BB Gandanghari

Binibini Gandanghari (formerly Rustom Padilla;^[3] Tagalog pronunciation: [paˈdɪl.ja]; 4 September 1967), also known as BB Gandanghari, is a Filipino-American^[2] actor, model, entertainer, comedian, and director.

She is the older sibling of Robin Padilla and the younger sibling of Royette and Rommel Padilla, all of whom are actors. Gandanghari enjoyed success in Philippine films in the early 1990s (as "Rustom Padilla"), 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 as gay after 44 days. She would later came out as a transgender woman in 2009 when she adopted her current name and became an American citizen in 2022.

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. After her hosting stint, Gandanghari left the Philippines and studied film making in the United States. Gandanghari appeared in the film adaptation of the comic book Zsazsa Zaturnnah (her first film role as a gay man) as the gay salon owner Ada (Adrian), the alter ego of Zsazsa Zaturnnah. She appeared in the television series La Vendetta on GMA and the Happy Hearts, later appearing on the ABS-CBN teleserye, 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.^[4]

On 9 August 2019, she made her American television debut in the Netflix series GLOW, where she played a clairvoyant named Patricia in the eighth episode of the series' third season.^[5]

Binibini Gandanghari was born Rustom Cariño Padilla to Roy Padilla Sr. and Lolita Eva (née Cariño). She has seven siblings: three brothers and four sisters.^[3]

Early allegations of homosexuality towards Rustom Padilla first emerged during the early 1990s when (as Rustom Padilla) was often portrayed with lip—tinted press photography in various commercial advertisements, the most notable being Close-up toothpaste in 1992 and 1994.

Prior to her public gender transition, Padilla married actress Carmina Villarroel in 1994. Villarroel then filed for annulment in 1998, which was formally granted by the Court of Pasig in June 2002.^[6]

In 2006, Gandanghari became one of the 14 housemates in Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition. On 2 March 2006, she came out as gay on the show.^[7] On day 45 of the competition, Gandanghari opted to voluntarily leave the house.

In January 2009, Gandanghari came out as a transgender woman and chose to undergo gender confirmation surgery.^[8][9] Her brother Robin Padilla at first 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 continue to address her by her former male deadname, Rustom.^[10]

Gandanghari stated her present name is derived from the Filipino words:

• Bb. — (abbreviation of Binibini, an honorific equivalent to "Maiden")
• Gandanghari — a portmanteau combination of the words ganda (beauty) and hari (royalty, kingship)

She also uses the word "Bb." refers to the saying "'Be' all that you can 'be'".^[11][12]

Gandanghari holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Saint Louis University in Baguio, Philippines and studied filmmaking at University of California Los Angeles in 2010.^{[citation needed]}

The Superior Court of California in Orange County approved both her legal name and gender in 2016.^[13] In 2017, Gandanghari reportedly obtained employment as a driver for Uber in the United States.^[14]

In September 2020, Gandanghari publicly revealed through an implied pseudonym on YouTube the reputed romantic and sexual affair he had (at the time as Rustom Padilla) with Filipino actor Piolo Pascual. In the story, Gandanghari narrated the detailed events of their purported affair during a shared trip in 1997 at San Francisco, United States, which has long been a popular folktale discussed within the Filipino LGBT community.

In 2022, she became a citizen of the United States^[2] while her current name is also recognized on her American passport.^[15]

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• Onyong Majikero (1991)
• Magnong Rehas (1992)
• Narito ang Puso Ko (1992)
• Ngayon at Kailanman (1992)
• Hanggang Saan Hanggang Kailan (1993)
• Kapag Iginuhit ang Hatol ng Puso (1993)
• Gagay: Prinsesa ng Brownout (1993)
• Ikaw (1993)
• Kadenang Bulaklak (1994)
• Brat Pack (1994)
• Hindi Magbabago (1994)
• Mistah (1994)
• Mars Ravelo's Darna! Ang Pagbabalik (1994)
• Marami Ka Pang Kakaining Bigas (1994)
• Sana Dalawa ang Puso Ko (1995)
• The Jessica Alfaro Story (1995)
• Maruja (1996)
• Bilang Na ang Araw Mo (1996)
• Paano Kung Wala Ka Na (1997)
• Abuso: Case #6433 (1997)
• Walang Katapusang Init (1998)
• Ganito Na Akong Magmahal (1998)
• May Isang Pamilya (1999)
• Ako'y Ibigin Mo ... Lalaking Matapang (1999)
• Bilib Ako Sa'yo (1999)
• Ganito Ako Magmahal (1999)
• Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure (2001)
• Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah, ze Moveeh (2006)
• Happy Hearts (2007)

• BB Gandanghari at IMDb
• Official website Archived November 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine