Cherie Gil

Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈhil ˈaɪɡɛnmɐn]; June 21, 1963 – August 5, 2022), known professionally as Cherie Gil (Tagalog: [ˈtʃeɾi ˈhil]), was a Filipino actress and singer. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, she was dubbed the "La Primera Contravida" ("The Prime Villain") for her acting prowess which landed her numerous antagonistic roles on film, television, and the stage.

Gil was a FAMAS Award winner, a recipient of Ani ng Dangal by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and a Hall of Famer at the Metro Manila Film Festival in the Best Supporting Actress category. In 2015, she won the Best Actress trophy at the ASEAN International Film Awards. The same year, she also won the Best Lead Actress in a Foreign Language Film at the 2015 Madrid International Film Festival. In 2019, she was awarded the Best Supporting Actress at the 42nd Gawad Urian Awards for her portrayal of the character Patricia Medina in the feature film Citizen Jake.

She began her career as a child actress at the age of 9, and was best known for her role as Lavinia Arguelles in Bituing Walang Ningning (1985) where she uttered the iconic line "You're nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat!" to Dorina Pineda, Sharon Cuneta's character.

Early life

Cherie Gil was born on June 21, 1963 as Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann to a family of actors. Her parents were Eddie Mesa and Rosemarie Gil. She had two brothers, Michael de Mesa and Mark Gil (1961–2014), both actors, and a half-sister, Elaine Eigenmann.