A Heart for Excellence

“Life is really not easy; we all have our personal battles, but it is important that you really treasure yourself, love yourself and have a sense of self-worth.” – Heart Evangelista

After making her breakthrough in the mid-2000s, she has since become one of the most recognizable faces on the Filipino small screen. It's no secret that HEART EVANGELISTA is the poster child for all things luxe, beauty, fashion, and wellness. The actress has long been lauded for being able to juggle an extremely busy schedule, while still being able to maintain her glorious looks amidst the life she leads.

One of the Philippines’ most loved actresses, Heart is also a visual artist, fashion icon, author, philanthropist, social media star and visual artist. She has appeared on numerous magazine covers around the globe and been a staple in Philippine media since from a young age. Given her many endorsements, business collaborations, movies, television shows and, recently, two billboards in New York's Times Square, there is no doubt that she is a force to be reckoned with in the country's media landscape.

Born Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco, Heart entered the entertainment industry at the age of 14 and has been working ever since. In one of her first roles, she captivated local audiences with her portrayal of the chic, ultra-feminine Missy Sandejas in ABS-CBN’s teen-oriented series “G-mik.” Today, Evangelista says that playing the role of Missy put her on the path to discovering her own sense of style.

As an accomplished painter, Evangelista had sold out solo exhibitions from various galleries such as the Ayala Museum and Galerie Joaquin. She uses her real name, Love Marie, in her paintings. Her first solo exhibition was held at the Ayala Museum in 2014, entitled I am Love Marie: The Art and Works of Love Marie Ongpauco. On the same year, she participated in the Visual Arts Festival through the Focus on the Arts: Art in Transit exhibitions. She also held her second solo exhibition on the same year at Galerie Joaquin through her Love Marie gallery. Her third solo exhibition, Love Marie: A Solo Exhibition of a World Class Filipina, was held at the Raffles Hotel's Chan Hampe Calleries in Singapore in 2015. She also collaborated with Rocio Olbes's children's book, Daughter of the Sun and the Moon, and participated in the Art Fair Philippines 2015: maARTe and PortrAYAL (LAYA): Portraits for Freedom Big & Small Art Co. In 2016, she collaborated with designer Mark Bumgarner through the LMxMB: when art meets fashion, as well as with A.A. Patawaran through the book HaiNAku and other poems. Her fourth solo exhibition was held at the Ayala Museum through her Oceans Apart gallery. Her iconic hand painted bags were also introduced on the same year at BMW BGC through her exhibition, Carry your heART.

In 2017, she again collaborated with A.A. Patawan at the S Maison Conrad Hotel through the HaiNAku 1st Anniversary Exhibit. She also held, HEART & Style, a public exhibition of works of art at Fashion Hall of SM Mega Mall. In April 2018, she launched another art exhibit at ArtistSpace Gallery of the Ayala Museum. On the same year, she again collaborated with A.A. Patawaran through the book, Manila Was A Long Time Ago, which featured her pet dog named Panda. Her "Follow Your Heart" artwork was featured in the February 2019 US edition of Harper's Bazaar.

Her foundation, Heart Can, aims to help children with respiratory diseases. Her foundation has been active since its inception and has helped thousands of children with special needs. Heart is also an LGBT icon and a recipient of Lagablab Network's Equality Champion Award in the Philippines, being a strong supporter for the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill, which provides protections on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.

Apart from being a renowned international painter, Heart is also active in the artistic community, notably in Asia. She is also a massive dog-lover and animal rights advocate. She regularly posts about how people can be better pet parents or help animals in need. She often finds herself adopting pets, and regularly visits shelters. Because of her love for pets, she became a spokesperson for PAWS or (Philippine Animal Welfare Society), launching various campaigns for the organization such as the Have a Heart for Aspins campaign. She admitted in an interview that she was traumatized at a young age after seeing their neighbor slaughtering some dogs. When they told the authorities about the killings, her report was just made fun of. Heart has also been supporting the Balikatan Thalassemia for children with rare diseases, Corridor of Hope for children with cancer and the Cerebral Palsy Association of Sorsogon where her husband, Governor Chiz Escudero, hails from.

More recently, she reached another international milestone as she made it to Vogue Singapore’s best dressed list for Paris Fashion Week. Appearing in Vogue Singapore’s list alongside Heart are some of Hollywood’s biggest icons like Rihanna, Emma Stone, Victoria Beckham, Zendaya, Kim Kardashian, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sophie Turner and BLACKPINK members Jennie and Jisoo. She’s the only Filipina celebrity in the list. Heart has been staying in Paris since late February of 2022 for the renowned fashion event where she was seen attending the shows of Dior and Isabel Marant, sitting beside international model Leonie Hane, participating in Louis Vuitton workshops, hanging out with Hermès Executive Michael Coste, and having breakfast with Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour and British Vogue Editor-In-Chief Edward Enninful.

With Heart’s multi-faceted talents, she will certainly go a long way in touching the hearts of more countless admirers as she continues to strive for excellence in her endeavors!