Melinda Joanna Gallardo or better known as Dindi Gallardo won the Binibining Pilipinas Universe crown in 1993. Together with her in the pageant was Ruffa Gutierrez who got the Binibining Pilipinas – World title. Dindi represented the Philippines in Mexico City in the Miss Universe Competition that same year. After her stint as Binibinig Pilipinas Universe, she was given an opportunity to star in the movies. Her memorable fils were Dyesebel in 1996, Nang Iniwan Mo Ako in 1997, and Katawan in 1999. She was also one of the sexy stars of the 90s.
According to a GMA article in 2012, the former beauty queen went to San Francisco and studied Fashion Design and Merchandising in 1989 but went to Europe for some “soul searching”. She went to New York in 2003 and finally settled there. She got a job there as an artist’s assistant but quit Buchwald and apply for a job with a bigger company. She got upset then because she wasn’t accepted for the job.
But Dindi was thankful for the job that she was finally able to land. She didn’t know who her boss will be but they clicked so well and got promoted 2x. She also shared that the boss didn’t have any idea that she was a former beauty queen and actress in the Philippines. It only became known to her boss when a fellow Filipino asked for an autograph.
Dindi got married to Eric Mills who was in the restaurant industry as a consultant. He helps set up restaurants in Los Angeles and they met in the Fashion School in San Francisco. Dindi lovingly recalls that though they weren’t classmates back then, her husband had a big crush on her. In 2012, she reportedly filed a racial discrimination case against Frank Miller, her boss and Dark Knight creator, and girlfriend Kimberly Cox.
She made a comeback in showbiz via a documentary drama, “Dahlin Nick”. It’s a story about the work and life of Nick Joaquin, National Artist for Literature. She played the role of former first lady Imelda Marcos. She appeared in Ipaglaban Mo in the Kapamilya network in 2018. Dindi also starred in the now-defunct TV series of the Kapamilya network, The Blood Sisters.
