A constellation of gifted women shines brilliantly in the colorful world of Philippine entertainment, enthralling viewers with their outstanding performances and commanding presence on large and small screens. In addition to their creative abilities, several of these powerful women have accumulated significant fortune and are among the highest-paid celebrities in the business. Let’s explore the world of the top 15 highest-paid and richest Filipino actresses, who are still at the forefront of Philippine entertainment and constantly reinventing it.
Marian Rivera
Spanish-Filipino actress and commercial model Marian Rivera Gracia-Dantes is better known by her stage name Marian Rivera. Dantes, Rivera’s longtime lover and theatre partner, made a surprise guest appearance in August 2014 during a live broadcast of the dance program. Conversely, Dantes unexpectedly proposed to Rivera in person. She tied the knot with Dingdong Dantes in December 2014.
Angel Locsin
Born Angelica Locsin Colmenares, Angel Locsin is a Filipina who works as a fashion designer, film producer, commercial model, and actor in television and cinema. Up until the beginning of 2007, Locsin was a contract performer with GMA Network; after that, she moved to ABS-CBN, a competitor network. Her portrayal in the television series “Lobo” earned her a nomination for an International Emmy Award.
Kris Aquino
Born on February 14, 1971, Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino is a Filipino entrepreneur, television personality, actress, producer, and product endorser. Aquino, known as the “Queen of All Media” in the Philippines, has appeared in many TV dramas and films, hosted a plethora of talk shows and game shows, and is presently creating waves on social media. She is the youngest child of the late Corazon Aquino, the 11th President of the Philippines, and the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. From 2010 until 2016, her brother Benigno S. Aquino III led the Philippines as its 15th president. Her first movie role was in Pido Dida: Sabay Tayo. She was also well-known for her parts in the horror flicks Sukob (which was the highest-grossing Filipino film) and Feng Shui.
Bea Alonzo
Actress Bea Alonzo is from the Philippines. Her mother is Filipina, while her father is British. Her starring performance in the television series “Maging Sino ka Man” earned her several acting accolades in 2006. These included the PMPC Drama Awards’ Best Drama Actress title and the Annual Visionary Awards’ Outstanding Performance as an Actress Award. She enrolled in a writing class in 2019 to pursue her dream of writing on the big screen. She was also listed as one of Asia’s top talents ready for global success in 2020 by Variety.com and the International Film Festival & Awards Macao.
Anne Curtis
Anne Curtis, whose stage name is Anne Ojales Curtis–Smith–Heussaff, is a Filipino-Australian actress, model, television personality, VJ, recording artist, and concert performer in the Philippines. Her performance in the movie “No Other Woman” brought her a Best Actress FAMAS Award. earned two PMPC Star Awards, one FAMAS Award, and one Luna Award during her career. On November 12, 2017, she wed the Filipino-French TV personality Erwan Heussaff.
Kathryn Bernardo
Filipino actress Kathryn Chandria Manuel Bernardo was born in Cabanatuan, Philippines. Since 2010, she has been under contract with ABS-CBN and Star Magic. Iglesia ni Cristo was Bernardo’s upbringing, however it’s uncertain if he currently adheres to the faith.
Nadine Lustre
Actress Nadine Lustre, whose real name is Nadine Alexis Paguia Lustre, is from the Philippines. At nine years old, Lustre began her career in Storyland as a TV personality. One of the founding members of the female group Pop Girls, which Viva Entertainment formed in 2009, was Lustre. She later quit the band to pursue a career in solo music. Before January 2020, she dated James Reid, a co-star, for more than three years.
Liza Soberano
Wishes After her parents divorced, Elizabeth Soberano was raised by her paternal grandparents in Visalia, California, after being born in Santa Clara, California. She relocated to Manila, Philippines, in 2008, when she was ten years old, to live with her father and family. She was approached at the age of twelve to pose for print advertisements after relocating to Manila. She was discovered at the age of 13 by a talent scout. Her first acting role was in the 2011 anthology series Wansapanataym.
Julia Barretto
Actress and model Julia Barretto is from the Philippines. She was a “Star Magic” talent on ABS-CBN. She attended Miriam College in Quezon City and completed her high school education in March 2015 at St. Paul College in Pasig. Actors Dennis Padilla and Marjorie Barretto are her parents. Barretto departed Star Magic in 2020 to agree with Viva Artist Agency. The actress has been embroiled in several scandals over her career, including the effort to remove her father’s off-screen last name, her role in Bea Alonzo and Gerald Anderson’s split, well-publicized feuds involving her mother’s family, the Barrettos, and many more.
Kim Chiu
Actress, model, hostess, singer, dancer, and YouTuber Kim Chiu is a Filipina. She is presently under contract and managed by Star Magic, the in-house talent agency of ABS-CBN. In the anthology series “Love Spell Presents: It’s Christmas, My Santa” (Pasko Na, Santa Ko), Kim made her acting debut. At the 2007 ASAP Pop Viewers’ Choice Awards, she won Pop TV Character of the Year for her performance as Sana Maulit Muli in “Chances.”
Judy Ann Santos
Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo is a multifaceted Filipino actress, producer, chef, author, reality TV personality, music artist, and social media influencer via her YouTube channel Judy Ann’s Kitchen.
Toni Gonzaga
Toni Gonzaga, whose real name is Celestine Cruz Gonzaga-Soriano, is a Filipino singer, actor, and television personality. Alex Gonzaga, her sister, is an actress and TV personality as well. Gonzaga confirmed her engagement to filmmaker Paul Soriano, her eight-year lover, on February 1, 2015. The couple were married on June 12, 2015. On September 30, 2016, Gonzaga gave birth to their son, Severiano Elliott.
Sarah Geronimo
Sarah Asher Sarah G, commonly recognized as Tua Geronimo, is a Filipino singer, actor, and record producer. Geronimo began his musical career at the age of 14 after winning the Star for a Night television singing competition. He was born and reared in Santa Cruz, Manila. Following that, she signed with the record company Viva Records, and her breakthrough album Popstar: A Dream Come True (2003) helped catapult her to prominence. The album received two Awit Awards and went on to become a multi-platinum success. Before the release of her tenth studio album, Expressions (2013), which incorporated dance and R&B, her music was always classified as pop. She later took up the Best R&B Recording award for the song “Ikot-Ikot”.
Maja Salvador
Filipino singer, actress, dancer, model, and producer Maja Ross Andres Salvador is presently managed by ABS-CBN’s Star Magic. She won the Gawad Urian Award and the Cinema Academy of the Philippines Award for Best Actress in 2011 for the movie Thelma.
Yassi Pressman
Yassi Pressman is a British Filipino model, actress, singer, dancer, and television personality. Her parents were British and Filipino, and she was born in British Hong Kong.
