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She was born Gloria Lerma Yatco in Manila's Tondo district. Her father was a sailor with the United States Navy, and she received her schooling in the United States. She is also related to Philippines' national hero Jose Rizal, as he and her grandfather Isidro Mercado Yatco were first cousins.

Her film career began in 1937 after winning the Miss Luzon beauty pageant. Under the stage name Fleur de Lis, she appeared in films entitled Ang Pagbabalik  and Giliw Ko  which was the first film production of LVN Pictures. It was in Giliw Ko where she appeared wearing a swimsuit, the first Filipino actress to do so.

By 1940, she had changed her screen name to Mona Lisa. Her popularity grew during the decade. She was frequently cast as the leading lady opposite Fernando Poe, Sr. They appeared together in such films as Viuda Alegre , Intramuros  and Sagun . It was during the 1940s when she became the first Filipino film actress to engage in a torrid kissing scene and swim in the nude

In 1950, Mona Lisa retired from acting after marrying Abelardo Guinto  and raised six children. She did not appear in another movie until the 1970s. Her most famous role upon her return to film was as Tonia in Insiang , the first Filipino film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. When Insiang was shown in Cannes in 1978, the French audience laughed when her name was flashed on the screen, as it reminded them of the painting of the same name. Lino Brocka, the film's director, was forced to change her screen name into Gloria Guinto. Mona Lisa received the 1975 FAMAS Best Supporting Actress Award, as well as a nomination for Best Supporting Actress from the Gawad Urian. Lisa would frequently portray maternal, and later grandmotherly roles for some of the country's leading directors. She was again cast by Brocka in Cain at Abel  and in Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim . She also appeared in Mike de Leon's Itim , and in Peque Gallaga's Oro, Plata, Mata . In 1988, Lisa was cast in a small role as a participant in the 1986 People Power Revolution in the HBO mini-series A Dangerous Life.

In the 1990s, Lisa appeared frequently on television, most prominently on the ABS-CBN soap opera Anna Luna. As of 2007, she was slated to co-star with Anita Linda in an independent film to be directed by Brilliante Mendoza.[3]

Mona Lisa survived a stroke in 2007, and is currently a subject of a tell-all biography being written by her granddaughter Celine Fabie.[2]


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