Bella Flores was born Remedios Papa Dancelin Sta Cruz in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. Her parents, Emilia Papa and Matias Dancel, had a significant influence on her early life. She grew up with her parents and eventually married Nestor Reyes, a detective police officer, with whom she had a child, Ruby Rose Arcilla. Ruby currently resides in Las Vegas, USA.
Bella Flores' educational background includes attending Cecilio Apostol Elementary School, Arellano High School, and Roosevelt College. She was a college sophomore at Far Eastern University when she decided to pursue a career in the film industry. At the tender age of 14, she made her debut in the movie "Balaraw" (1950) with Premiere Productions.
Flores' early success led to a four-year contract with Sampaguita Pictures, where she starred in several films, including "Roberta" (1951),"Bernardo Carpio" (1951),"Batas ng daigdig" (1951),"Rebecca" (1952),"Kerubin" (1952),and "Ang Asawa Kong Amerikana" (1953). The latter film won a major award at the Asian Film Festival, marking a significant milestone in her career.
As her contract with Sampaguita Pictures expired, Flores continued to play villainous roles in productions of other film companies. She also transitioned to the stage, appearing in plays such as "Sipgnet" and "Amag sa Tampipi" with Lou Veloso.
On television, Flores was a mainstay of popular shows like "Pa-Easy-Easy" (1988),"Victoria Hills" (1983),"Yagit" (1982),and "Dahong Lagas" (1973). She won the FAMAS best supporting actress award for "Kaibigan ko'ng Sto. Niño" (1967) and received nominations for "Kilabot sa Makiling" (1959) and "Mga batang yagit" (1984).
Flores received the best supporting actress award from the Olongapo Film Festival for her performance in "Dugo ng Bayan" (1973). In 1989, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines. Recently, she has appeared in indie films like "Illusion" (2005),"Imahe nasyon" (2006),"The Fortune Teller" (2008),and "Pak! Pak! My Dr. Kwak!" (2011).
In 2011, her life story was featured in a special episode of the television docu-drama "UNTOLD STORIES Mula sa Face to Face" on TV5.
