Miss World beauties in showbiz - FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo

A few days ago, 2000 Bb. Pilipinas-World Catherine de Guzman left for London to compete with almost a hundred other hopefuls for the Miss World 2000 title (the winner will reign until Nov. 2001), the only one not won so far by a Filipina.

During a recent interview with Funfare, Catherine said that she’d rather be a politician or a psychologist in the near future, rather than venture into showbiz which is where most of her predecessors usually land. Funfare surmises that Catherine will eventually set aside politics – and psychology – and answer the call of the klieg lights. Wanna bet?

Meanwhile, Funfare-friendly Miguel Herrera of Kapitan Pepe, Cabanatuan City, is contributing the following Miss World trivia:

Like its American counterpart (the Miss Universe Pageant), the London-based Miss World contest has been producing controversial women from the four corners of the globe, many of their have succumbed to the lure of showbiz. Here are some of them:

1. Denise Perrier, 1953 Miss World from France, played a minor part in the James bond movie Diamonds Are Forever.

2. Carmen Susana Zubillaga (1955) of Venezuela became a popular actress during her time.

3. Marita Lindahl of Finland, after her reign as 1957 Miss World, starred in a dozen movies in her country.

4. Rosemarie Frankland (1961) of United Kingdom became a successful actress in British cinema. Her most memorable films was the drama Never Too Late.

5. Ann Sidney (1964) of United Kingdom was a late-bloomer in films. Her most successful movies include Barefoot in the Park and the screwball comedy Jill’s Country.

6. Lesley Langley (1965) of the United Kingdom also became an actress in film and television.

7. Eva Reuber Staier (1969)of Austria ventured into television in England.

8. Belinda Roma Green (1972) of Australia became a popular TV actress.

9. Mary Ann Stavin (1997) of Sweden became an actress, notably as one of the James Bond’s girls in Octopussy.

10. Gina Ann Cassandra Swainson of Bermuda, after her reign in 1979, pursued a career as a TV host in England.

11. Sara Jane Hutt (1983) of the United Kingdom hosted a TV show and was also substitute anchor in UK sports world on TV.

12. Astrid Carolina Herrera (1984) of Venezuela ventured into film and did TV soap operas, notably Morena Clara.

13. Ulla Weiger Storfer (1987) of Austria, dubbed as Europe’s bombshell, continues to carve a name as a serious actress in European cinema.

14. Gina Marie Tolleson (1990) of the United States became a popular TV host on CBS and onetime co-host of the 1993 Miss World pageant in Sun City, South Africa.

15. Lisa Hannah (1993) of Jamaica became a well-known TV presenter and now hosts her own magazine show.

16. Aishwarya Rai (1994) of India, a well-known International model, became an arch rival of 1994 Miss Universe Sushmita Sen in Bollywood movies in India.

17. Irene Skliva (1996) of Greece also pursued a career in show business in her home country.

18. Diana Hayden (1997) of India, the third Indian to win the Miss World title, now works on celebrity management in Bombay. Hayden has traveled extensively to Cannes and Venice (for the film festivals in both countries) as she is also into film distribution.

19. Linor Abargil (1998) of Israel, after her reign, pursued an acting career in Israel. An exclusive shoe line carrying her name is very successful in Europe and the Middle East.

Incidentally, our very own Ruffa Gutierrez (who placed second runner up in 1993), and Evangeline Pascual (who became first placer in 1973), both became popular movie stars in Philippine Cinema.