Heart Evangelista

Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco-Escudero born February 14, 1985), known professionally as Heart Evangelista, is a Filipino actress. She is currently an exclusive artist of GMA Network represented by Alice Talents Agency in Paris, France and Directions Groups INC. Heart Evangelista was officially appointed as the new President of the Senate Spouses Foundation, Inc. (2024-present).

Early life
Heart Evangelista was born Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco on February 14, 1985, in Manila, to Reynaldo Evangelista Ongpauco, a Filipino businessman, and Maria Cecilia del Gallego Payawal. Evangelista is the youngest child in her family, with step siblings from both sides of her parents. Her aunt is 1960s superstar Liberty Ilagan. She was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. before returning to her homeland in her early teens. She started her career at age 13 as a model and TV actress.

Evangelista is second cousin to actress Jodi Sta. Maria. Evangelista is first cousin to Happy Ongpauco-Tiu, one of the daughters of the owner of the Filipino restaurant Barrio Fiesta. "Her dad and my dad are siblings,” Happy told The Philippine Star.

2000–2004
From 2000 to early 2004, she was paired with John Prats on the show G-mik, Trip, Ang Tanging Ina, My First Romance and Berks. During the success of their loveteam, they won as the (Most Popular Loveteams of RP movies) of 2003, from 33rd Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Evangelista also won the Best New Female Personality (Best New Movie Actress and Best New TV Actress) awards from Star Awards for Movies and Star Awards for TV. She also won Texter's and Listener's Choice at the Himig Handog Awards for her single "Love Has Come My Way". She released the single "Tell Me" in Australia where it peaked at number 18 on the charts.

2004–2007
In 2004, after four years, Prats and Evangelista's popular real and reel tandem ended and the management decided to pair her with Geoff Eigenmann in the movie Bcuz of U. Both of them also appeared on the TV series Hiram, with co-stars Kris Aquino, Dina Bonnevie and Anne Curtis for which she was nominated for a Star Awards Best Actress award but failed to take the title.

In 2005, she played the role of Eden in the series Panday. Her love interest in the show became her real life boyfriend for 3 years.

In early 2007, she renewed her ties with ABS-CBN and was under a per project basis with her manager Angeli Pangilinan Valenciano. She finished a sineserye for the station, the remake of the movie Hiram na Mukha, and appeared briefly on Pangarap na Bituin. She also starred in the reformatted version of Your Song under the title "Muntik Na Kitang Minahal".

2008–present: Transfer to GMA Network
In early 2008, she signed a GMA Artist Center exclusive contract under GMA Network and started her first show Codename: Asero as the leading lady of Richard Gutierrez.

She played a role as one of the twins in the fantaserye Luna Mystika. Evangelista also appeared on her first afternoon TV soap Sine Novela: Ngayon at Kailanman which aired its final episode in September 2009. In late 2009 – early 2010, she starred in a primetime Koreanovela TV series, Full House. Evangelista was a regular host of the now-defunct musical variety show on GMA, Party Pilipinas.

She appeared in the Christmas reality show Puso ng Pasko: Artista Challenge on GMA Network, and she played a dwarf on Dwarfina. In late 2011, she signed an exclusive contract under Viva Entertainment.

In 2012, she starred alongside actresses Alessandra De Rossi and Lovi Poe in the TV series Legacy. She also was included in the afternoon drama Forever opposite co-star Geoff Eigennmann. She then started her next project on Luna Blanca Book 3 onwards till its finale. The show is a sequel of her last soap Luna Mystika in 2008 of the same genre. In 2013, she was reunited with De Rossi in the Afternoon soap Magkano Ba ang Pag-ibig? under the direction of Maryo J. de los Reyes. In 2015, she and Legacy co-star Lovi Poe were reunited in the soap Beautiful Strangers, a melodrama. This was Evangelista's second time working with veteran actress Dina Bonnevie in a series with a huge ensemble cast. In 2016, she was reunited with Dwarfina co-star Dennis Trillo in the primetime rom-com Juan Happy Love Story. In September 2016, Evangelista experienced a series of depression after the passing of her mentor and 'close friend', former senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.

In 2017, Evangelista starred in Mulawin vs. Ravena. She also starred in My Korean Jagiya, paired with former U-KISS member Alexander Lee. The show aired with a total of 105 episodes.

In 2019, she served as a judge on the seventh season of the reality talent television show StarStruck. Evangelista then portrayed a Sorsogon fashion designer and socialite Celeste in the television drama romance series I Left My Heart in Sorsogon (2021–2022). She also appeared in the series Bling Empire.

In 2023, The Kapuso Queen of Creative Collaborations renewed her exclusive contract with GMA Network last August 17, 2023 at The Residences, Weslin Manila in Pasig City.

In 2024, Evangelista will star as 'Mei' in upcoming ‘Infamous 6’ by Anthony Hickox.

Visual artist
Evangelista has a passion for painting and previously held solo exhibitions showcasing her artworks, where she uses her real name, Love Marie as her artist name. 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. In 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 in 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 Galleries 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 for his book HaiNAku and other poems. In the same year, Evangelista launched her fourth solo exhibition titled Oceans Apart held at the Ayala Museum. Her hand-painted bags were also introduced in the same year at BMW BGC through her exhibition, Carry your heART. In 2017, she collaborated again with A.A. Patawaran for the HaiNAku 1st Anniversary Exhibit at the S Maison Conrad Hotel in Manila. She also held HEART & Style, a public exhibition of her works of art at the Fashion Hall of SM Megamall. In April 2018, she launched another art exhibit at ArtistSpace Gallery of Ayala Museum. In the same year, she partnered with A.A. Patawaran for his 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.

In 2021, Evangelista collaborated with Incubus lead vocalist Brandon Boyd for Moonlight Arts Collective, an organization founded by Boyd himself showcasing art by various cultural icons that moonlight as visual artists. Called Neon People, their first collaboration was released in July 2022. In 2023, Evangelista dropped her solo print debut of her artwork, Love's First Bloom, on Moonlight Arts Collective.

Fashion Week
In 2017, Heart Evangelista attended Paris Fashion Week for the first time and was present at notable fashion houses like Schiaparelli, Georges Hobeika, Giambattista Valli, Elie Saab, Ulyana Sergeenko, Ralph & Russo, and Zuhair Murad. In 2018, Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan invited her to be part of Harper's Bazaar's The Real Crazy Rich Asians feature highlighting "Asian style icons shaking up the world of couture." Afterwards, Evangelista became a staple at Fashion Week attending shows in Paris, New York, and Milan by top designers like Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi, Gucci, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, among others. In the same year, she was selected as the spokesperson for the Spring Summer 2019 collection of the French label Sequoia.

In 2021, Evangelista was announced as the newest face of the French luxury bag brand Lancaster, alongside Barbara Palvin. Evangelista was also one of the 25 worldwide personalities selected for Salvatore Ferragamo's Silk Your Style campaign.

Heart Evangelista has been featured on the covers of Harper's Bazaar Singapore, Harper's Bazaar Indonesia, Vogue Philippines, L'Officiel Philippines, Tatler Philippines, and ICON Singapore. She has dedicated features in Vogue Singapore, Vogue Thailand, Harper's Bazaar Taiwan, and Harper's Bazaar Singapore.

Book
Heart Evangelista has authored two books: This is Me, Love Marie, a beauty book published in 2015, and Styled with Heart, a fashion book published in 2019.

Business
Evangelista is the co-founder and co-CEO of Pure Living, a beauty and wellness company. She is also a co-owner of Harlan Beach Resort in Boracay, Philippines.

Charities
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 also supports the Balikatan Thalassemia for children with rare diseases, Corridor of Hope for children with cancer, and the Cerebral Palsy Association of Sorsogon.

In 2024, as her husband, senator Francis Escudero, was elected as the new Senate President, Heart assumes the position as the head of Senate Spouses Foundation. The group is known for pursuing civic work alongside the legislative work of Senators.

Advocacies
Heart is also an LGBT ally and a recipient of Lagablab Network's Equality Champion Award in the Philippines. During the 2018 State of the Nation Address in the Philippine Congress, Evangelista wore the iconic rainbow badge in support of equality in the Philippines and the passage of the pro-LGBT SOGIE Equality Bill.

Evangelista is also a spokesperson for PAWS or (Philippine Animal Welfare Society), launching various campaigns for the organization such as the See Beauty Beyond Breed and Have a Heart for Aspins campaign.

Heart also advocates for mental health. In an article featured in Vogue Singapore, she talks about battling against depression and anxiety, and how raising awareness can remove the he negative stigma and discrimination faced by those living with mental disorders and issues.

Personal life
Evangelista dated John Prats,Jericho Rosales,Daniel Matsunaga, and Sid Lucero.

Evangelista is the second wife of Senator Francis Escudero. Evangelista and Escudero were introduced by Evangelista's 'mentor', the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, who was a close friend of her mother. She assumed the role of first lady of Sorsogon on June 30, 2019, until June 30, 2022, when her husband was elected governor of Sorsogon province.

Chiz Escudero and Evangelista renewed their vows, celebrating their 9th wedding anniversary on February 15, 2024  at Balesin Royal Villa. Heart's father, Rey Ongpauco is undergoing medical treatment in the United States.

During a guesting at Fast Talk with Boy Abunda on March 15, 2024, Evangelista revealed losing another baby after the 2018 miscarriage of their twins, adding that she had named her unborn daughter "Sophia Heart". On 12 May 2024, Evangelista disclosed that she had suffered a fourth miscarriage.