Cherie Gil
Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann, known professionally as Cherie Gil, was a Filipino actress and singer. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, she was dubbed the "La Primera Contravida" " 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 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, both actors, and a half-sister, Elaine Eigenmann.Career
Gil started in show business at an early age, being the daughter of celebrities and sibling of actors. She was cast either as a daughter or part of a circle of friends of the lead actor. However, she was given a lead star status in Bubot na Bayabas in 1978 opposite another newcomer, Ronald Bregendahl. The movie was a forgettable release.In 1979, film matriarch Lily Monteverde relaunched her via Problem Child with the then-current teen sensation, Lloyd Samartino. The movie fared mildly, and Gil was continually cast by Regal Films in films such as City After Dark, Salawahan, Ito Ba Ang Ating Mga Anak and Sugar Daddy. She went freelance with assignments like Beach House, Ang Bouncer at ang Dancer, Dancing Master, and Girlfriend. In 1982, Gil portrayed a naïve girl affected by World War II in Bacolod in the now classic film Oro, Plata, Mata.
She tried singing and had another mild hit, "I Love You, Boy".
On TV, she was one of the co-hosts of German Moreno in Germspesyal from 1979 to 1981. Gil became a mainstay of Champoy with Subas Herrero and Noel Trinidad from 1981 to 1986.
Gil resurfaced as a villain in 1985 via Viva Films' Bituing Walang Ningning, providing the lead actress Sharon Cuneta support in the role of Lavinia Arguelles, a famous but insecure singer. From this movie, she became famous for her iconic line, "You're nothing but a second rate, trying hard copycat!" The favorable reception led her to classy and sultry villainess roles, throughout the 1980s until the present.
She appeared in a number of hit teleseryes and primetime shows on ABS-CBN and GMA Network. She starred in numerous films and TV shows. She has performed in plays such as Master Class, playing Maria Callas; Arbol de Fuego, an adaptation of Anton Chekov's The Cherry Orchard; and Full Gallop as Diana Vreeland, for which she won the Best Actress award for her one-woman portrayal in 2014.
In 2000–2001, Gil starred in her first soap, May Bukas Pa, which aired on IBC-13 and RPN-9 as part of Viva Entertainment TVs block timer. In 2002–2003 she appeared on ABS-CBN's Bituin, where she resumed her vocal talents. She also appeared in the 2004 TV series, Marina. In 2006, she took on the role as Menang Medel in the hit TV remake of Gulong ng Palad.
In 2007–2008, Gil played the role of Ayessa White / Frosta in Lastikman alongside Vhong Navarro. She played Amanda as protagonist in Pieta alongside Ryan Agoncillo.
In 2010, she was chosen to star in the fantasy series Grazilda on GMA Network. In early 2011, she joined the cast of the comedy fantasy series Magic Palayok, co-starring Carla Abellana and Geoff Eigenmann. The series was not picked up for a second season after the season 1 finale. GMA Network cast her in another television show, Time of My Life. In the same year, she played the role of Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's award-winning play, Master Class, for which she received positive reviews.
Gil was one of 83 awardees of the Ani ng Dangal award from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, represented the cinema category on February 29, 2016. She simultaneously won the Best Actress award at the ASEAN Film Festival for her role in Sonata, and Best Actress in a foreign film at the Madrid Film festival for her portrayal in MANA, both in the same year. She got the major role as Luciana together with the most admired loveteam from 2015 to 2016, Lizquen, in Dolce Amore.
Her last acting role was in the GMA Network 2021 television series Legal Wives. In May 2021, she announced that she had left her role in an unspecified television series, lamenting that her efforts were not "seen and met in the same light".
Later life and death
In October 2021, Gil was diagnosed with a rare form of endometrial cancer, and she chose to conceal information on her illness from the public. Her show business career ended in February 2022 when she moved to the United States to be with her children and prioritize her own "mental, emotional, spiritual states". She also shaved her head to symbolize her "personal growth".Gil died on August 5, 2022, at 4:48 a.m. EDT from her cancer in New York City. Prior to her death, she had been receiving treatment at the Memorial [Sloan Kettering Cancer Center] in New York. Her brother, Michael, said that no final resting place was chosen, as Gil's remains were cremated in New York and some of her ashes were scattered in Bukidnon, her favorite place.
Personal life
Gil was married to Rony Rogoff, an Israeli violinist; the couple had a daughter and a son. Their relationship ended in 2008 after 20 years of marriage. She also had another son, her eldest, from a previous relationship with actor Leo Martinez.Shortly after their separation, Gil's two children with Rogoff were under his custody in Israel, while Gil's eldest son remained with her in the Philippines. All three children eventually resided in the United States. Gil reportedly reconciled with ex-husband Rogoff in 2021, deciding to be "companions" to each other.