Bella Flores

Bella Flores was born Remedios Papa Dancel in Sta Cruz, Manila. Her parents are Emilia Papa and Matias Dancel. Bella studied at the Cecilio Apostol Elementary School and Arellano High School, finishing her secondary education at Roosevelt College. She was a college sophomore at Far Eastern University when she decided on a movie career. Flores was only 14 years old when she made her first movie, Balaraw (1950), with Premiere Productions. She took a screen test at Sampaguita Pictures and was placed under a four-year contract. Her first big role was in Roberta (1951), as the cruel stepmother of child actors Tessie Agana and Boy Alano. This movie saved the studio from bankruptcy after it was razed by a fire early that year.