Miguel Torrejos Tanfelix is a Filipino actor who is currently a contract star of GMA Network under GMA Artist Center. Tanfelix started his entertainment career as a finalist in StarStruck Kids where he finished as the First Prince. Tanfelix is known for his role as Young Pagaspas in the hit fantasy seriesMulawin starring Angel Locsin and Richard Gutierrez. Ten years later, Tanfelix is now one of GMA Network's rising teen stars along with his on-screen partner Bianca Umali. Tanfelix received his breakthrough performance when he played the role Niño, a mentally challenged boy in the 2014 series Niño. Tanfelix also starred in his own afternoon drama Wish I May opposite Umali.
Tanfelix was born on September 21, 1998, in Dasmariñas, Cavite. He is the eldest of the two children of Mary Grace Torrejos and Gary Tanfelix who are both educators and mountaineers. Although they live in Cavite, where Tanfelix attends regular school, the family also keeps a home in Parañaque to lessen Tanfelix's traveling time when he is filming. Tanfelix finished high school at Cavite School of Life and is now currently studying entrepreneurship at De La Salle University-Dasmariñas. Aside from acting and schooling his sports and hobbies are basketball, wakeboarding and hiking. His passion for basketball is evident when he became one of the varsity players in his high school years. Tanfelix is opposed to premarital sex. He is also hired by the Commission on Population as celebrity ambassador for U4U, a youth initiative whose stated mission is to provide Filipino teenagers with critical information on delaying sexual debut and preventing sexually transmitted infections.
Career
2004–2013: ''StarStruck Kids''
Tanfelix was only five years old when he joined the kiddie version of the reality-based artista search StarStruck in 2004. It was the artista search that made Jennylyn Mercado and Mark Herrashousehold names. Proclaimed as the season's First Prince, Tanfelix later joined the cast of the hit fantaserye Mulawin as Young Pagaspas. The following year, Tanfelix played the role of Rainier Castillo's younger version of Jimboy/Erastus in the 2006 fantaserye Majika, and played Pepe Javier in the afternoon drama Now and Forever:Linlang. In the following years, from 2007 to 2012, Tanfelix portrayed the younger roles of some of the lead characters in several series of GMA Network. He was Young Aldrin Griego in Pati Ba Pintig ng Puso, Young Junjun in La Vendetta, and Langit sa Piling Mo's Young Thirdy among others.
2014–2016: ''Big Break; Niño''
In 2014, Tanfelix received his biggest break to date when he was given the titular role of Niño. His portrayal as a mentally challenged boy received three different acting nominations from PMPC Star Awards for TV, PEP List Awards and Golden Screen TV Awards. The same year, Tanfelix joined Sunday All Stars as a co-host and a performer. Tanfelix also starred in the comedy sitcom Ismol Family with his love team Bianca Umali. Tanfelix led his second Primetime series, Once Upon a Kiss, during the first three months of 2015. He also co-hosted the sixth season of the reality-talent search StarStruck where he first started his showbiz career. In 2016, Tanfelix once again starred in a leading role with Bianca Umali in the afternoon drama Wish I May.
2015: ''Dubsmash: Twerk It Like Miley''
In July 2015, Tanfelix became popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Timor Leste because of his viral Dubsmash video of Brandon Beal's hit song Twerk It Like Miley. Tanfelix was featured in an Indonesian newspaper, "Sumatera Ekspres" twice. He has also received several invitations to travel to Indonesia for a TV guesting and show. Tanfelix has a strong following in Indonesia, evident in his social media posts which include Bahasa language comments. Tanfelix gained 300k+ followers on his social media accounts, most of them Indonesian. Because of his popularity in Indonesia, he was compared to Indonesian actor and singer Aliando Syarief. Tanfelix also recorded many video collaborations with Bacun Hakim, an Indonesian actor and host.
''Endorser & Ambassador''
Tanfelix is one of the endorsers of BUM Equipment, CKK Mobile, McDonald's, TechnoMarine and Calayan Clinics. One of his sponsors is Converse. Tanfelix is part of the Pass A Book ni BiGuel Campaign together with the other half of BiGuel, Bianca Umali. Tanfelix is also the ambassador of Anak TV Larolympics alongside with Bianca, and U4U.
