Overview
John Anthony Siason Estrada (born June 13, 1973) is a Filipino film and TV actor who has starred in a number of roles as a leading man, comedian and villain. He was a contract actor with ABS-CBN from 1990 to 2018, with GMA Network from 2018 to 2021, and then with ABS-CBN again in 2021. He also did a sitcom with TV5 called Everybody Hapi.
Early life
John Anthony Siason Estrada was born in 1973 in Quezon City, Philippines, and grew up with his family at Isabela, Basilan where his father (Vicente Estrada) was a Municipal Councilor and his mother (Lilia Siason-Estrada) a public school teacher. At an early age, he was regularly cast in a variety of school plays and presentations, usually taking on the lead roles.
Early career
He first made his foray in show business as a model, having won Bodyshots Model Search, a competition sponsored by the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines (FDAP) from nearby Zamboanga City up until his early college years when he moved to Metro Manila at age 16. He studied mass communications for two years at University of the Philippines Diliman but eventually dropped to pursue a career in acting. His name gained further publicity when he married former child actress Janice de Belen who bore him 4 children: Inah (b. 1992), Moira (b. 1993), Kaila (b. 1996), and Yuan (b. 1998).
Estrada became part of the ABS-CBN sitcom Palibhasa Lalake in 1990 and played minor roles in some films produced by Regal Films and Star Cinema. Soon after he shifted from acting to TV hosting via 'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila (1995-1998). His biggest break in showbiz came in 1998 when he headlined the controversial ABS-CBN noontime show Magandang Tanghali Bayan (MTB) with Randy Santiago and Willie Revillame. His hosting job also cost him his marriage with Janice when he was linked to his Magandang Tanghali Bayan co-host Vanessa del Bianco. Janice and Estrada legally separated in 2001. The marriage was officially annulled in 2004.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).