Lilia B. Cuntapay (Tagalog:[ˈliljɐkunˈtapaɪ]; September 16, 1935[1][2] – 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.[3]
Cuntapay was born in the Cabiraoan village of Gonzaga, Cagayan, on September 16, 1935.[4] After she earned her BS degree in Education,[5] she taught in the primary school levels in Tuguegarao.[5][6]
After Cuntapay stopped teaching, she ventured into the buy-and-sell trade.[7] She also worked in various office staff-level positions in the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM).[5][7]
Career
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.[5]
In 1991, Cuntapay played the spooky nanny of Kris Aquino's character in Shake Rattle & Roll 3,[8] 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,[7] 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 :
Cuntapay was casted as the neighbor thought to be the aswang terrorizing the barrio. This is the start of the flood of horror movie offers.[9]
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.
Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay and onwards
Cuntapay's last film appearance was My Bebe Love in 2015,[16] which was an entry in the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival.[17] Cuntapay's final TV show appearance was in the action series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.[6]
Personal life
Cuntapay never remarried but adopted three children: Gilmore, Magdalena and Elma.[18]
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.[1][2] 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.[19]
^"Sun Shorts Makes Waves". News Releases. Sun Life Financial. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.|
^"Oh My Goth!". Experience the Sun, Experience Sun Shorts. Sun Life Financial. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013.
^"REquieme!". Cinemalaya. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
