When former matinee idol, Gabby Concepcion, came back to the Philippines last March 30, he immediately created a buzz in the entertainment industry where he used to work before he left for the States in 1995.
On that Sunday, the two rival showbiz talk shows, Showbiz Central and The Buzz, had their own coverage of Gabby's comeback. While Showbiz Central presented their taped interview during his arrival at the airport, The Buzz had Gabby in a live interview.
Avid fans were glued to their TV sets and as they listened to Gabby's interviews, they reminisced the "kilig" moments in romantic films with his former love team and wife, Sharon Cuneta.
Gabby will do some projects during
his short or long stay here. He has been ambiguous about its duration. Be that as it may, let's recall his earlier days in showbiz. Does his comeback mean he'll pick up his career from where he left off? Or will we be surprised to see a totally new Gabby Concepcion?
MATINEE IDOL. In the early '80s, Gabby Concepcion, or Gabriel Concepcion in real life, captured the hearts of Filipino lasses in a Close Up commercial, which led to his launching as an actor when Mother Lily Monteverde included him in her roster of Regal Babies—along with Maricel Soriano, Dina Bonnevie, Snooky Serna, and Albert Martinez.
Gabby was part of what they used to call the Big Three. Richard Gomez and Aga Muhlach, and Gabby Concepcion were called the matinee idols of their generation. He was an effective leading man in movies that tackled teenage life, like Underage (1980) and Katorse (1980), where he worked with fellow Regal Babies, who are now among the most respected actresses in showbiz—Dina Bonnevie and Maricel Soriano.
His mestizo looks drew more attention from the girls when he was paired with then teenybopper Sharon Cuneta. The ladies fell in love with this greatest tandem during the '80s in their movies, P.S I Love You (1981), Dear Heart (1981), and My Only Love (1982), which was adapted for television in GMA-7's Sine Serye last year.
From their reel relationship, Gabby and Sharon developed a real-life relationship that was solemnized in a church wedding on September 23, 1984.
However, even before this marriage Gabby also worked with
another teen actress, Janice de Belen, who admitted that she fell in love with her
onscreen partner. The two worked
together in the movies, Puppy Love (1982) and Always in my
Heart (1983).
Of course, his "matinee idol" title would not be complete if he did not work with the veteran actresses like the Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos and the Superstar Nora Aunor. In fact, his movie with Vilma titled Sinungaling Mong Puso earned him a Best Supporting Actor award from FAMAS in 1992 and a nomination under the same category in the 1993 Gawad Urian.
The awards proved that Gabby was not just for teenybopper roles, he also showed his potential as a good dramatic actor. He did very well as a serious actor in Narito ang Puso Ko with Lorna Tolentino, winning a Best Actor Award from Gawad Urian in 1993.
He also did dramatic acting in Una Kang Naging Akin (1991), a movie with Sharon. By that time, they had already separated.
CASANOVA. Gabby's image as a matinee idol spilled over to his real life. Aside from his widely known relationship with Sharon and his reported affair with Janice, Gabby also hooked up with and sired the daughters of Grace Ibuna and Jenny Syquia.
Gabby's fairy-tale relationship with Sharon did not last long despite having a daughter named Maria Kristina Cassandra or KC, who is now 23 years old. A month before their third wedding anniversary, Gabby and Sharon were legally separated. Their marriage was declared null and void on November 10, 1993.
After this short-lived marriage, Gabby had an affair with Grace Ibuna, with whom he had her second daughter named Gabrielle Ibuna, who is now 19 years old.
