Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. To celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month, we would like to give you weekly short biographies of famous Filipino American role models and achievers, some of whom you may not even know are Filipino.

There are hundreds of names, but this month, we are only focusing on those who are still active, visible, in the limelight and who have a high “audience following” – those who continue to make us proud to be Filipino, regardless of their religious and sexual orientation and political flavor.

Gina Ortiz Jones, Running for Congress

Gina Ortiz Jones was the 2018 Democratic nominee for Texas’ 23rd congressional district, but was narrowly defeated by the incumbent, Republican Will Hurd. When Hurd announced he would not seek another term, Ortiz Jones launched a second campaign in 2019 for the office. She was raised in San Antonio, Texas by a single mother, Victorina Ortiz, an Ilocano from Pangasinan, Philippines. Ortiz Jones earned a four-year Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) scholarship allowing her to study at Boston University. At 15, she came out to her mother as a lesbian. After graduating from college, she joined the United States Air Force as an intelligence officer and was deployed to Iraq during the Bush administration. After three years of active duty and reaching the rank of captain, she returned to Texas to care for her mother. She served as an intelligence analyst in Germany for United States Africa Command, in the Defense Intelligence Agency where she specialized in Latin American topics, and in the Office of the United States Trade Representative until 2017. If she wins in the coming elections, Ortiz Jones would be the “first openly gay woman of color from Texas elected to Congress, as well as the first Iraq War veteran to represent Texas in Congress. She also will be the first woman to represent Texas’ 23rd Congressional district.”

Rob Bonta, California State Assemblyman

Robert Andres “Rob” Bonta is a Democrat representing California’s 18th District, which includes the Bay Area of Oakland, Alameda and San Leandro. He is the first Filipino American ever elected to the California Legislature. In 2013, Bonta introduced legislation that would require California public schools to teach students the contributions of Filipino Americans in the farm movement, and it was signed into law that same year. His mother, Cynthia, was active with the United Farm Workers of America and the Union of Democratic Filipinos (KDP). He worked his way through college, cleaning laundry rooms. With financial help, he was able to go to Yale University for his Juris Doctorate. Bonta currently serves as the Assistant Majority Leader in the State Assembly, and sits on the Committees of Appropriations, Communications and Conveyance, Governmental Organization and Health.

Josie Natori, Fashion Designer

Born in the Philippines to Angelita Almeda and Felipe Cruz, Josie Natori’s first love was the piano. At age 9, she performed with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. She moved to the United States in 1964 to attend Manhattanville College. Before becoming a fashion icon, Natori worked at a stock brokerage and investment firm. She met her husband, Ken Natori, on Wall Street. She settled on fashion after a buyer suggested she lengthen some peasant blouses sent to her from the Philippines. The Natori Company sells lingerie, sleepwear, ready-to-wear and accessories, perfume and home furnishings. Her husband is the chairman of the company while her son, also named Kenneth, is vice president focusing on e-commerce, finance, licensing, public relations and marketing.

Loida Nicolas Lewis, Immigration Lawyer and Businesswoman

Loida Nicolas Lewis was the first Asian woman to pass the New York Bar, making her eligible to practice law in both the Philippines and in the United States. She co-wrote a book, How to Get a Green Card. She served as Attorney General at the INS for 10 years. She met her husband, Reginald F. Lewis, on a blind date and they were married a year later. They have two daughters, both of whom graduated cum laude from Harvard: Leslie is an actor and producer while Christina is founder and CEO of a non-profit. Her husband acquired Beatrice International, creating the largest African American-owned company in the United States. However, he died in 1993 from brain cancer. Loida served as CEO and Chair of TLC Beatrice International after her husband’s death. Her first move was to sell the company jet and limousines. She sold the company in 1999. Loida is active in political causes, especially those affecting Filipino Americans. She currently chairs the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, and is an advisory member of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

Vincent Rodriguez III, Actor, Singer and Dancer

This Filipino American actor was born in San Francisco, California. He grew up in Daly City, the youngest of four children, with three older sisters. He studied at Fernando Rivera Middle School, Westmore High School and Skyline College before getting accepted at Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. In 2003, he went on a national tour of 42nd Street, and this led him to move to New Jersey to pursue a career on Broadway. His famous role is that of Josh Chan, from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. In 2016, he officially introduced his husband, Gregory Wright.

Dean Devlin, Screenwriter, Producer and Director

Devlin was born in New York City. He is the son of actress Pilar Seurat (the only Filipino who appeared in Star Trek) and Don Devlin, a writer, actor and producer of Jewish descent. He started as an actor on numerous television shows in the 1980s, and then started writing scripts. His first screenplay was Universal Soldier. Together with director Roland Emmerich, he co-wrote and produced Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla and Independence Day: Resurgence. His directorial debut was the science fiction film, Geostorm. In television, he produced The Triangle miniseries, Leverage, The Librarian and The Visitor. His collaboration with ABS-CBN, called Almost Paradise, is currently showing at WGN America network and features the island of Cebu. Telling a story connected to his DNA is something he has never done before, Devlin says, and the fact that he got to employ Filipinos for the series “made it even more exciting.”

Hailee Steinfeld, Actress, Singer, Songwriter

Hailee Steinfeld (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Steinfeld’s maternal grandfather, Ricardo Domasin, is half-Filipino from Panglao, Bohol, Philippines. She is the younger of the two children of Cheri Domasin, an interior designer, and Peter Steinfeld, a personal fitness trainer. She began acting when she was 10 years old, but rose to fame for the role of Mattie Ross in True Grit when she was only 13 years old. Richard Corliss of Time magazine, wrote that Steinfeld “delivers the orotund dialogue as if it were the easiest vernacular, stares down bad guys, wins hearts. That’s a true grit.” She received a nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress for that role, but lost to Melissa Leo. Since then, Steinfeld has appeared in numerous movies such as Begin Again, Ten Thousand Saints, The Edge of Seventeen, Bumblebee and Pitch Perfect 2 and 3. Her single, Starving, released in 2016 went platinum. She has endorsed a number of charities focusing on improving children’s lives.

Sources: Google and Wikipedia

The Magazine

Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous Part 3