WHEN I first saw Benjamin Alves, I was like, wait, he looks uncannily like Piolo Pascual. After some digging, I realized they were, in fact, related. Piolo happens to be Benjamin‘s uncle. Good looks run in the blood, really.
But after watching some of his work, some of his interviews, I realized that there is way more to Benjamin than his pretty face and awesome body. He is in fact a book nerd, which made me adore him more.
His passion for books started at a young age, and he had cultivated it to what it is now, affecting his outlook in life and broadening his horizons. Apart from being a great reader, he is also a prolific actor, working non stop after he got his degree in English Literature.
EARLY LIFE
Benjamin was born as Benjamin Quiambao Sapida on March 31, 1989 in Guam, United States of America. He is a nephew of Piolo Pascual and cousin to Inigo Pascual. Although he already pursued acting and show business in the Philippines under a different screen name, he went back to Guam and managed to obtain his Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Guam, graduating summa cum laude.
Although he wanted to further his education by obtaining a master’s degree, he opted to put it aside in lieu of focusing on his entertainment career.
CAREER BEGINNINGS
Benjamin entered show business as Vince Saldana in 2006. Coming from Guam, he arrived in the Philippines in order to pursue one thing – a modeling career. With this, he even appeared in the reality model search of ABS-CBN which is the Close Up to Fame. Although he was only a finalist, Viva noticed his potential and was signed to do his first acting gig in the teenage oriented show POSH the following year.
He also appeared in various films produced by Viva Films such as Ang Cute ng Ina Mo as Jojo and Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat as Junior in 2007. In the same year, he appeared in various television shows such as Dalawang Tisoy in RPN CNN Philippines and Ysabella in ABS CBN.
He went back to Guam to focus on studies and had his career on hiatus from 2009.
BREAKTHROUGH
After obtaining his bachelor’s degree, he came back to the Philippines and gave showbusiness another shot, which is a terrific idea. This time, he was relaunched in showbusiness as Benjamin Alves by Mercator Model and Artist Management. He signed a contract with GMA Network and was launched as an exclusive Kapuso artist, earning the title Kapuso heartthrob in 2012.
This second shot in showbusiness, and the rebranding of his career opened numerous doors of opportunities. In the same year, he appeared in the remake of the popular Korean drama Coffee Prince. 2013 seemed to be his busiest year when he landed projects in television shows such as Unforgettable, Superbook, Wagas: Tamis ng Unang Pag Ibig, Katipunan and Darna.
His rise to fame continued as he worked non stop appearing in numerous television shows as artist, guest, voice actor and cameo to GMA shows. Some of his notable TV shows in the recent years include Adarna, Beautiful Strangers, I Heart Davao, Kapag Nahati ang Puso and Dahil sa Pag-Ibig.
MOVIES AND OTHER PROJECTS
Benjamin Alves is one of the very few Kapuso actors who is active both on TV and movies. Some of his notable movies include Guni-Guni, Sana Dati, Dagsin, Gayuma, Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.
Benjamin is set to appear in the biopic of Manuel L. Quezon. He is also set to appear in the new television series Owe My Love as Miguel “Migs” Alcancia, Lovi Poe’s love interest. The show premiered on February 15.
If you can’t get enough of Benjamin, you can always follow him on his Instagram account where he posts photos, mostly shirtless, but who is complaining?
