2. Angel Locsin
• Angelica Locsin Colmenares (born April 23, 1985)
is a Filipino actress and humanitarian. She is known
for her dramatic roles and portrayals of heroines and
mythological characters in film and television. She is
a recipient of various accolades, including four Star
Awards, three FAMAS Awards, two Box Office
Entertainment Awards, and a Luna Award.
3. • Born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Locsin attended the University of Santo Tomas Junior High School.
She began her acting career in the early 2000s by appearing in supporting roles on screen. She
had her breakthrough as the avian-human hybrid protagonist in the fantasy
series Mulawin (2004), before starring as the titular superhero in the Ravelo Komiks
Universe series Darna (2005) to critical acclaim. For her role as a fledgling lycanthrope in the
supernatural drama series Lobo (2008), Locsin earned an International Emmy Award nomination
for Best Actress. She appeared in well-received romantic dramas, such as Love Me
Again (2009), In the Name of Love (2011), and Unofficially Yours (2012), the last of which is
Locsin's highest-grossing release to date. The family drama One More Try (2012), in which she
played a single mother caring for her sick son, garnered her Best Actress wins at the Box Office
Entertainment, FAMAS, Luna, and Star Awards. She received a Star Award for Best Drama
Actress for her portrayal of an indoctrinated military nurse in the spy-action thriller series The
General's Daughter (2019).
4. • Known for her humanitarian efforts, Locsin has been named one
of Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy by Forbes and Asia's Leaders
of Tomorrow by Tatler. She promotes various causes,
including disaster relief, education, and women's rights. Locsin
was noted for her field missions to settlement
camps of internally displaced persons during the 2017 armed
conflicts in Mindanao. A public figure, she was cited as the
world's sexiest woman by FHM Philippines in 2005 and 2010.
5. Early life and background
• Angelica Locsin Colmenares was born on April 23, 1985, in Santa Maria,
Bulacan, to Angelo and Emma Colmenares.[1][2] Locsin's father was a
swimmer who earned a bronze medal when the Philippine team won
the 4×200-meter freestyle relay during the 1954 Asian Games in
Manila.[3][4] She has two younger siblings: Ella and Angelo.[1] Locsin is
reluctant to publicly discuss her family background;[2] she was estranged
from her mother until 2007,[2] and has ties to a noble family in Marawi,
Lanao del Sur, through her maternal relatives.[5] Locsin and her siblings
were raised by their father,[6] who was later diagnosed with complete
blindness.[3][7] Locsin has said she regrets not being able to financially
provide for her father's treatment at the onset of his condition.[7] She shares
a close bond with her father and credits him as "instrumental" to her
achievements
6. • Locsin was educated at the University of Santo Tomas High
School, where she was a member of the varsity swimming
team.[8] During this period, she was spotted running errands
at SM City North EDSA by a talent scout, who arranged for her
to audition for television commercials.[9] After high school, she
pursued acting and attended workshops under ABS-CBN's
talent management arm Star Magic. She then unsuccessfully
auditioned for a role in the teen series G-mik (1999).
7. Career
• 2000–2007: Early roles and breakthrough
• Locsin made her film debut as the young Robina Gokongwei in the 2000
biographical drama Ping Lacson: Super Cop.[11] She then signed a
management deal with GMA Network and received her first television part
as a series regular in the second season of the teen show Click.[9][12] She
remained with the series from 2002 to 2004.[13] Locsin followed this with
guest roles in several television shows, including Ang Iibigin ay
Ikaw (2002), Twin Hearts (2003), and Love to Love (2003).[12][14] She
appeared in the second and third installments of the Mano Po film
franchise, Mano Po 2: My Home (2002) and Mano Po 3: My Love (2003).
8. • Locsin's breakthrough role came as the avian-human hybrid protagonist in the fantasy
action series Mulawin (2004).[17] GMA Network executive Redgie Magno initially
approached Maxene Magalona for the part, but offered Locsin the role at Magalona's
suggestion.[18] Dominic Zapata, the show's director, intended the concept of mythology to
be a "break from Tagalized soaps", but also kept its "novelty" focused on the lead
characters.[17] The following year, Locsin starred as the titular superhero in the Ravelo
Komiks Universe[a] series Darna (2005), based on Mars Ravelo's comics superheroine of
the same name.[20] Locsin was initially hesitant about the part because it required her to
drop out of Mulawin, and she felt the series would end prematurely if she left.[21] Locsin
agreed to the project after network executives convinced her to take the part.[21] She
trained in karate, wushu, and street fighting to prepare.[22] The series garnered positive
reviews,[23][24][25] with praise for Locsin's portrayal; Nestor Torre Jr. of the Philippine Daily
Inquirer described the production as modern and trailblazing,[23] and commended Locsin's
"strong presence".[26] Similarly, Pepe Diokno, also from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, wrote
that "the [show's] success can be attributed to [Locsin], as she attracts every block and
wing of Pinoy society."[24] During its premiere, Darna received the highest Nielsen
ratings for a Filipino television series pilot episode with a reported 47.1 percent
viewership.[27] Later that year, Locsin reprised the role of Alwina in Mulawin's film
adaptation.
9. • In 2006, Locsin starred as a sorceress in the fantasy series Majika alongside Dennis Trillo.[29] In
preparation for the part, she trained extensively in horseback riding with co-star and
equestrienne Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski.[30] The show was a critical disappointment;[31] Torre
labeled it "less than magical":[32] "Unfortunately, the show is so visuals-driven that the gifted actors
don't really have much opportunity to show what they can do."[32] Locsin was in three releases
with Richard Gutierrez from 2006 to 2007. In the first, she starred in Mac Alejandre's romantic
comedy I Will Always Love You as the love interest of Gutierrez's character.[33][34] She then appeared
in the fifth installment of the Mano Po film series, Mano Po 5: Gua Ai Di (2006).[35] In the coming-of-
age drama The Promise (2007), loosely based on Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering
Heights,[36] Locsin portrayed a woman who falls in love with her adoptive brother.[36][37] The film and
her performance received negative reviews from critics; the Philippine Daily Inquirer thought Locsin's
transition to adult roles was rushed, "inadequate" and "embarrassing",[38] while critic Elyas Salanga
found the film's narrative "typical" and "cliché".[37] Next, she was cast opposite Robin Padilla in the
action adventure series Asian Treasures (2007).[39][40] She then played a facially disfigured victim of
abuse in an episode of the anthology series Maalaala Mo Kaya.[41] Locsin's performance earned her
a Star Award for Best Single Performance by an Actress.
10. 2008–2012: Established actress
• Locsin rejected the title role in the television remake of Marimar after signing on to
ABS-CBN's 2008 supernatural drama series Lobo.[43] She portrayed Lyka
Raymundo, a fledgling lycanthrope caught up in a war between factions
of werewolves.[44][45] She found the project challenging but felt the experience
improved her acting methods.[46] She received an International Emmy
Award nomination for Best Actress for the series.[47] Set in Bukidnon and Darwin,
Northern Territory, the Rory Quintos-directed romantic drama Love Me
Again (2009) featured Locsin and Piolo Pascual as ranchers going through
financial struggles.[48] Locsin, who is the sole breadwinner of her family, believed
certain aspects of her character's life mirrored her own.[48] Film critic Karen
Caliwara called Locsin's performance an improvement from her previous releases
and found "maturity in her portrayal".[49] In April 2009, she reunited with Quintos for
the comedy series remake Only You, based on the eponymous original Korean
show.
11. • Locsin portrayed the role of Lia Ortega, the daughter of her lycan character in the second installment
of the Lobo series, Imortal (2010).[44] In a review of the show, Bayani San Diego of the Philippine
Daily Inquirer drew similarities between Imortal's vampire and werewolf fiction and that of The
Twilight Saga,[51] he added that "creatures of the dark are all the rage today, given the popularity
of True Blood and The Vampire Diaries."[51] Journalist Earl Villanueva, however, commended
Locsin's character and storyline for its "easy transition into a logical sequel", and said the series
"seems to be on the right track".[52] Locsin's only film appearance in 2011 was in the star-
crossed romantic drama In the Name of Love with director Olivia Lamasan,[53] whose collaboration
she found gratifying: "I've learned a lot, especially as to how film acting should be done ... How you
use your eyes, your position, and how you maximize camera angles ... I didn't know those things
before."[54] To prepare for the role of a courtesan,[53] she learned different styles of ballroom
dances and trained in pole dance for three months.[54][55] Critic Julia Allende praised her portrayal,
and pairing with Aga Muhlach, describing it as "the most daring she [Locsin] has ever played" and
deemed it a "beautifully nuanced performance".[54] Locsin won the Star Award for Best Actress and
the Box Office Entertainment Award for Film Actress of the Year for her role.[56][57] Later that year,
Locsin co-starred with Vhong Navarro in the sitcom Toda Max
12. • The romantic comedy Unofficially Yours, directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina, was Locsin's first film
release of 2012.[58] Co-starring John Lloyd Cruz, it featured her as a sexually promiscuous journalist
afraid of commitment.[59] Although the response to the film was mixed, critics were highly
appreciative of Locsin's and Cruz's performances; Bibsy Carballo of The Philippine Star highlighted
that "their characterizations are sharp, their dialogue smart and modern", but dismissed the film's
plot as unoriginal.[60] Writing for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Torre found the leads' portrayals to be
"earnest" and "committed".[61] The film became Locsin's biggest commercial success to date,
earning ₱194 million (US$4.59 million) at the box office.[62] The 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival saw
the release of One More Try, a family drama about a single mother, played by Locsin, forced to
reconnect with her estranged husband to be their son's stem cell donor.[63] Her performance was
well-received by critics; film reviewer Mark Ching called it "praise-worthy" and "formidable",[63] while
Torre believed her portrayal showed "no such inhibiting problem".[64] Locsin was awarded the Box
Office Entertainment,[65] FAMAS,[66] Luna,[67] and Star Award for Best Actress for the role.
13. 2013–present: Comedies and reality
television
• In 2013, Locsin featured in the ensemble comedy drama Four Sisters and a
Wedding.[69] She starred alongside Bea Alonzo, Shaina Magdayao, and Toni
Gonzaga, as siblings with deliberate plans to prevent their brother from getting
married.[70] Rito Asilo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer was particularly impressed
with her performance, writing, "[Locsin] also does well in a focused portrayal that
is devoid of ego and vanity, you can sense her stepping back when the spotlight is
on her co-actresses."[71] Rappler's Carljoe Javier opined that Locsin and Alonzo
"lent an emotional gravity to the film".[72] Four Sisters and a Wedding was a
commercial success, grossing ₱175 million (US$4.12 million) at the box
office.[73] For the film, Locsin received FAMAS and Star Award nominations for
Best Actress.[74][75] She returned to television playing the lead role in the drama
series The Legal Wife (2014).[44] The Philippine Daily Inquirer was critical of the
show's "mundane" and "predictable" theme,[76] and Torre found Locsin's acting to
be intolerable and "too livid".
14. • After a one-year absence on screen, Locsin appeared in three productions in 2016. Her
first release was Joyce Bernal's Everything About Her, a comedy drama co-starring Vilma
Santos.[78] Stephanie Mayo of the Daily Tribune termed Locsin's and Santos's portrayals
as "effortless, natural, and searing";[79] The Philippine Star lauded the cast's acting as
"compelling" and called the film a "finely-crafted family drama".[80] At the Asia-Pacific Film
Festival, Locsin won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.[81] She then
served as a judge on the fifth season of the reality talent competition show Pilipinas Got
Talent, based on the original British show franchise.[82] Her final appearance that year was
in The Third Party, a comedy that depicts the complex relationship in a throuple.[83] Asilo
dismissed the film as "more derivative than inventive" and stated that Locsin is "weighed
down by her pushed, staccato delivery, and relies too much on knee-jerk
realizations".[84] Philbert Dy of ClickTheCity.com wrote, "[The film] seems to make its
characters cry in lieu of telling their stories, or letting them hash out the complexity of what
they're feeling."[
15. • The final installment of the Lobo series, La Luna Sangre, was Locsin's only screen
appearance in 2017.[86] She reprised the part of Lia Ortega from Imortal in the premiere
episode,[86][87] and later returned in a guest role as a vigilante vampire named Jacintha
Magsaysay.[88] In January 2018, she returned as a judge for the sixth season of Pilipinas
Got Talent.[89] Locsin began 2019 by starring in the spy-action thriller series The General's
Daughter, in which she played an indoctrinated military nurse.[90] She volunteered at
the Armed Forces of the Philippines General Hospital before filming began, and in
preparation, trained in Krav Maga, Muay Thai, and knife fighting.[91] Locsin said of her
approach to portraying roles outside mythology genres, "I try to humanize my character.
Rhian is not a superhero. She has no powers. She has struggles, she has mistakes, she
falls down, she fails, but she doesn't give up."[92] Mozart Pastrano of the Philippine Daily
Inquirer wrote of Locsin's performance, "She brought moral gravitas to her role, displaying
her luminous looks, as well as uncommon physical stamina and skills."[93] She received a
Star Award and a Box Office Entertainment Award for Best Actress.[94][95] In June 2020,
Locsin hosted the public service show Iba Yan.[
