15 Susan Roces (Grandma Flora) Biography Fun Facts: Net Worth, Age, Children, Husband, Cause Of Death, Movies, Young Pictures, Etc

What caused Susan Roces’s death? Did Susan Roces have a child? Who is the daughter of Susan Roces? Who is Susan Roces’s husband? Everything to know about the Philippine actress.

“Queen of Philippine movies” Susan Roces also known as Grandma Flora has been reported dead. The renowned actress passed away on Friday, May 20, 2022, in San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines, at the age of 80. Her death was confirmed by her daughter, Senator Grace Poe.

TheVibely has gathered the top 20 untold facts about the actress that every obsessed fan across the world should know about her.

Susan Roces’s Profile Summary

Celebrated Name:	Susan Roces
Net Worth:	$8.7 million
Full Real Name:	Jesusa Purificacion Levy Sonora
Birthday/Date of Birth:	July 28, 1941
Age:	80 years old
Birthplace:	Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippine Commonwealth
Death Date:	May 20, 2022 (aged 80)
Cause of death:	Cardiopulmonary arrest
Death Place:	San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
Resting Place:	Manila North Cemetery, Manila, Philippines
Profession:	Actress
Years Active:	1952-2022
Number of movies:	Over 130 movies
School/Education:	La Consolacion College (LCC), Bacolod
Parents:	Jesus Tonggoy Sonora and Purificacion Levy
Spouse/Husband:	Fernando Poe Jr.​​ aka Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (m. 1968; died 2004)​
Children:	Grace Poe (adopted)
Relatives:	Rosemarie Sonora (sister) Sheryl Cruz (niece) Teresita Sonora Joseph and Jeffrey (nephews)
Grandchildren:	Brian Llamanzares, Hanna Llamanzares, Nikka Llamanzares

1. Who was Susan Roces?

Jesusa Purificacion Levy Sonora-Poe, known professionally as Susan Roces, was a Filipino actress. She was the wife of Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, better known as Fernando Poe Jr. Roces was regarded as the “Queen of Philippine Movies” and starred in more than 130 films.

2. When and when was Susan Roces born?

Jesusa Purificacion Levy Sonora-Poe whom many of you know as Susan Roces was born July 28, 1941, in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippine Commonwealth.

3. What was Susan Roces famous for?

Roces was regarded as the “Queen of Philippine Movies” and starred in more than 130 films. She won five FAMAS Awards including two Best Actress wins. FAP Awards honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her long-standing career and contribution to Philippine cinema. In 2005, Roces was one of the first inductees to the Eastwood City Walk of Fame. Months prior to her death, Roces was honored by The Philippine Post Office with a commemorative stamp.

4. Who were Susan Roces’s parents?

Jesusa Purificacion Levy Sonora was born in Bacolod on July 29, 1941 to Jesus Tonggoy Sonora and Purificacion Levy.

5. Where did Susan Roces attend school?

Roces finished her high school studies at the La Consolacion College (LCC) in Bacolod in 1956. It was during her stay at LCC that she committed to pursuing a career in acting. Her third-year high school teacher Luisa Medel recognized her talent in public speaking and acting and advised her to take the same course as her for her tertiary education. After graduating from high school, Roces went to Manila to follow her mentor’s advice. She also spoke the Hiligaynon language. She studied development studies at the University of the Philippines. She spent almost 12 years in Fairfax, Virginia. 

6. Susan Roces began acting at age 11.

Roces began her film career as a child actress debuting in the 1952 film Mga Bituin ng Kinabukasan at age 11. 

7. Roces’s idol was Gloria Romero.

In 1956, Roces went to Sampaguita Pictures’ office in Quezon City to meet her idol, Gloria Romero.

Gloria Romero is a Filipina actress appearing in film and television. Her career spans 60 years and includes award-winning performances in the films Tanging Yaman, Nagbabagang Luha and 1955’s Dalagang Ilocana. She was born on December 16, 1933 (age 88 years) in Denver, Colorado, United States. She was married to her spouse, Juancho Gutierrez from 1960 to 2005.

8. Roces acted in over 130 movies with some top Philippine actors and has won prestigious awards and recognitions.

Jose Perez, the founder, and head of the film studio offered Roces a contract on the spot leading to her first starring role in Boksingera. Roces also starred in several Philippine feature films such as Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw (1965), Gumising Ka Maruja (1967), Patayin Mo Sa Sindak Si Barbara (1974), Maligno and Mano Po 2: My Home (2003). She has also garnered five FAMAS Awards; two of which are Best Actress awards.

9. Roces was the ambassador for several brands and companies during her early and late years in acting

She was also tapped as a celebrity endorser during her early career for brands such as Coca-Cola, Lux, Blend 45, and Lavoris. Roces in her later years would still appear in television commercials promoting brands such as RiteMed and Champion Detergent.

10. Susan Roces’s last movie was FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and acted with Coco Martin (Cardo Dalisay) alonside other Philippine actors.

Roces’ final role was in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and was part of the original cast when the series premiered in 2015. She portrayed the role of Flora, the grandmother of the protagonist Cardo Dalisay.

11. Susan’s husband was called Fernando Poe Jr. and they had an adopted daughter called Grace Poe.

Roces married Fernando Poe Jr. and they have an adopted daughter, former MTRCB Chairperson, and now Senator Grace Poe. She married Poe on December 25, 1968, at the Santuario de San Jose Parish in Greenhills, San Juan.

“My dearest, BABES. I am so happy right now and I want to share my happiness with you. Please see me as soon as possible, you have to help with our church wedding” Susan Roces to FPJ written in pad paper last 52 years ago.

12. Susan was affiliated with the politics in the Philippines with her family.

She was an advocate for her husband, who ran for president in the 2004 Philippine presidential election and later died of a stroke in December 2004. Roces convinced that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won the election through electoral fraud at her husband’s expense, demanded Arroyo resign in June 2005. She ran in the 2016 u.s. campaign and finished third in the presidential campaign count. In May 2019, she was re-elected as a lawmaker.

On September 29, 2007, ABS-CBN acquired the exclusive rights to its movie library of Poe after Roces signed the contract. ABS-CBN Chairman Eugenio Lopez III, Cory Vidanes, Senior Vice President of TVP Production, and Poe’s daughter, Grace Poe, were present.

On December 23, 2007, 9:30 p.m. Alay ni Da King: a Fernando Poe Jr. Special was shown in ABS-CBN Channel 2 and was hosted by Charo Santos-Concio. Roces contributed to the feature of their married life. A 38-minute music video was also shown featuring various scenes from several of Poe’s movies, a project Poe himself had just finished working on before he died.

13. Is Susan Roces alive or dead?

Susan Roces died in San Juan, Metro Manila, the Philippines on May 20, 2022 (aged 80). Her resting place is at the Manila North Cemetery, Manila, Philippines. Her death was confirmed by her daughter, Senator Grace Poe.

Senator Grace Poe confirmed Susan Roces’s death with the note “With great sadness, we announce the loss of our beloved Jesusa Sonora Poe, whom many of you know as Susan Roces,”

“She passed away peacefully on a Friday evening, May 20, 2022, surrounded by love and warmth, with her daughter Grace, her nephews Joseph and Jeffrey, and many of her family and close friends,”

“She lived life fully and gracefully. Remember her in her beauty, warmth, and kindness. She is now with the Lord and her beloved Ronnie – FPJ. We will miss her sorely, but we celebrate a life well-lived. Susan Roces – daughter, mother, grandmother, a true Filipina, and a national treasure.”

14. What caused Susan Roces’s death?

Roces died of a cardiopulmonary arrest on May 20, 2022, at the age of 80. A day earlier, she was rushed to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, Metro Manila. The Senate and the House of Representatives passed resolutions to honor her legacy. The ACT-CIS Partylist proposed to posthumously award Roces the National Artist of the Philippines Award for her contributions to the entertainment industry. She is buried in Manila North Cemetery.

15. What was Susan Roces’s net worth?

Susan Roces had an estimated net worth of $8.7 million as of 2022 and at the time of her death. She earned her income from her decades-old movies.