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Jose Sixto "Dingdong" Gonzalez Dantes III (born August 2, 1980) is a Filipino actor, filmmaker, and television personality. He is known for his acting versatility and played dramatic and fantasy-action roles in movies and television. His accolades include 10 times Box Office Entertainment Awards, 5 times PMPC Star Awards for Television, 3 times EdukCircle Awards, 2 times FAMAS Award, 2 times The EDDYS, 2 times Metro Manila Film Festival for Best Actor, 1 time Manila International Film Festival for Best Actor, a Seoul International Drama Awards Asian Star Prize, an Asian Academy Creative Awards for Best Entertainment Host, a Nickelodeon, a Gawad Pasado Award and a Gawad Tanglaw Award and a PMPC Star Awards for Movie including nominations from Gawad Urian Award, Golden Screen Awards for Movie, Luna Award and an Asian Television Awards nomination.
He gained prominence in the early 2000s when he co-starred with Tanya Garcia in the drama series Sana ay Ikaw na Nga (2001) and Twin Hearts (2004). He achieved greater recognition in the late 2000s for his role opposite Marian Rivera in the television adaptation of Marimar (2007). His other notable television appearances include Stairway to Heaven (2009), Endless Love (2010), and I Heart You, Pare! (2011). In addition to acting, Dantes has established himself as a television presenter, hosting several programs such as StarStruck (2003–2019), Family Feud (2009–present), Amazing Earth (2018–present), and The Voice Generations (2023). Dantes has produced his own films under his production company, AgostoDos Pictures, including Segunda Mano (2011), (2012), (2014), and Rewind (2023), the latter of which became the highest-grossing film in the Philippines. He is married to Marian Rivera, and the couple has two children.
Dantes studied at San Beda University but moved to Ateneo de Manila University to finish high school. He pursued higher education while juggling his showbiz career. Dantes enrolled college at West Negros University with a degree in Business Administration majoring in marketing. He graduated from college in 2014.
He was enlisted as member of Philippine Naval Reserve Command in 2006 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in 2020. He graduated as part of Naval Combat Engineer Officer Class in 2023 and had his field training as military reservist.
As an actor, his first movie appearance was in the Shake, Rattle & Roll V episode "Anino". After three years, he debuted on GMA Network's youth-oriented T.G.I.S. when he was 17, under the name Raphael Dantes playing the role of Iñaki. He was first paired with Antoinette Taus. Dantes and Taus became one of the most memorable Love team in Philippine entertainment industry, especially in the '90s. He appeared in films like Honey My Love So Sweet, Kiss Mo 'Ko and I'm Sorry My Love, and television show Anna Karenina.
In 2007, Dantes portrayed the lead role Sergio to Marian Rivera's character, Marimar in Marimar. During the same year, he was named No. 1 Bachelor of 2007 by Cosmopolitan magazine (Philippines). He won the USTV Students’ Choice Award for "Most Popular Actor in a Drama/Mini-series." In 2008, he was cast by his home studio to play the role of Fredo, a love interest of Dyesebel in Dyesebel. In March 2008, he debuted as the Bench image model. Also in 2008, Dantes starred in One True Love. The Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines rated the film a B.
In early 2009, Dantes appeared on Ang Babaeng Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang. He was chosen as Myx guest VJ in August 2009 to promote his album The Dingdong Dantes Experience. The album turned gold one week after it was released on the variety show SOP. Dantes was chosen to portray the role of "Cholo" in the 2009 Philippine adaptation of the Korean drama Stairway to Heaven. He also replaced Richard Gomez as the new host for Family Feud.
Dantes founded YesPinoy Foundation on August 21, 2009. It helped bridged the resources gap in education, and assisted out-of-school youth and children of fallen soldiers.
In 2011, Dantes did a comedy primetime TV series titled, I Heart You, Pare! with his leading lady Regine Velasquez. He plays an obnoxious Machismo guy who falls with a heterosexual woman played by Velásquez who, after a chance encounter, met again as she plays a drag who tries to run away from the law. Unfortunately Regine Velasquez left seven weeks before the series came to a close due to her pregnancy with husband Ogie Alcasid. Iza Calzado replaced Velasquez in the series.
He was part of the Star Cinema suspense film Segunda Mano with Kris Aquino and Angelica Panganiban as he played the main antagonist role, Ivan. This marked Dantes' first project with the rival station and film archive Star Cinema, a division of ABS-CBN. It was also his first time to work with Kapamilya stars. He stated that he signed a one-film contract with Star Cinema to do the film and work with Kris Aquino.
He did a primetime TV series, My Beloved which aired on February 13, 2012. In June 2012, he was chosen to star in another MMFF Entry for 2012 in the film One More Try starring Kapamilya actors Angelica Panganiban, Angel Locsin and Zanjoe Marudo. It was Dante's second film with rival Star Cinema of ABS-CBN and was a comeback for Ruel S. Bayani after his critically acclaimed successful blockbuster film No Other Woman hit the box-office last year. In November 2012, Dantes was set in a primetime TV series Pahiram ng Sandali with Lorna Tolentino, Christopher de Leon and Max Collins.
In 2013, Dantes and Marian Rivera joined PETA in their campaign to free the elephant Mali from the Manila Zoo, where she has been kept for the majority of her life alone in a tiny enclosure and in need of proper care. Marian Rivera And Dingdong Dantes Join PETA In Calling For The Transfer of ‘Mali’ The Elephant From Manila Zoo, theglobaldispatch.com, July 17, 2013
On May 5, 2014, Dantes was appointed and sworn in by President Benigno Aquino III as commissioner-at-large of the National Youth Commission. Two years later, he decided to resign as the NYC commissioner to give way for his endorsement for Grace Poe as president and Leni Robredo as vice president in the 2016 national elections.
In April 2017, he visited Calapan, Oriental Mindoro to inaugurate the Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology (MinSCAT) Grandstand. A day later, he became the guest speaker during the 43rd Commencement Exercises of Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology-Calapan Campus.
In 2022, Dantes hosted the game show as the second time on GMA Network, Family Feud. During the season break, he appeared in his drama Royal Blood and hosted The Voice Generations.
On October 30, 2023, Dantes joined Mowelfund's Board of Trustees.
His next films were part of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival: Rewind, directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar where he co-starred with Marian Rivera in a lead role, and Firefly, directed by Zig Dulay, where he played an adult version of a character played by Euwenn Mikaell. Rewind became one of the highest grossing Filipino movies of all time and the highest grossing movie in Metro Manila Film Festival history.
In 2019, Dantes shared his experiences in riding motorcycles with his team in Europe covering four countries: Spain, Italy, Monaco and France in a 2,000 kilometers motorbike ride on his TV show, Amazing Earth. Dantes has several collection of motorbikes including Ducati Diavel, BMW R100 Scramble, Ducati Sports Classic 1000s, Ducati Paul Smart.
He took part in RunFest 2016 and finished 10 km run. He joined a 42 km Berlin Marathon in 2019. Dantes participated in several marathon for a cause namely, UNICEF Heros for Children Run, Book Run for Yes Pinoy Foundation, Lights, Camera, Run for Mowelfund members and a marathon against Corruption.
In 2016, he joined his first IronMan Triathlon race with Kim Atienza, his teammates in Team Gotta for the Asia Pacific Championship in Cebu; where he finished a 90 kilometer bike ride. Dantes also joined the IronMan Triathlon race 70.3 Davao in 2019.
On December 30, 2014 (Rizal Day), Dantes married Rivera in the Cubao Cathedral, Cubao, Quezon City. Both Dantes and Rivera are exclusive artists of GMA Network. After years of hard work and proven successes of their television projects, both individually or together, GMA gave them the honor of the title as their network's primetime king and queen. Thus, their wedding was given the title "The Royal Wedding". They announced an expected first child in April 2015; Rivera gave birth to Maria Letizia on November 23, 2015, and later gave birth to their second child Jose Sixto IV (Sixto) on April 16, 2019, Holy Tuesday of the Holy Week.
Dantes is the cousin of fellow actors Carlo Gonzalez, Arthur Solinap, and former sports anchor and current TV host Bianca Gonzalez. He is also related to actor Enrique Gil in which Dantes referred Enrique as his uncle.
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