Jaclyn Jose, the consummate actress throughout her career

From being an alluring adult film star in the mid-80’s to being one of the most bankable film and television actresses of today, Jaclyn Jose made a mark in the local show biz landscape with her consummate and precise acting.

Jose’s untimely death due to myocardial infarction left the entertainment industry in shock, but as her daughter Andi Eigenmann aptly said, her legacy would live forever through her work, because her life itself was “her greatest obra maestra (masterpiece).”

Starting out in the William Pascual-helmed film “Chicas,” a coming-of-age flick about a group of women where she had to show a little skin, Jose never looked back, bravely confronting life and living it to the fullest. In fact, she was known for her “no-acting” acting, where her delivery of her lines were so natural but unmistakably a force of its own.

Below is a look-back on the screen veteran’s career spanning four decades, where no role is too big or small for her to give her best performance.

‘The Flor Contemplacion Story’ (1995)

Among the shining stars of the tragic film “The Flor Contemplacion Story” was Jaclyn Jose in her role as Neneng, who was the mistress of Flor Contemplacion’s (Nora Aunor) husband Efren (Julio Diaz). One highlight of the movie was the confrontation scene between Flor and Neneng, a delight to moviegoers who saw two great actors parrying lines like there was no tomorrow.

‘Mulanay: Sa Pusod ng Paraiso’ (1996)

Jose starred as a newly licensed doctor, Dra. Ria Espinosa, who is dedicated to helping fellow health workers through the program Doctors to the Barrios in Mulanay, Quezon Province. Instead of taking her medical education to hospitals, she opted to use her knowledge to help the less fortunate communities struggling with diarrhea and malnutrition.

Among her most noteworthy scenes is learning about the variety of fishes in the region, including the flatfish tampalpuke, where she didn’t hide her amusement from the workers.

‘Mula sa Puso’ (1997)

Taking on the role of Magda, the screen veteran portrayed the role of a passionate mother who’s willing to go to lengths to protect her daughter Via (Claudine Barretto) from the horrors of Selina (Princess Punzalan)’s mistreatment — even though she, too, is hiding a dark secret throughout the series. This, however, didn’t stop her from being a dedicated “nanay,” with one of her memorable scenes showing her sobbing after reuniting with her daughter who was discovered to be alive.

‘Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo’ (2010)

Another teleserye that showed off Jose’s acting prowess was “Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo” where she starred as Astrud, the mistress of Frank (Albert Martinez), who always had a bone to pick with Celine (Kris Aquino). While Frank and Celine eventually repair their marriage, she uses her motherly relationship with their daughter Gwen (Kim Chiu) to make Celine’s life miserable.

Unfortunately, Ringo (Coco Martin), her son born out of wedlock with Frank, falls deeper into his bipolar disorder, which leads Astrud to discover how much her son had suffered, only for it to be too late.

‘A Secret Affair’ (2012)

Jose, who starred as Ellen in the film, was the definition of the protective mother to Anne Curtis’ Rafi, as she helped her daughter uncover her partner Anton’s (Derek Ramsay) infidelity.

The other woman named Sam — who was coincidentally portrayed by the screen veteran’s real-life daughter Andi Eigenmann — became the subject of Ellen and Rafi’s cruel revenge, including the cold and popular line: “Shut up. B**ch ka lang, ako super b**ch.”

‘Ma’ Rosa’ (2016)

Rosa (Jaclyn Jose), who runs a sari-sari store that sells “ice” or crystal meth with her husband Nestor (Julio Diaz), was arrested by the police after it was discovered by authorities.

A scene from the movie showed her wolfing down fishballs from a stick after being interrogated by police. While the fishball scene is arguably one of the most popular scenes in Philippine cinema, Jose also made an impression buying other street food from vendor who appeared to be one of her regulars. Her natural yet precise acting was such that she won the Best Actress award for her role at the 016 Cannes Film Festival, the first such recognition for the Philippines from such a prestigious international award-giving bodies.

Jose’s performance earned rave reviews from international journalists and critics alike, with director Brillante Mendoza telling the Philippine Daily Inquirer in May 2016 that she was able to pull one of the film’s toughest challenges — which is to “not act.”

‘Kalel, 15’ (2019)

Kalel (Elijah Canlas), who’s desperately trying to find love, finds himself looking for love in a reckless place until he discovers that he’s positive with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Despite being a Catholic boy, he’s not blessed with a positive support network, including his mother Edith (Jaclyn Jose) who ran away with her lover. She is also critical of her son’s pursuits, almost to the point where she criticizes him for not taking advantage of his education.