Neil Ryan Sese

Neil Ryan Sese was only seven years old when his parents separated. His father, a radiologist from Masbate, left their home and he never saw him again. His father had apparently remarried, for years later Neil met a fellow who said they are half-brothers.

The young Neil then, an only child, grew up in Lucena City, Quezon, where his mother Rosalyn Sese took charge of his upbringing, enrolled him at Maryhill Academy, and encouraged him to be well-rounded and to join all the clubs: Drama Club, Science Club, Mathematics Club, etc. 1993, he went to Manila, wanting to study at the University of Santo Tomas to be with his peers but his mother told him to enroll at the University of the Philippines. And so he took a nonquota course entrance exam. First year was devoted to general subjects like mathematics, but soon he found himself auditioning and appearing in Dulaang UP plays.[1]

By the second year, he was enjoying being a campus actor, appearing in classic plays like Oedipus Rex and learning a lot from mentors like director Tony Mabesa and actor Rey Ventura. And so he dropped his plan to take up Mass communication major in Theatre Arts. He has been at it ever since. He became part of several plays in Dulaang UP, UP Shakespearean Company (Othello, The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew), Tanghalang Pilipino at Bulwagang Gantimpala. He also played in some Asian dramas such as: St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos, Hudhud, Kanjicho, Sepharad: Voces de Exilio, Basilia Ng Malolos, Orpheus Descending and Sa Ngalan Ng Anak.[2]

Television, however, remains his "bread and butter", where he gets to appear in several drama series and play character roles. 2011, when he played the role of Simeon in the highly successful drama series, Munting Heredera which he considered as his biggest break ever. His career is currently handling by an award-winning director/manager Maryo J. de los Reyes. The same year, he signed a three-year exclusive contract with GMA Network.[3] His first project as an exclusive talent of the network was the series Biritera where he played one of the lead roles.[4]

Sese is also a favorite of indie film directors, landing choice roles in acclaimed movies like Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, Mangatyanan, Sanglaan and Huling Pasada.

In Huling Pasada, he was nominated for Best Actor by the respected critics but lost out to a deserving veteran, Ronnie Lazaro.

It is in his chosen field of theater that Sese really gets to test his mettle as an actor. In the recent Amphitryon, a Dulaang UP production directed by José Estrella, he displayed his comic side. And he scored as Stanley Kowalski in Tanghalang Pilipino's Flores Para los Muertos (a translation of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire), directed by Floy Quintos.

• Neil Ryan Sese at IMDb