Being the daughter of actors Von Serna and Mila Ocampo, she started acting early in life via her 1970 landmark debut Wanted: Perfect Mother, where she immediately captured the hearts of Filipino audience as a cute, sweet and smart-talking four-year-old. That same year she earned her first acting nomination from FAMAS Awards as Best Child Performer for the film My Little Angel. Trained by acclaimed director and National Artist, Lino Brocka, Snooky showed promise as dramatic actress and later proved to be a fine one. In 1972, she won her first FAMAS Award as Best Child Actress for the film Sana Mahalin Mo Ako.
Career
Snooky Serna was tapped by Regal Films to play the lead role in the movie, Katorse in 1980. Since she was not ready for mature roles then, she begged off, which eventually made a big star out of newcomer Dina Bonnevie. In her teens, she was launched as one of the original Regal Babies and groomed as a leading actress in various loveteam-inspired flicks with then heartthrobs Gabby Concepcion and Albert Martinez. She also starred in more daring films like Bata Pa si Sabel, Strangers in Paradise, Experience, Teenage Marriage and Lilac. She made numerous blockbuster movies in the 1980s like Underage, Schoolgirls, Story of Three Loves and Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday, among others. She also had her share of TV shows including the weekly musical variety 'Always Snooky' and weekly drama feature on 'Regal Drama Presents: Snooky' on ABS-CBN. As an actress, she tackled roles which earned acting nominations from various award giving bodies. She was also in Kapag Napagod Ang Puso with Christopher de Leon and Inagaw Mo ang Lahat sa Akin but unfortunately was snubbed during awards night. Her other major films include Aabot Hanggang Sukdulan, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Hahamakin ang Lahat with Vilma Santos, the fantasy filmsBlusang Itim, Rosa Mistica, and Madonna: Ang Babaing Ahas. It was with Koronang Itim, that she finally won Best Lead Actress from FAMAS and Cebu Archdiocese Media Awards. She has starred in over 80 films from 1970 to 2004. Snooky was prodded to concentrate on family and motherhood in the late 1990s. Upon her comeback, her works mostly concentrated on TV. Initially, she had a short stint as a newscaster of IBC Express Balita and as a host for IBC-13's magazine show Travel and Trade. More recently, she's been in various top-rating soap operas in rival stations GMA Network and ABS-CBN, notably Marina, Captain Barbell and Habang Kapiling Ka where she again was awarded a best actress trophy for TV drama performance from PMPC in 2003. Her recent films include Anak Ka ng Tatay Mo, Captain Barbell and the still unreleased Bituin, Buwan at Araw with Nora Aunor. Snooky made a career turnaround during the late 90s when she concentrated on television and became a host of a tele-magazine show over IBC-13. She also became a newsreader over the same network delivering the mid- and early evening news. She also entered the corporate world by accepting the position of AVP for Megaworld Properties, Inc. and even started a film school in Cabanatuan City. But all endeavors were short-lived. She is seen mostly with GMA Network and ABS-CBN.
Personal life
Serna was married to actor/model Ricardo Cepeda for over 12 years, with their marriage ending in annulment in January 2006. They have two daughters, Sam and Sachi. Her second husband was Nino Mendoza but they have been separated. Serna has been a member of the religion, Iglesia ni Cristo, since 2011. Her parents Von and Mila are Roman Catholic and former member of Born-again Christian.
