Even though you may not know her name, it is possible that you may have seen her everywhere. With her doll like appearance, sweet natured appeal and endearingly cute characteristics, Barbie Imperial is very difficult to miss.
She first rose to fame with her cute antics at the Pinoy Big Brother 737 in 2015. Although she did not emerge as the ultimate victor in the reality show, she continuously appears in many series until she finally led her own.
More than what meets the eyes, what else do we know about Barbie, whose name perfectly captures her physical attributes? Read on to know more.
Early life
Barbara Concina Imperia, also known in the showbusiness as Barbie Imperial was born August 1, 1998 in Daraga, Albay, Philippines. She grew up being raised by her mother. Coming from a broken family, it was just her, her older brother and her mother. Barbie, despite her doll like appearance was not brought up in a palace. She spent her growing up days along the tracks of the Philippine National Railway in Daraga, Albay.
Entry to Showbiz
When she was seventeen, she gave showbusiness a shot. She auditioned for a slot at the reality show Pinoy Big Brother. In 2015, she was given the chance to prove herself when she was presented to be one of the contestants for Pinoy Big Brother: 737, introducing her to the public as “The Doll Along The Riles” for her doll-like physical attributes.
Although she did not win the competition (the title went to Miho Nishida and Jimboy Martin), it gave her the fanbase and following to start a career in showbusiness. Pinoy Big Brother for her was just the beginning of her wonderful journey in showbusiness.
Early Career
The moment she was evicted from the house, projects came flooding in. That same year, she played the role of Apple de Asis in the romantic fantasy drama series All of Me. Also in that year, she was seen in the longest drama anthology of the country – Maalaala Mo Kaya, of which she became a recurring actress.
She also had several appearances, for various different roles in the law anthology series, Ipaglaban mo. Apart from the usual appearances, she had become a staple and recurring guest at the noontime show It’s Showtime from 2016 to 2017. She appeared as a Girltrend member.
Sexy Breathrough Role
She got her biggest break yet in the series Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Araw Gabi. She played the lead character of Michelle Verano and Anna Vida De Alegre together with leading man JM De Guzman.
The high ratings could be attributed to the chemistry of both actors. It was not the first time JM and Barbie were paired. Araw Gabi is actually a reunion for them both, as both appeared in the television series All of Me in 2015.
Apart from her projects with ABS-CBN, Barbie Imperial also appeared in IWantTFC (formerly IWant.PH) Digital series like TAWAIN That I Love and You Have Arrived.
2020 Projects
As for this year, Barbie could be seen in the television series Bagong Umaga, broadcasted by the Kapamilya Channel. She plays the role of Catherine “Cai” Veradona. She works side by side with other actors including Heaven Peralejo, Tony Labrusca, Kiko Estrada, Michelle Vito and Yves Flores.
Also, Barbie is part of the new BL Series “Oh Mando” that will be aired this coming November 5. She plays the character of Krisha Cruz, the girlfriend of Mando (played by Kokoy de Santos). Trouble ensues when Mando realizes that he is developing a romantic attraction to his schoolboy crush Barry (played by Alex Diaz).
Her family life is an open secret, probably why many of us always root for her to succeed in life. Not only that she is their family’s bread winner, she also had experienced a lot of hardship in her 22 years of existence. That is why, we can only be happy for her with her new projects. Hopefully, many more will come!
