Rosal was born Florence Danon in Manila. Her mother hailed from Santa Rita, Pampanga, while her father was of French and Egyptian descent. Her half-brother, Don Danon, once acted as a stand-in for the Hollywood actor Rudolph Valentino. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Rosal worked as a newsreader in a Japanese-run radio station. Shortly after the end of the war, Rosal worked part-time at the San Lazaro Hospital. One night, she was passing by a film shooting as she was walking home, and she was spotted by the film's producer, Luis Nolasco. She was offered a film contract by Nolasco, who headed his own outfit, the Nolasco Brothers Studio.
Film career
The Nolasco Brothers Studio cast Rosal in Fort Santiago. Her screen name was taken from the Tagalog words for "rose" and "gardenia". In 1947, Rosal was cast opposite Leopoldo Salcedo in Kamagong. Her performance drew the attention of the other major film studios, and she was signed to a contract with LVN Pictures by the studio head, Doña Sisang de Leon. She was cast by LVN Pictures in her first starring role in the 1949 filmBiglang Yaman. Throughout the 1950s, Rosal starred in costume dramas such as Prinsipe Amante sa Rubitanya, and in such neo-realist dramas as Lamberto Avellana's Anak Dalita, Tony Santos's Badjao, and Manuel Silos's Biyaya ng Lupa, which she cites as the best film she has ever made. For her role in Anak Dalita, Rosal would receive a citation from PresidentRamon Magsaysay. She was named FAMAS Best Actress in 1955 for Sonny Boy, and would be nominated for three other times, for Dagohoy, Biyaya ng Lupa, and Ang Lahat ng Ito Pati na ang Langit. Notwithstanding her serious roles, Rosal would become best known in the 1950s for her daring appearances in film. She had no qualms appearing onscreen in bathing suits, engaging in kissing scenes or in playing villainous roles. Offscreen, Rosal led a quiet and private life. She enrolled in night classes at the Cosmopolitan Colleges and obtained a degree in Business Administration in 1954. She was married briefly in 1957 to an American pilot, Walter Gayda, with whom she had a child, Toni Rose, who later became a television host. In the 1960s, Rosal became one of the first leading Filipino actors to appear regularly on television. She was a fixture on Cecille Guidote Alvarez's dramatic series Balintataw on ABC-5. In the 1970s, Rosal starred in Iyan ang Misis Ko, a family-oriented sitcom with Ronald Remy. In 1976, Rosal would also appear in Behn Cervantes's Sakada, a film which was banned by the martial law government of President Ferdinand Marcos.
with Jose Villafranca, Romeo Enriquez and Chona Castillo
Humanitarian activities
Rosal joined the Philippine National Red Cross as a volunteer-member of its Blood Program in 1950, and was elected to its Board of Governors in 1965. Rosal has become widely known for her efforts to promote blood donation in the Philippines. She helped initiate Red Cross programs that set up bloodletting sessions inside campuses and military camps, including the American military base at Clark. She lobbied political leaders and foreign embassies for donations to upgrade Red Cross facilities. Rosal also established a Women's Crisis love within the Philippine National Red Cross. The love was aimed at assisting unwed and needy pregnant mothers, as well as finding homes for unwanted children. With donations obtained from the pork barrel funds of members of Congress, Rosal has also run in her personal capacity a college scholarship fund for poor but deserving students. Rosal has also hosted two public-service television programs, Damayan and Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko, which solicit financial and medical aid for indigent medical patients. Despite her widespread association with blood donation, Rosal has never donated blood herself, on account of her blood pressure, which is way below the level required for donors.
