River Joseph

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In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Manalo and the surname or paternal family name is Joseph.
River Joseph
Born
River Iye Manalo Joseph

(1999-01-02) January 2, 1999 (age 26)
Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Occupation(s)Actor, Entrepreneur
Years active2022–present
Agent(s)Star Magic, Rise Artists Studio
Known for
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)

River Iye Manalo Joseph (born January 2, 1999) is a Filipino actor and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles in the television series He's Into Her, The Iron Heart, Pamilya Sagrado,[1] and Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition.[2]

Early life and education

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River Iye Manalo Joseph was born on January 3, 1999, in Muntinlupa to a family of entrepreneurs.[2][3] His father, Robert Lim Joseph, died of cancer in 2022. His mother, Ida Manalo Joseph, is the sister of SM Retail president Chito Manalo. Through his father, Joseph is of Chinese, Iraqi, and Syrian descent.[4] He finished his secondary education at De La Salle Santiago Zobel School and attended De La Salle University for college.[2] He earned a degree in Business Management in 2023.[1]

Career

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Joseph began his career as a commercial model. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his TikTok videos gained attention, leading his manager to encourage him to audition for Rise Artists Studio,[5] a talent management division of Star Magic.[6] He made his acting debut in 2022 as part of the cast of He's Into Her Season 2.[7]

Following his debut, Joseph starred in the action-drama series The Iron Heart[8] and later appeared in the romantic drama Unbreak My Heart.[3] In 2024, he took on a role of Steven Hermoso in the family drama Pamilya Sagrado, acting alongside prominent Filipino actors including Kyle Echarri, Grae Fernandez, and Piolo Pascual.[9] Reflecting on his role, Joseph shared that delivering his Tagalog lines was challenging because English was his first language and he grew up speaking it with his friends. He described the transition to speaking Tagalog on screen as an adjustment that he continues to work on.[10]

As part of his development as an actor, Joseph attended several acting workshops led by acclaimed Filipino directors Mae Cruz-Alviar and Cathy Garcia-Sampana. In an interview, he credited these experiences—along with his work on various productions and collaboration with other actors—as key to his improvement, stating: “As in a lot of things, even in sports, you have to do things repeatedly and you keep working hard. Anything is learnable as long as you put time into it.”[9]

In 2025, Joseph was revealed as one of the housemates for Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition,[11] where he gained wider public recognition.[12] Introduced with the moniker "Sporty Business Bro ng Muntinlupa City," he quickly resonated with viewers for his approachable demeanor and "golden retriever personality."[1][2] He was one of the season's finalists alongside his duo partner, AZ Martinez.[13][14] In July, Joseph portrayed Parker Robinson, the antagonist in the sports series, Love at First Spike.[15] He also starred in the Wattpad digital film adaptation of The Four Bad Boys and Me as Charles Gonzales.[16] Joseph described Charles as very different from himself, noting that the character was hotheaded, prone to trouble, and spoke mostly in Tagalog.[17] “Through the help of Direk, the writers, they really helped me build the character of Charles. […] I hope I was able to give justice to Charles […].”[18]

Media presence

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In 2021, Joseph was featured in an exclusive interview with Garage PH, where he discussed his burgeoning showbiz career, business ventures, personal style, and upcoming projects.[19] He was also featured in Metro.style in 2022 alongside the cast of He’s Into Her, where he discussed his career breakthrough through his portrayal of the character Jaybee.[20]

In 2023, Joseph was named one of Mega Magazine's "5 Online Filipino Boyfriends of TikTok."[21] Later that year, he was also featured in the anniversary issue for PARCINQ Super Fresh, where he discussed his transition from being a TV commercial actor to a full-fledged presence in show business.[5]

In 2025, Joseph was featured in Metro Magazine alongside his fellow PBB Big Four placers.[22] He was also featured in a Metro exclusive article titled "River Joseph Sets the Standard as the 'PBB' 'Green Flag'", which reflected on his time as a housemate on the reality television show.[23]

Other ventures

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Business

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Apart from acting, Joseph is also an entrepreneur.[11] He started a business called CASSA, offering eco-friendly plastic bags made from cassava starch.[24][19]

Philanthropy

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Joseph is involved with the Rich for the Poor, an outreach initiative aimed at assisting street children and other underprivileged groups.[24] In an interview, he explained, “Rich for the Poor is a foundation dedicated to my brother, Richard, who passed away in 2017. He had a passion for helping and feeding street children and we wanted to continue his legacy through this foundation.”[19]

In 2025, during his appearance on PBB, Joseph and his duo partner Martinez won a charity task that awarded ₱100,000 to be donated to their chosen beneficiary. They selected the Cancer Treatment and Support Foundation Inc. as the recipient, dedicating the donation to their late fathers.[13][25]

Personal life

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Joseph has expressed an interest in sports.[1] He played basketball during his high school years and participated in the annual Star Magic All-Star Games. He also enjoys playing golf in his free time.[26]

He is currently in a relationship with fellow Star Magic talent Gela Alonte,[27] who is also the daughter of Biñan mayor Gel Alonte.[28]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2024 Toss Coin Pia's Ex Boyfriend Support Role

Web film

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Year Title Role Notes
2025 The Four Bad Boys and Me Charles Gonzales Main Role

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2022 He's Into Her - Season 2 John Benjamin "BJ" Jose [20]
2023 The Iron Heart Carl [8]
Teen Clash Unknown Season 1, Episode 1
Unbreak My Heart Season 1, Episode 36
2024 Pamilya Sagrado Stevenson "Steven" Hermoso [9]
2025 Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition Housemate Kapamilya Fourth Big Placer [12][29]
It's Showtime Himself Guest Performer
Love At First Spike Parker Robinson Main Role [15]
Rainbow Rumble Contestant [30]
Sins of the Father Rainier [31]


Music videos

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Year Song Artist
2022 "Awake" Shanaia Gomez

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Fun Facts About River Joseph, The Golden Retriever Boy Of The PBB House". Nylon Manila. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Eusebio, Aaron Brennt. "Meet 'PBB Celebrity Collab' housemate River Joseph". www.gmanetwork.com. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  3. ^ a b Fernando, Jeff (2024-08-13). "River Joseph: From influencer to serious actor". Daily Tribune. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  4. ^ Enriquez, Em. "Did You Know? River Joseph of "Pinoy Big Brother" Is Related to the Ming Dynasty". Preview.
  5. ^ a b "#PARCINQSuperFresh Featuring River Joseph". Parcinq. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  6. ^ Reyes, Mika (2022-03-30). "Here Are Fun Facts About The New He's Into Her Cast Members". mega-asia.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  7. ^ "25 Questions with River Joseph". ABS-CBN. 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "River Joseph, CJ Salonga Share Interesting Facts About Their Intense Scenes". ABS-CBN. April 21, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "River Joseph on Joining Frats, Forming Real Brotherhood in 'Pamilya Sagrado'". Inquirer.net. March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  10. ^ Alcantara, Carissa (Aug 18, 2024). "'Pamilya Sagrado' star River Joseph recounts being scammed while pursuing acting gigs". Manila Bulletin.
  11. ^ a b "Meet PBB Celebrity Colab Housemate River Joseph". GMA Network. March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Stars Align, Surprises Unfold as Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition Begins". ABS-CBN. March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Tandoc, Jemuel. "Meet AzVer: The unexpected duo winning the hearts of PBB Celebrity Collab fans". ABS-CBN.
  14. ^ "AZ Martinez, River Joseph get third Big Four spot in 'Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition'". GMA News Online. 2025-06-28. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  15. ^ a b Llemit, Kathleen A. "'PBB' housemates Emilio Daez, River Joseph play rivals in sports romance series". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  16. ^ Dela Cruz, Liezel (Jul 10, 2025). "River Joseph's favorite emoji? Smiley face, of course! Plus he talks about Esnyr, fashion trends and more". ABS-CBN.
  17. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: River Joseph describes Charles as 'tough but protective' in 'The Four Bad Boys and Me'". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  18. ^ Sabio, Nikka (Jul 20, 2025). "EXCLUSIVE: River Joseph describes Charles as 'tough but protective' in 'The Four Bad Boys and Me'". ABS-CBN.
  19. ^ a b c Villamonte, Jerico (2021-09-14). "EXCLUSIVE: Getting up close and personal with River Joseph - Garage". Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  20. ^ a b Diez, Grace C. (Apr 21, 2022). "Meet the Newest BearKada in 'He's Into Her' Season 2". ABS-CBN.
  21. ^ Reyes, Mika (2023-05-09). "Meet 5 Online Filipino Boyfriends of TikTok". mega-asia.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  22. ^ Basina, Carby Rose (2025-07-28). "'Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition' Big Four duos come together for magazine cover". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  23. ^ Diez, Grace (2025-08-01). "Metro Exclusive: River Joseph Sets the Standard as the 'PBB' 'Green Flag'". ABS-CBN.
  24. ^ a b "River runs deep". Tempo (Manila Bulletin). August 10, 2024.
  25. ^ "AZ Martinez and River Joseph win task, to donate P100K to cancer treatment charity in honor of their dads". GMA News Online. 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  26. ^ "Gallery: Good Boy Energy Overflows in River Joseph's Pre-Bahay Ni Kuya Selfies". ABS-CBN. March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  27. ^ "Gallery: Meet 'PBB' housemate River Joseph's girlfriend Gela Alonte". GMA. April 5, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  28. ^ "Vice Mayor Gel Alonte commends daughter's hard work and dedication in school". Politiko. June 24, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  29. ^ Yap, Jade Veronique; Basina, Carby Rose (2025-07-05). "AZ Martinez, River Joseph are 4th big placer on 'Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition'". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  30. ^ Dela Cruz, Liezel (2025-08-20). "Esnyr, River and Will share their fun takeaways after playing "Rainbow Rumble"". ABS-CBN.
  31. ^ "Barbie, River, Kolette, and more to join the new season of "Sins of the Father"". ABS-CBN. 2025-08-19.
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