1935–1950: Early life Rita Gomez was born on May 22, 1935, in
Marinduque, Philippines to Angel Gomez and Luciana Arce. Her mother worked as a mining engineer while her father worked as a meat vendor. In the following years, she was typecast in several antagonist roles, playing characters with redemption arcs including
Reyna Bandida (1953), and
Society Girl (1956).
1960–1979: Continued success Gomez continued to play unconventional roles and was cast as a prostitute in Armando Garces'
Tatlong Magdalena opposite
Carmen Rosales and
Mila del Sol. In 1971, Gomez was cast as Paloma, a nightclub stripper-turned-actress in
Ishmael Bernal's directorial debut
Pagdating sa Dulo. The film was listed by the
Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino as one of the best films of the 1970s and was first of her many collaborations with Bernal.
1980–1989: Later career and retirement On February 29, 1980, Gomez co-starred with
Susan Roces,
Romeo Vasquez, and
Eddie Garcia in
Marilou Diaz-Abaya's directorial debut
Tanikala. For her performance, she received her third and final nomination for a
FAMAS Award for Best Supporting Actress. Later that year, she appeared in Pablo Gomez's
Bubot na Bayabas, her last film role before taking a hiatus. Gomez returned to acting in 1985 through Ishmael Bernal's erotic drama
Gamitin Mo Ako. The film initially received negative reviews from critics upon its release for its "sexual themes that were considered taboo" during that time. On November 7, 1989,
Ishmael Bernal directed the tribute show entitled "Tribute to Ms. Rita Gomez" which took place in
Los Angeles. ==Personal life and death==