August 22 - September 7, 2016
Philippine Showbiz Today
19
‘Queen of Horror’ Lilia Cuntapay passes away
Character
actress
Lilia
Cuntapay, dubbed as the “Queen
of Horror of Philippine Movies”
passed away on August 20 at
his son’s house in Pinili, Ilocos
Norte. She was 81.
As
reported
by ABS-CBN
News, Cuntapay died at around
6AM at the house of his son,
Gilmore
Cuntapay. This
was
confi rmed by her granddaughter
Elma Cuntapay-Daet.
Cuntapay started her career
as a bit player or “extra” even
while working as an offi cer for
the National Police Commission.
Her “breakthrough” appearance
came in 1991 with her role as
Kris Aquino’s nanny in Shake,
Rattle and Roll 3 directed by
Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes.
One year later, Gallaga and
Reyes cast her as an old aswang
in their fi lm Aswang.
Then
already
40
years
old, Cuntapay retired from the
Napolcom and pursued acting
full time where she was typecast
in horror fi lms.
Early this month, it was
revealed that the actress has
stopped working due to a spinal
cord condition that rendered her
disabled and unable to walk.
Following a video posted
by
the
Cagayan
Provincial
Information Offi ce on Facebook
that shows Cuntapay appealing
for fi nancial assistance for her
medical
needs,
blockbuster
director
Antoinette
Jadaone
responded
by
launching
an
online
campaign
called
#OplanTulunganSiNanayLilia.
Jadaone directed the actress
in Six Degrees of Separation
from Lilia Cuntapay, an indie
mockumentary that won her her
fi rst and only Best Actress award
in the Cinema One Originals fi lm
festival in 2011. The fi lm was
Jadaone’s fi rst full-length feature
before she became identifi ed
with romantic comedies starting
with the sleeper hit That Thing
Called Tadhana.
Among
Cuntapay’s
last
projects was the blockbuster fi lm
My Bebe Love #KiligPaMore,
the GMA sitcom Juan Tamad
and the ABS-CBN teleseryes,
Forevermore.
It was in Forevermore early
this year that Cuntapay became
known not for her usual horror
character but as one half of her
own love team with fellow horror
character
actor
Nonong
de
Andres also known as “Bangkay.”
Cuntapay and De Andres, who
collectively were fondly referred
to by fans as Bangli, added
an unusual kilig factor to the
primetime soap with their own
pick-up lines and even gave lead
stars Liza Soberano and Enrique
Gil a.k.a. Lizquen a good run for
their money.
Watch 2012 video of Lilia
Cuntapay promoting “Six Degrees
of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay”
while she was in Korea and the
famous
horror mode iin “The
Ghost of Lilia Cuntapay” by the
Far East Film Festival. •
- E Sallan, Interaksyon