Lucita Soriano(1940-2015)

She was born on 23 February 1941 in Taguig to Eugenio Adriano and Elvira Jamon Soriano. She spent her early years in Pateros. She completed her high school at the Rizal High School. She studied at University of the East (UE) but her busy shooting schedule prevented her from finishing her degree. It was always her dream to become a movie star. She and her classmates always cut classes to go to the movie studios. They would hire a jeep to visit LVN Pictures, Sampaguita Pictures, and Premier Productions, in the hope of meeting their favorite movie stars. Her big break in the movies came when she auditioned for the film I Believe. She read in a news magazine that Premiere Productions was about to produce a movie and was looking for a leading lady. She mailed her prettiest picture to the studio. Of the thousand aspirants, she was chosen for a screen test. During the screen test, she delivered the lines she memorized by heart. She was first signed under Premier Productions. The film company's matriarch, Dona Adela vda de Santiago, told Lucia to keep her real name in honor of movie actress Lucita Goyena. Her name stuck in moviegoers' minds and soon, she was on her way to stardom. One picture led to another. Lucita was known for some of Philippine cinema's critically-acclaimed films such as "Macho Dancer" (1988), "Bayan Ko, Kapit sa Patalim" (1984)," Ang Babae sa Breakwater" (2003), "Curacha: Ang Babaeng Walang Pahinga" (1998), and "Paradise Inn" (1985). As a bread winner of the family, she accepted any role that would be offered to her. In 1967, she did Ako... Laban sa Lipunan", a controversial film about the tragic incident in the life of Lucila Lalu. Several body parts of the 29-year-old Lalu were found scattered in different parts of Manila. Her headless body was discovered on a vacant lot along EDSA. Four men, all of whom were romantically linked to Lucila, were considered suspects for the murder. Soriano and her friends were worried about her safety but she decided to do the role. She did the movie with Boy Garcia and Etang Discher. Artemio Marquez directed the movie. When her contract with Premier Productions ended, she became a freelancer. It was when sexy movies were a hit. She accepted roles, even those that required her to wear bikinis, as she was the bread winner of the family. Soriano was also a fixture on television and starred on Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK), Valiente, and Familia Zaragoza. She also appeared on Pangako Sa 'Yo, a hit telenovela starring Kristine Hermosa and Jericho Rosales in 2000. Lucita lived with Rodolfo "Boy" Garcia as his partner in reel and real life for many years. They were blessed with two sons, Garry Boy Garcia and Marco Polo Garcia. Their union ended in separation for a while. They event fought in a court battle over child custody. When Lucita lost, she changed her heart and decided to give the relationship another try for the sake of their children. Boy passed away on 17 July 1997. Garry Boy is based in the United States and works as a network programmer. Marco Polo became a regular in the TV Program That's Entertainment. He passed away on 5 March 2010 due to cirrhosis, a chronic liver disease. After 11 years of being widowed, she met Michael Charles Mayr, a retired civil engineer. She had been based in California with Mayr, whom she married in 2009. She flew back to the Philippines in February 2015 to visit her 94-year-old mother.