Veteran Filipina actress Evangeline Rose "Cherie" Gil Eigenmann was an icon of the film, television, and theater industry for over 50 years一known for portraying antagonists in various Filipino films and teleseryes.
Part of the illustrious Eigenmann family of actors and performers, Gil solidified herself as an enigmatic force in the industry. Daughter of retired actor and singer Eddie Mesa and actress and singer Rosemarie Gil, she started her career as a child actress when she was nine years old. She is also the sister of actors Michael de Mesa and the late Mark Gil, who both have made their respective marks in the industry.
Throughout the years, Gil has worked with renowned filmmakers in Philippine cinema, having starred in Ishmael Bernal’s Manila by Night and Peque Gallaga’s Oro, Plata, Mata. Since then, her acting prowess has spawned timeless movie villains such as Lavinia Arguelles in the 1985 film Bituing Walang Ningning, which featured the immortal line, “You're nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat!"
But Gil’s talents and skills were further recognized when she was named Best Supporting Actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival three times: for God... Save Me! in 1985, Imortal in 1989, and Sugatang Puso in 2000.
In 2015, she earned international recognition when she won Best Actress at the Madrid International Film Festival, for her role in the 2014 Filipino horror film Mana, directed by the late Gabriel “Gabby” L. Fernandez, award-winning filmmaker and Benilde’s former Production Design Chairperson. She was named the Movie Supporting Actress of the Year at the 2019 PMPC Star Awards for her role in Mike de Leon’s Citizen Jake.
She moved to the United States in February 2022 to spend time with her children and prioritize her mental health, thus ending her decades-long showbiz career. She passed away at 4:48 p.m. on Aug. 5 due to cancer of the reproductive system. She was receiving medical treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Gil may be primarily remembered for her cunning roles as an antagonist and the country’s “La Primera Contravida,” but beyond that, she channeled her talents and skills to solidify herself as one of the most iconic Filipina actresses of her generation.
