Binibini Gandanghari, commonly known as BB Gandanghari, is a Filipinaactress, model, entertainer, comedian, and director. She is the older sister of actor Robin Padilla and younger sibling of Royette and Rommel Padilla, all of whom are actors. Gandanghari enjoyed success in Philippine films in the early 1990s, before taking a hiatus in 2001. She returned to prominence in 2006 when she joined the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition where she came out after 44 days. In 2009, she came out as trans. In 2016, her registered name and gender were changed by order of the Orange County Superior Court.
Background
Gandanghari entered show business as a matinee idol and later as an action star. She was also the presenter of Philippine franchise for Wheel of Fortune on ABC 5. After her hosting stint, Gandanghari left the Philippines and studied filmmaking in the United States. Gandanghari appeared in the film adaptation of the comic book Zsazsa Zaturnnah as the gay salon owner Ada, the alter ego of Zsazsa Zaturnnah. She appeared in the television seriesLa Vendetta on GMA 7 and the Happy Hearts, later appearing on the ABS-CBNteleserye, Eva Fonda. In 2009, Gandanghari hosted the National Kidlat Awards on the resort island of Boracay in Malay, Aklan. She appeared again in SRO Cinema Serye: Rowena Joy. In September 2017, Gandanghari signed with The Brogan Agency in the United States. On August 9, 2019, she made her U.S. television debut in the Netflix series GLOW, where she played a fortune teller named Patricia in the eighth episode of the series' third season.
Personal life
Gandanghari was born to Casimero Padilla, Sr. and Lolita Eva Cariño. She has seven siblings: three brothers and four sisters. Gandanghari married Carmina Villaroel in 1998; She filed for annulment after several months, which was granted in June 2002. She became one of the 14 housemates in. On March 2, 2006, she came out as gay on the show. On day 45 of the competition, Gandanghari opted to voluntarily leave the house. In January 2009, Gandanghari came out as trans, and chose to undergo gender confirmation surgery. Her brother, action star Robin Padilla, at first said that he fully accepted the decision, but later recanted his earlier statements and admitted that he was still shocked and not on good terms with her. Their mother, and all of Gandanghari's other siblings, still refer to her by her deadname. Gandanghari stated her full name is derived from the Filipino words Bb. and Gandanghari, a portmanteau of the words ganda and hari, adding that the "Bb." refers to her motto "'Be' all that you can 'be'". Gandanghari holds a B.A. in economics from St. Louis University, Baguio and studied filmmaking at UCLA in 2010. In 2017, Gandanghari reportedly obtained employment as a driver for Uber in the United States.
