Angel Locsin
Angelica Locsin Colmenares (born April 23, 1985) is a Filipino actress and humanitarian. She is known for her dramatic roles in film and television, and for her portrayals of heroines and mythological characters. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four Star Awards, three FAMAS Awards, and a Luna Award. Born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Locsin began her acting career in 2000 by appearing in a supporting role as Robina Gokongwei in the biopic "Ping Lacson: Supercop". She was cast as a regular in the teen series "Click" (2002). Locsin had her breakthrough role as the avian -human hybrid protagonist in the fantasy series "Mulawin" (2004), before starring as the title character in the 2005 superhero series "Darna" to critical acclaim. She went on to play a sorceress in the fantasy series "Majika" (2006) and a secret society collector in the action-adventure series "Asian Treasures" (2007). For her role as a fledgling lycanthrope in the supernatural drama series "Lobo" (2008), Locsin earned an International Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress. Also that year, she appeared in an episode of the anthology series "Maalaala Mo Kaya", for which she won a Star Award for Best Single Performance  by an Actress. She then portrayed the daughter of her character in "Lobo"s sequel "Imortal" (2010), a role she later reprised in the franchise's final installment "La Luna Sangre" (2017). Locsin starred in several collaborations with high-profile directors, including Rory Quintoss drama "Love Me Again" (2009), Olivia Lamasans star-crossed romance "In the Name of Love" (2011), and Cathy Garcia-Molinas comedy "Unofficially Yours" (2012). The family drama "One More Try" (2012), in which she played a single mother forced to reconnect with her estranged husband to be their son's stem cell donor, garnered her Best Actress  wins at the Box Office Entertainment, FAMAS and Star Awards. Locsin's portrayal of an indoctrinated military nurse in the spy-action thriller series "The General's Daughter" (2019) won her another Star Award. In addition to her acting career, Locsin is known for her humanitarian efforts, for which she has received the Spirit of Philanthropy Award from the Philippine Red Cross. In 2019, "Forbes" magazine named her one of Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy. She promotes various causes, including disaster relief, education, and women's rights, and is most noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees displaced during  the armed conflicts in Mindanao. Locsin has undertaken several field missions to settlement camps, including Baloi, Iligan, and Marawi. As a public figure, she has been cited as the world's sexiest woman by "FHM Philippines" in 2005 and 2010. Early life and education. Locsin was born on April 23, 1985, in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Since the age of 14, she has lived with her father, Angelo Colmenares, and has had no contact with her mother. She studied at St James College in Quezon City for her primary education and finished high school at the University of Santo Tomas High  School in Manila. In August 2007, she attended a short-course for fashion design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Despite being of Christian faith, she is a part of a Muslim Royal Family in Marawi City in the province of Lanao del Sur through the adoption of her mother into that family in the days before Angel started acting. Career. Early work (2001–2004). Locsin was discovered at a shopping center by a talent scout. She then auditioned for several commercials and was supposed to be a part of ABS-CBN's Star Circle Batch  9, but failed to sign a contract because her father opposed the idea. Later, she became a contract star of GMA Artist Center, first appearing on the second season of the teen-oriented series, "Click" and was also included in the cast of "Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw". Breakthrough and GMA Network (2004–2007). In August 2004, Locsin starred in the fantasy-themed TV series "Mulawin", alongside Richard Gutierrez, wherein she portrayed Alwina, one of the two main protagonists. The show was a huge success and received high ratings until its finale in March 2005. Following the success of "Mulawin", Locsin was  cast in the title role as Darna in the 2005 fantasy-themed TV series of the same name. The show was also highly regarded by the public, gaining immensely high ratings and surpassing the records set by her previous TV show. "Darna" pilot week average is 50.08% and its highest rating was 52.1% while the lowest was 33.3%. Locsin starred in another fantasy-themed TV series, "Majika", together with Dennis Trillo, which was aired from March to September 2006. She played the role of Sabina, a seemingly ordinary girl who lived in the world of mortals but is unknowingly the  one destined to become the most powerful female magician. Afterwards, she was cast in "Asian Treasures", opposite Robin Padilla. It was the first Philippine TV series that was shot in multiple countries such as Mongolia, Thailand and China. The show was aired from January to June 2007. Both shows were also well received. ABS-CBN (2007–present). In August 2007, Locsin signed a two-year exclusive contract with ABS-CBN. Her first acting appearance with the network was via "Maalaala Mo Kaya" in the episode "Pilat". Her performance gained her the Star Award for TV for Best Single Performance by  an Actress. By January 2008, she launched her first drama series with the network entitled "Lobo", together with Piolo Pascual in the lead role. She earned an International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress nomination for her performance in the series. She also received an Ani ng Dangal Award for her iEmmy nomination and another Ani ng Dangal Award for Lobo's international recognition in BANFF Canada. In 2009, Locsin starred in the top-rated TV series, "Only You", a Philippine remake of the Korean drama of the same title aired by SBS Korea in 2005. She starred  alongside Sam Milby and Diether Ocampo. The show was directed by Rory Quintos and was the 3rd Most Watched TV Series of 2009 based on TNS survey. Later in 2010, she starred in the TV series "Imortal", the sequel to her earlier work, "Lobo", together with John Lloyd Cruz. It was directed by Chito Roño. The shows website had 15 million hits in just 3 months. It had a game entitled "Pangil" and webisodes downloaded in a weekly basis. It won an Anvil and Quill Award. In 2011, she became a guest star in the comedy sitcom, "Toda Max". However , her guesting eventually turned into a regular stint. In 2014, Locsin returns to primetime TV after three years through the hit series, "The Legal Wife", together with Jericho Rosales, Maja Salvador and JC de Vera. The series was directed by Dado C. Lumibao and Rory Quintos. Due to high ratings, the show helped in dropping the crime rate as reported by PNP. Locsin also became a "Pilipinas Got Talent" judge. She happened to have two "Maalaala Mo Kaya" two-part episodes, one SAF tribute and one Mother's Day special. In 2017, she guested in "La Luna Sangre" as Lia . Films. Locsin's first film appearance was in 2000 via "Ping Lacson Supercop", wherein she played the role of a young Robina Gokongwei. She later on made a cameo appearance in "Mano Po 2" in 2003 and starred in the teen-oriented movie "Kuya" in 2004 as well as in the comedy film "Singles". Also, she starred in the drama film "" and in the horror film "Sigaw" which were both entries to the 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival. In 2005, Locsin with Richard Gutierrez starred in the romantic film "Let the Love Begin", released under GMA Films. She and Gutierrez  also reprised their roles as Alwina and Aguiluz in of the TV series "Mulawin", which was an entry to the 2005 Metro Manila Film Festival. Early in 2006, Locsin starred in the romantic movie "I Will Always Love You". She also starred in the horror film "TxT" and in the romantic drama-comedy film "". The latter was an entry to the 2006 Metro Manila Film Festival. Locsin reunited with Gutierrez in the romantic drama film "The Promise" in 2007 where their roles were considered more mature than the previous films they both starred in. She had also produced her own  film entitled "Angels", which was shown in theaters in April 2007. In 2009, she starred in the movie "Love Me Again" together with Piolo Pascual in the lead titles and made a cameo in the romantic comedy film, "My Amnesia Girl" in 2010. Locsin gained critical acclaim in her 2011 drama film with Aga Muhlach, "In the Name of Love". Her performance garnered her several accolades including the Star Award for Movies for Movie Actress of the Year, the Gawad PASADO Award for Pinakapasadong Aktres, and a nomination for best actress at the FAMAS Awards. She reunited with John Lloyd  Cruz in the romantic comedy film "Unofficially Yours" in 2012 and then starred, together with Dingdong Dantes and Angelica Panganiban in the drama film "One More Try", Star Cinema's entry to the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival. Locsin's performance in the latter was highly praised by film critics and media personalities and earned her the Star Award for Movies for Movie Actress of the Year for the second year in a row, the FAMAS Award for Best Actress and the Film Academy of the Philippines Award for Best Actress. In 2016, she was awarded by both mainstream and  indie film enthusiasts as she received #LifePeg or Lifetime Achievement Award from Star Cinema and Aktres ng Dekada Award from Inding- Indie Awards. She also starred opposite Vilma Santos in Everything About Her and won Best Supporting Actress in the 1st Eddy Editor's Choice Awards. She also had an LGBT- themed movie The Third Party in which she play the title role. She is set to star in a Star Cinema movie entitled "Wife, Husband, Wife" and this will be her reunion movie with Richard Gutierrez and Angelica Panganiban. Advocacies and issues. Philanthropy. Locsin is known for being one  of the Philippines' most prominent philanthropist actresses, earning her international recognition such as being one of "Forbes" magazine's "Asian Heroes of Philanthropy" in 2019. Forbes reported that Locsin had donated "as much as 15 million pesos to causes such as educational scholarships for students, supporting the economic and political rights of indigenous people, and ending violence against women and children" in just the decade from 2009 to 2019. Bangsamoro Peace Advocacy. With links to one of the royal houses of Marawi City through her mother who had been adopted by that family before Angel became an actress, Locsin has  also spoken for peace in the Bangsamoro, going as far as to Lanao del Norte during the Battle of Marawi as a volunteer helping with relief efforts. COVID-19 activism. In her own private capacity, Locsin played an active role in raising funds and providing medical equipment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. She raised almost P11 million to help the Philippines' medical frontliners from March to April 2020. She also helped provide sleeping tents for these frontliners and teamed up with friends and colleagues to put up the <nowiki>#UniTentWeStandPH</nowiki> campaign, raising a total of a  total of P10,956,702.98 to help more than 28 hospitals put up specialized tents for COVID-19 patients. Locsin also helped fund and distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to medical frontliners in Philippines' National Capital Region and nearby provinces. On May 18, 2020, Locsin questioned the announcement of Duterte administration spokesperson Harry Roque that the government did not have a program to conduct "mass testing" and instead expected the private sector to undertake the task, saying on Twitter that she could not believe the government had not prepared for mass testing, which was very urgently needed. The following day , she and actress friend Anne Curtis announced that they were reviving a 2009 fundraising initiative which they had originally set up for victims of Typhoon Ondoy. This time, She and Curtis would be raising funds for the purchase of COVID-19 test kits. They said that they were doing so to support mass testing, saying "Because in this way we can make a higher impact, by pushing the TEST-TRACE-ISOLATE/TREAT formula that is the only proven way to defeat the virus." She has also chosen to acknowledge the important service of local officials, however, noting that by providing their  constituents with vital assistance, they were often "risking their lives as well." Position against "red-tagging". Locsin has spoken out numerous times against the practice of red-tagging, in which critics of the government are harassed by being accused as "communists" even if they don't actually share such beliefs or affiliations. She has even been a victim of this herself, calling on the National Bureau of Investigation to look into red-tagging and death threats aimed at her through social media in March 2020. Position on the ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy. In response to the ABS-CBN franchise  renewal controversy, Locsin expressed her support for the network, saying that she was "praying that the law shall be used to protect jobs, press freedom, justice and betterment of the Filipino people." Personal life. On June 29, 2019, Locsin announced in an Instagram post about her engagement to her boyfriend, movie producer Neil Arce. The couple married on July 26, 2021.