.^[17]

In 2024, Philippines AirAsia partnered with Torre's JT's Manukan Grille to offer Bacolod chicken inasal in-flight. It also opened its first overseas restaurant in Lucky Plaza.^[18]

Filmography

Film

Television / Digital Series

Music video appearances

Accolades

References

1. ^ Evangelista, Patricia (September 2, 2013). "Piolo, Gerald and Joel on the job". Rappler. Esquire Philippines. Archived November 22, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
2. ^ "Joel Torre wins Best Actor as OTJ (On the Job) wins Jury Prize in South Korea". GMA News. Archived February 6, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
3. ^ "Unexpected, emotional win for Joel Torre in Korea". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
4. ^ "Joel Torre wins Best Actor, OTJ (On the Job) wins Jury prize in South Korea | PEP.ph". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
5. ^ "'On the Job,' Joel Torre win in Korea". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived August 30, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
6. ^ Lo, Ricky. "Joel Torre: Being". Philstar.com. Archived September 8, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
7. ^ "Joel Torre is now a 'golden' boy". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
8. ^ Roxas, Jaira (2024-12-08). "[HOMESTRETCH] Bacolod's pride: Joel Torre and his recipe for success". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
9. ^ Mago, Jason. "From silver screen to inasal king". Daily Tribune. Archived 2025-07-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
10. ^ C., Toff (2024-12-08). "42 years in showbiz: Joel Torre shares secret to his longevity in the industry". ABS-CBN
11. ^ Lo, Ricky. "Stars with a college degree". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
12. ^ Mangubat, Noel (April 9, 2005). "Joel Torre: The actor as student of life". Retrieved January 20, 2016.
13. ^ Tariman, Pablo (December 5, 2004). "'Idealism' is not an ugly word". Philippine Daily Inquirer
14. ^ Villanueva, Nena (February 8, 1990). "Manila Standard - Google News Archive Search". Manila Standard. p. 17. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
15. ^ "Joel Torre, inabot ng 42 taon bago nakagawa muli ng Ilonggo film". PEP.ph. March 20, 2024.
16. ^ Bardinas, Mary (April 19, 2023). "Joel Torre & daughters Aila & Marela". ABS-CBN. Archived September 1, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
17. ^ Aspiras, Regie (February 9, 2024). "Joel Torre's ode to his hometown comfort food". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
18. ^ Ching, Anthony (July 31, 2024). "AirAsia brings actor Joel Torre's JT's Manukan on board". Daily Tribune (Philippines). Archived September 1, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
19. ^ "Negrense actors say death of Roces will leave a vacuum". Digicast Negros. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
20. ^ "The Much-Awaited Movie Will Shock You Today!". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. May 17, 1995. p. A4. Retrieved December 29, 2021. This movie will unmask the real killer!!!
21. ^ Daza, Jullie Y. (May 18, 1995). "Women as losers". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 9. Retrieved December 29, 2021. Carlo J. Caparas is out to prove that he can leave his signature on the longest subtitles in movie history.
22. ^ Fernando, Jefferson (October 1, 2025). "Alessandra de Rossi leads star-studded cast in 'Everyone Knows Every Juan'". Daily Tribune. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
23. ^ "'Iskolar' in Balintataw". Manila Standard. Manila Standard News, Inc. January 24, 1989. p. 16. Retrieved July 3, 2023. Written by Lav Diaz.
24. ^ "Action series Incognito 'dream' project for cast, director". NewsWatch Plus Staff. NewsWatch Plus. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
25. ^ Brosas, Alex (August 15, 2025). "Trailer drops for new Donny Pangilinan and Kyle Echarri series". Daily Tribune. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
26. ^ Cruz, Dana (May 24, 2021). "WATCH: Ben&Ben releases 'Magpahinga' video starring Joel Torre, Bela Padilla". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived July 28, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
27. ^ "Cinema One Originals 2008 bares winners". PEP.ph. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
28. ^ "The 9th Cinema One Originals Festival winners". PEP.ph. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
29. ^ Almazan, Faye. "Take a look at the winners at the CinePanalo Film Festival". www.gmanetwork.com. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
30. ^ Villano, Alexa (2019-03-18). "FULL LIST: Nominees, 2019 FAMAS Awards". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
31. ^ Fernando, Jefferson. "73rd FAMAS Awards: Heavyweights, new voices clash in Phl cinema". Daily Tribune. Archived 2025-08-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
32. ^ Cruz, Marinel R. (2014-06-20). "When two Angels won Urian acting awards". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
33. ^ "34th Gawad Urian nominees revealed". PEP.ph. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
34. ^ Calderon, Ricky L. "Winners at the 11th Golden Screen Awards". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
35. ^ "Luna Awards nominees announced". PEP.ph. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
36. ^ Jr, Bayani San Diego (2013-08-04). "Joel Torre proud, emotional, but 'very, very happy'". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
37. ^ "30th PMPC Star Awards for Movies nominees unveiled". PEP.ph. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
38. ^ Abanilla, Clarizel (2017-07-18). "PMPC names nominees for 33rd Star Awards for movies". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
39. ^ Requintina, Robert (2021-03-18). "PMPC releases official list of nominees for 36th Star Awards for Movies". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
40. ^ "41st Star Awards for Movies nominees announced". PEP.ph. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
41. ^ "28th Star Awards for Television nominees revealed". PEP.ph. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
42. ^ "ABS-CBN dominates 2016 PMPC Star Awards for TV nominations". ABS-CBN. 2016-10-10.
43. ^ Fernando, Jefferson (2025-07-26). "Nominees revealed for the 37th Star Awards". Daily Tribune
44. ^ Policarpio, Allan (2017-06-17). "Nominees for 1st Eddys awards out". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
45. ^ Mallorca, Hannah (2025-07-01). "8th EDDYs awards nominees: Marian Rivera, Judy Ann Santos vie for best actress". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
46. ^ "Get to Know Local Actors with Most Best Actor Wins since 2000 - LionhearTV". 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2025-12-14.

External links

• Joel Torre at IMDb