Jay Manalo was born on January 30, 1975 to a Filipino father named Eustaquio Manalo (who is a musician) and a Vietnamese mother named Kim Nguyen Lan.

This handsome hunk grew up in the poorer part of the metropolis, in Tondo, Manila, where he was left to the care of his grandmother after his parents left the country to seek greener pastures abroad. He was “discovered” by a photographer while he sold cigarettes on the street shirtless. Said photographer found him very sexy and immediately invited him for a photoshoot. A few months after, his photos were featured in a magazine and a renowned director noticed him and convinced him to go into acting.

His film debut was the action film, Brat Pack starring Gary Estrada in 1994. In 1996, he turned from action star to sexy star when he starred in the movie, Gayuma opposite Amanda Page. Possessing boyish looks and an oozing sex appeal, he has became the favorite to lead in a number of bold movies in the Philippines in the late 1990s. The film Totoy Mola, was his first lead role in sexy films. Playing the title role, his character is a man from the province endowed with a huge member.

By turn of the century, his roles were more serious and dramatic. His recent performances were well-received by movie critics and he has been nominated and eventually won awards from award giving bodies in the Philippines.

Over are his days as a struggling actor. Today, he can look forward to more assignments that will further hone his acting talents. That’s quite an achievement for someone who led a hand-to-mouth existence in the streets of Manila.

with excerpts from his profile on wikipedia and from an article about him in planet philippines