One of the pretty boys who lit up both the advertising world and the silver screen from the late 70s to the early 80s was ROEL VERGEL DE DIOS. Starting out as a ramp model in his student days, he first appeared in fashion advertising, and then made a successful leap to films.
The tall, teen model with a schoolboy look was born Roel Arce Vergel de Dios on 30 Oct. 1958, one of the five sons of Marcelino Vergel De Dios of Baliwag, Bulacan and Esperanza Arce of Manila. He has two younger sisters.
He owes his mestizo looks to his forebears, specifically, his maternal grandfather, Ramon Arce, who was a Spanish court stenographer at the Philippine Congress during Pres. Quezon’s term. The enterprising Arce saved enough money, and invested in land. In his Novaliches farm, he raised herds of carabaos that he milked which he used to produce dairy products, which he eventually parlayed into a profitable business—Selecta Dairy Products and Ice Cream. The outlets were transformed into restaurants to showcase the cooking skills of Ramon's wife, Carmen.
Roel also has Spanish blood from his paternal side. His great grandfather was a civil guard who married a Filipina when he was stationed in Zamboanga. Daughter Angela married Fernando Vergel de Dios, from a big family in Baliwag.
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| Top L-R: Ronald, Roel, Raul, Bottom L-R: Renato, Roly (+), Bambi (+). |
Roel went to Ateneo for Grade School and JASMS-Q.C. for his high school. It was as a college boy in the University of the East that he forayed into fashion modeling and which led to appearances in commercials and print advertising spreads. Due to his runway background, he was chosen as a signature model for Image Maker, a very popular line of sports and leisure wear in 1978.
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| ROEL VERGEL DE DISO for IMAGE MAKER SHIRTS, Print Ad, 1978 |
He also appeared in a print ad for Alfa, a premium fabric made with Tefilin polyester that was produced by Philippine Synthetic Fiber Corporation.
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| ROEL VERGEL DE DIOS for Filsyn's ALFA, Print Ad 1978 |
While doing the rounds of advertising casting agencies,
the movies beckoned. A cousin had dabbled in movies under the screen name Anthony
Rodriguez. Roel got producers
into the cine bandwagon in time at all, and somehow, he managed to do
both—modeling and acting—quite very well.
One of his earliest films was “Huwag Pipitas ng Bubot na Bunga", with Amalia Fuentes and Vivian Velez in 1977. In 1978, he made a daring appearance in Regal Films' “Bomba Star”, with Alma Moreno, then, one of the most sought-after sexy young stars of the country. This was followed by the Gosiengfiao-directed “Promo Girl”, with Vilma Santos in the lead, “Nakawin Natin ang Bawat Sandali (1978), “Holdup” (1979) and “Pag-ibig, Bakit ka Ganyan?” (1979).
In 1980, he teamed up with Moreno again in “Lumakad kang Hubad sa Mundong Ibabaw”, a much-talked about film directed by Manuel “Fyke” Cinco. He also did “Apat na Maria”, partnered with Julie Ann Fortich, based on the story of Mars Ravelo. In 1985, Roel Vergel de Dios bade Philippine showbiz goodbye when he married Jaye Murphy, Bb. Pilipinas International 1975, and opted to settle in the U.S. Their union bore one daughter,
