Lilia Cuntapay

 ( 1935 Births ) 

Lilia B. Cuntapay (; September 16, 1935 – August 20, 2016) was a Filipina actress and former teacher. She is popularly recognized as the "Queen of Philippine Horror Movies" for her subsequent appearances in horror movies and exceptional contributions to Philippine film industry.

Cuntapay's debut role was in the Filipino horror film series Shake Rattle & Roll in 1991. She found acclaim for her first leading role, in the film Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay, which won her an award as "Best Actress" in the 2011 CinemaOne Originals Digital Film Festival. One of Cuntapay's final TV appearances was in the teleserye FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.

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Early life Cuntapay was born in the Cabiraoan village of Gonzaga, Cagayan, on September 16, 1935. After she earned her BS degree in Education, she taught in the primary school levels in Tuguegarao. After Cuntapay stopped teaching, she ventured into the buy-and-sell trade. She also worked in various office staff-level positions in the NAPOLCOM (NAPOLCOM).

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Career

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Horror movie extra

Cuntapay was among the 40 actors trained in the first batch of acting workshops conducted by Lori Reyes and Peque Gallaga for LVN Pictures.

In 1991, Cuntapay played the spooky nanny of Kris Aquino's character in Shake Rattle & Roll 3, and in the following year she was cast to play a character identified as an "aswang" —a role for which she would later be typecast in many subsequent movie appearances, and these earned her the title "Queen of Philippine Horror Movies." After her death a film critic, who assessed the top five performancess of Cuntapay's career, said that in her role for the 1992 film Aswang :

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Television appearances

In 2009, Cuntapay appeared as an albularyo in the ABS-CBN afternoon TV series '. She was featured in the Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho 2009 Halloween Special. She appeared as Rosanna, a role which she shared with Maricar Reyes, in the Midnight DJ episode named "Kwentas ng Mangkukulam". Cuntapay was also cast as Miley Cyrus in Lokomoko Us spoof of the Party in the USA music video. At the end of the year, she had a minor role in the film Nobody, Nobody But... Juan'' — an entry to the 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival.

In 2010, Cuntapay played an old lady in The Last Prince and a fairy disguised as an old lady in the "Inday Bote" episode of Wansapanataym. The following year, she played Upeng in the mini-series Sa Ngalan ng Ina, the first offering of TV5's TV5 Miniserye series in the latter part of 2011.

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Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay and onwards

Cuntapay played a fictionalized version of herself in the Independent film mockumentary Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay—described as a bittersweet fictional account on Cuntapay's life as a Philippine showbiz extra, an entry to the Cinema One and directed by Antoinette H. Jadaone. The film won six awards in the 2011 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival, including a Best Actress award for Cuntapay.

Cuntapay's last film appearance was My Bebe Love in 2015, which was an entry in the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival. Cuntapay's final TV show appearance was in the action series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.

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Personal life

Cuntapay never remarried but adopted three children: Gilmore, Magdalena and Elma.

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Death

On August 5, 2016, it was confirmed that Cuntapay suffered from a spinal cord illness and that she was unable to walk. She sought help from her friends and colleagues in the film industry to be able to raise money for her treatment. On August 20, at about 6 a.m, Cuntapay died in her son's home at Barangay Tartarabang in Pinili, Ilocos Norte; she was 80. Her grave was initially unkempt and marked only by a dilapidated tarpaulin due to her family's lack of funds to maintain it. In October 2019, it was subsequently reported that her grave had been properly marked and its surroundings cleaned after help from the provincial and local governments.

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Filmography

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Television

1995	Maalaala Mo Kaya		Episode: "Balon"
2009		Tandang Casimsiman Tioleko	Uncredited
2009	Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho	Herself	Episode: "Halloween Stars, Late Celebrities, and Death and Tradition"
2009	Midnight DJ	Rosanna	Guest, Episode: "Kwentas ng Mangkukulam"
2009	Lokomoko U	Miley Cyrus	Guest, "LBM" segment, " Party in the USA" spoof
2010	The Last Prince	Old lady	Guest, 1 episode. Role is patterned after the old hag in Snow White.
2010	Wansapanataym	Old lady/Fairy	Episode: "Inday Bote" (Parts 1 & 2)
2011	Spooky Nights	Old lady	Guest, Episode: "Snow White Lady and the Seven Ghost"
2011	Maalaala Mo Kaya	Albularyo	Episode: Wig
2011		Faustina	Guest, 2 episodes
2011	TV5 Miniserye: Sa Ngalan ng Ina	Yaya Upeng
2011	Tunay na Buhay	Herself
2011	Spooky Nights	Maria	Episode: "Panata"
2012	Wansapanataym	Old Lady	Episode: "Water Willy"
2012		Madam Lucilla
2012	It's Showtime	Herself	Guest, 1 episode
2012	Luv U	Old Ms Casimsiman	Guest, 1 episode
2012	Third Eye	Ursula	Episode: "Sirena sa Breakwater"
2012	Artista Academy	Herself – Challenger
2012	TodaMax	White Lady
2012	Enchanted Garden	Oracula
2013	Juan dela Cruz	Babaylan
2013		Aling Ursula
2013	Maynila	Lola Chedeng	Episode: "Haunted House for Love"
2013	Got to Believe	Yaya Yiling
2014	Forevermore	Aunor
2016	Juan Tamad	Caretaker
2016	Sāq Al-bāmbū
2016	FPJ's Ang Probinsyano	Aling Loring Layug	Last television appearance

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Films

1986	...Sabik Kasalanan Ba?	Aling Berta	Uncredited
1991	Shake, Rattle & Roll III	Yaya	Segment: "Yaya"
1992	Aswang	Old Aswang
1992	Shake, Rattle & Roll IV	Aling Iya	Segment: "Ang Madre"
1992	Ali in Wonderland	Aling Iya
1994	Once Upon a Time in Manila	Naked Old Woman	Uncredited
1994	Bala at Lipistik	Lola Sepa
1994	Mars Ravelo's Darna! Ang Pagbabalik	Old Valentina
1994	Fatima Buen Story	The Omen III	Credited as "Lilia Cantupay"
1994	Shake, Rattle & Roll V	Woman in the Bathroom	Segment: "Impakto"
1996	Madrasta	Fides' maid
1996	May Nagmamahal Sa'yo	Manang Ofel
1996	Ibong Adarna	Witch	Uncredited
1996	Magic Temple	Townspeople	Uncredited
1997	Anak ng Dilim	Komadrona	Uncredited
1997	Sanggano	Old woman	Credited as "Lydia Cuntapay"
1998	Curacha ang Babaeng Walang Pahinga	Old woman in church	Credited as "Lilian Cuntapay"
1998	Babae sa Bubungang Lata	Bangkay
1998	TatayNic	Old woman
1999	Isprikitik: Walastik Kung Pumitik	Old woman in bikini
1999	Brokedown Palace	Old Prisoner
1999	Dugo ng Birhen: El Kapitan	Witch Doctor
2000	Pangarap ng Puso	Jose's Grandmother
2002	I Think I'm in Love	Ising's rival in Trip to Jerusalem
2002	Bakat	Old Woman
2002	Lapu-Lapu	Babaylan
2003	Babae sa Breakwater	Serena
2003		Old Ancestral House Ghost
2005	Bahay ni Lola 2	Old Lady Ghost
2006	Sukob
2007	Pasukob	Pacing
2008	Scaregivers	Tandang Luring
2008	Photoshoot	Ghost
2009	Nobody, Nobody But... Juan	Belmont Village Resident	Credited as "Lydia Cuntapay"
2011	Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay	Herself	Won — Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival Best Actress Nominated — Gawad Urian Award for Best Actress
2011	Segunda Mano	Church Caretaker
2011	My Lai Four
2011	Enteng Ng Ina Mo	Old Lover
2012		Lilia
2012	Oh My Goth!		Short film
2012	REquieme!	Aling Isang
2012	Amorosa	Lulu
2013	Coming Soon
2013	Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo?
2014	Echoserang Frog
2013	Ibong Adarna: The Pinoy Adventure	Bruha
2014	Kamandag ni Venus
2015	My Bebe Love	Mrs. Sesmundo	Last film appearance

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Awards and nominations

2011	Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay	Cinema One Originals	Best Actress
2011		Gawad Urian Award	Best Actress

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Notes

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External links

Categories: 1935 Births, 2016 Deaths, Abs-cbn People, Filipino Film Actresses, Filipino Television Actresses, Ilocano People, People From Cagayan, People From Ilocos Norte, People From Tuguegarao, 20th-century Filipino Actresses, 21st-century Filipino Actresses

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