Anne Curtis Biography

ANNE OJALES CURTIS-SMITH IS THE ELDEST DAUGHTER OF CARMENCITA OJALES, A FILIPINA-SPANISH, AND JAMES ERNEST CURTIS-SMITH, AN AUSTRALIAN LAWYER. ANNE WAS BORN IN WANGARATTA, AUSTRALIA BUT SPENT HER CHILDHOOD IN THE TOWN OF YARRAWONGA, VICTORIA WITH HER PARENTS.

FROM KINDERGARTEN TO PRIMARY SCHOOL, ANNE STAYED AT HER DAD’S MOTHERLAND, WHERE SHE EXPERIENCED THE LITTLEST THINGS LIKE RIDING A BIKE TO SCHOOL, PLAYING OUTSIDE UNTIL SHE HAD TO BE CALLED, HAVING SLEEPOVERS, PLAYING NETBALL, GOING CAMPING, ENJOYING SWIMMING AT THE LAKE, AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING A CHILD NORMALLY GOES THROUGH. ANNE ADMITTED THAT SHE HAD NEVER DREAMT TO BECOME AN ACTRESS WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD. HER CHILDHOOD DREAM, IN FACT, WAS TO BE LIKE NADIA COMANICHE, THE FIRST GYMNAST TO GET A PERFECT 10 AT THE OLYMPICS.

DISCOVERY

BEING HALF-FILIPINO AND HALF-AUSTRALIAN, ANNE AND HER FAMILY WOULD COME VISIT THE PHILIPPINES TO SEE HER MOM’S RELATIVES. IN 1997 WHEN ANNE WAS 12 YEARS OLD, THEIR VACATION TO THE COUNTRY TURNED INTO A PERMANENT STAY. WHILE EATING AT A FAST-FOOD CHAIN ALONG BONI HI-WAY, ANNE WAS APPROACHED BY A TALENT SCOUT WHO ASKED IF SHE WOULD LIKE TO GET INTO MODELLING. HER DAD WAS HESITANT, THINKING THAT IT MIGHT BE A SCAM. HER MOTHER, ON THE OTHER HAND, WHO WISHED TO BE AN ACTRESS HERSELF WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER, WAS ALL FOR IT. SO ANNE STARTED TO GO TO VTRS BEHIND HER DAD’S BACK.

WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OR SO, ANNE BAGGED HER FIRST TV COMMERCIAL. HER DAD FINALLY CAME AROUND AND ALLOWED HER TO PURSUE THE OPPORTUNITY. BY THEN, THEY DECIDED TO PERMANENTLY STAY IN THE PHILIPPINES. ANNE HAD HER GRADE 7 AT THE COLEGIO DE STA. ROSA IN MAKATI. SINCE SHE COULD NOT SPEAK OR UNDERSTAND TAGALOG, SHE HAD SPECIAL FILIPINO CLASSES TO DEVELOP HER FLUENCY.

AFTER ABOUT A MONTH, ANNE WAS ASKED IF SHE WANTED TO TRY ACTING. SHE SAID THAT SHE REALLY DOES AND SO SHE AUDITIONED FOR A PART IN A MOVIE. ANNE WENT TO THE AUDTION AFTER SCHOOL STILL IN HER SCHOOL UNIFORM WITH GRAVY SPILLED ON HER TOP. BECAUSE SHE HAD ARRIVED SO LATE, THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF THE AUDITION WERE ALREADY CHOOSING FROM THE LINE-UP WHO WOULD BE THE FINAL FEW. ANNE WAS A PART OF THAT BATCH SO THEY ALL WALKED IN A LINE IN FRONT OF THE DIRECTORS, PEQUE GALLAGA AND LORE REYES, BEFORE BEING ASKED TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND ACT AS A PRINCESS.

ACTING DEBUT

LATER THAT EVENING, ANNE GOT A CALL CONFIRMING THAT SHE HAD GOTTEN THE PART OF PRINCESS DAHLIA FOR THE MOVIE “MAGIC KINGDOM,” WHICH WAS SET TO BE PART OF THE METRO MANILA FILM FESTIVAL. AFTER THAT, ANNE SIGNED UP WITH VIVA FILMS, WHICH SHE HAS BEEN WITH FOR MORE THAN 14 YEARS NOW. HER FIRST TV STINT WAS IN GMA-7′S HIT DRAMA TELESERYE “IKAW NA SANA” WHICH WAS HEADLINED BY ANGELU DE LEON AND BOBBY ANDREWS. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, ANNE BECAME A PART OF THE HIT TEEN-ORIENTED WEEKLY SERIES “T.G.I.S.” WHAT FOLLOWED WAS ONE OF THE LEADS IN THE TELESERYE “ANNA KARENINA.” NOT LONG AFTER, ANNE STARRED IN HER FIRST DRAMA MOVIE, VIVA FILMS’ “IKA-13 KAPITULO.”

SHE STARTED OFF WITH VERY HUMBLE ROLES LIKE THE YOUNGER SISTER OR THE FRIEND OF THE LEADS. REGARDLESS, ANNE ALWAYS MADE SURE TO GIVE HER BEST EFFORT AND BELIEVED THAT THROUGH PATIENCE AND FAITH, SHE WILL ACHIEVE HER DREAMS.

SINCE THEN, ANNE HAS BEEN VERY VISIBLE ON TV THROUGH A STRING OF SHOWS INCLUDING “MAY BUKAS PA,” “BEH BOTE NGA,” “BUBBLE GANG,” “IDOL KO SI KAP,” AND “NUTS ENTERTAINMENT.” BUT IT WAS IN 2007 WHEN ANNE WAS APPROACHED BY ABS-CBN AND ASKED IF SHE WOULD WANT TO STAR IN “HIRAM,” A SOAP OPERA HEADLINED BY BIG NAMES LIKE KRIS AQUINO, DINA BONNEVIE, HEART EVANGELISTA, AND GEOFF EIGENMANN. THE NETWORK TOLD ANNE THAT SHE WILL BE TAKING ON A CHALLENGING GRAY CHARACTER ROLE. THIS WAS A WELCOME CHANGE FOR ANNE AFTER DOING A LOT OF COMEDY AND BALIKBAYAN ROLES. AND SHE DID WELL. THE FEEDBACK SHE GOT WAS OVERWHELMING AND PEOPLE STARTED TO NOTICE THAT THE YOUNG MESTIZA ACTRESS WITH THE AUSTRALIAN ACCENT COULD DO MORE THAN ACT AS A BALIKBAYAN.

ANNE THEN JOINED THE NOONTIME VARIETY SHOW “ASAP.” THE FOLLOWING YEAR, SHE LANDED THE LEAD ROLE IN THE TV REMAKE OF “KAMPANERANG KUBA,” HER FIRST FANTASERYE WHERE SHE PORTRAYED THE HUNCHBACK IMANG. AFTER THAT, ANNE’S NEXT SOAP OPERA WAS “MAGING SINO KA MAN” WHERE SHE ESSAYED THE ROLE OF CELINE MAGSAYSAY, A CHARACTER THAT TESTED ANNE’S VERSATILITY AS AN ACTRESS. THE SUCCESS OF THE TELESERYE PROMPTED AN EXTENSION BILLED AS “MAGING SINO KA MAN BOOK 2.” THEN MORE LEAD ROLES CAME FOR ANNE IN “THE WEDDING,” “DYOSA,” AND THE KOREANOVELA REMAKE “GREEN ROSE.”

ANNE LIKEWISE CONTINUED TO ACT IN MOVIES INCLUDING THE HORROR “‘WAG KANG LILINGON,” THE ROMANCE DRAMA “WHEN LOVE BEGINS,” AND THE HISTORICAL EPIC “BALER,” FOR WHICH SHE RECEIVED HER FIRST EVER BEST ACTRESS AWARD AT THE METRO MANILA FILM FESTIVAL. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE MOVIE “IN YOUR EYES,” WHICH WAS PARTLY SHOT IN THE US, FOR WHICH SHE WAS AWARDED THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS TROPHY AT THE LUNA AWARDS OF THE FILM ACADEMY OF THE PHILIPPINES (FAP).

FOR A WHILE, ANNE ALSO TRIED HOSTING WHEN SHE BECAME A VJ FOR MTV PHILIPPINES. SHE ALSO HOSTED FOR “SCQ SUMMER KIDS QUEST” AND “CUPIDS.” CURRENTLY SHE IS A REGULAR HOST IN THE DAILY NOONTIME SHOW “SHOWTIME” WHERE HER TALENT IN SINGING WAS DISCOVERED.

MUSIC AND MOVIE MILESTONES

ANNE LAUNCHED HER DEBUT ALBUM, ANNEBISYOSA, UNDER VIVA RECORDS IN 2011. SHE DESCRIBED IT AS “SUPER FUN” AND “NOT SERIOUS” AND SAID THAT HAVING AN OFFICIAL ALBUM IS ONE OF HER DREAMS AND THAT IF PEOPLE WILL STRIVE, THEY WILL ALSO REACH THEIRS. WITHIN LESS THAN A MONTH OF RELEASE, THE ALBUM REACHED GOLD STATUS, SELLING MORE THAT 10,000 COPIES. ALL IN ALL, ANNEBISYOSA GAINED PLATINUM STATUS IN ALBUM SALES.

THE YEAR 2011 WAS DOUBLY SPECIAL FOR ANNE AS SHE STARRED IN THE BIGGEST HIT MOVIE OF HER CAREER. “NO OTHER WOMAN” BECAME A SURPRISE BLOCKBUSTER AND AT THE TIME BECAME THE HIGHEST GROSSING FILIPINO MOVIE EVER. FOR THIS MILESTONE, ANNE WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE BOX OFFICE QUEEN AT THE GUILLERMO MENDOZA MEMORIAL AWARDS TOGETHER WITH CO-STAR AND FELLOW VIVA ARTIST CRISTINE REYES.

ANNE MARKED ANOTHER MILESTONE IN EARLY 2012 WHEN SHE CONQUERED THE BIG DOME WITH HER VERY FIRST CONCERT. ENTITLED “ANNEBISYOSA: NO OTHER CONCERT,” THE CONCERT WAS SOLD OUT A FULL WEEK BEFORE THE SHOW AND FILLED THE 16,000-SEATER SMART-ARANETA COLISEUM TO THE RAFTERS. THE CONCERT WAS ALSO A CELEBRATION OF HER 15 YEARS IN SHOW BUSINESS. SHE HAD A STAR-STUDDED ROSTER OF GUESTS NAMELY LUIS MANZANO, VHONG NAVARRO, VICE GANDA, RICO BLANCO, IRA CRUZ, SAM MILBY, DEREK RAMSAY, CRISTINE REYES, AND SARAH GERONIMO. HER FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS WERE ALSO THERE TO SUPPORT HER. AFTER THE MAJOR SOLO CONCERT, PROVINCIAL CONCERTS WERE ALSO HELD, ADDING “CONCERT SWEETHEART” TO ANNE’S EVER-GROWING TITLES.