Kim Chiu

Biography

Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu (Tagalog pronunciation: [tʃʊ]; born April 19, 1990) is a Filipino actress, singer, performer, television host, and businesswoman. Known for her performances in a range of genres across film and television, she rose to fame after winning the first teen edition of Pinoy Big Brother (2006). Chiu's films have grossed almost ₱1.5 billion at the box office, making her one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time. Forbes Asia named her one of Asia Pacific's most influential Filipino personalities in 2020. Dubbed as the "Multimedia Idol" by various media outlets, she initially began playing supporting roles in several television shows early in her career. Her breakthrough came following her pairing with Gerald Anderson and has appeared together in a number of projects, most notable being Sana Maulit Muli (2007), I've Fallen for You (2007) and Tayong Dalawa (2009). The following year, Chiu topped Yes! Magazine's list of 100 Most Beautiful Stars and ventured more dramatic and comedic roles. It was succeeded by a string of commercially successful projects such as The Healing (2012), Bride for Rent (2014), Etiquette for Mistresses (2015) and One Great Love (2018) in films, as well as Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin (2011), My Binondo Girl (2011), Ina, Kapatid, Anak (2012), Ikaw Lamang (2014), Love Thy Woman (2020), Linlang (2023) and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2024) in television. Chiu has received numerous accolades for her work in film and television, including a Seoul International Drama Award, a FAMAS Award, eight Star Awards for Television, and eleven Box Office Entertainment Awards. As a recording artist, all of her studio albums have been certified Gold or more by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. She was picked by Disney Southeast Asia to model as Mulan in a special 2015 calendar shoot. In 2010, she was inducted into the Eastwood City Walk of Fame for her contributions to Philippine entertainment. Chiu is a regular performer on the weekly musical-variety show ASAP (2006–present) and is one of the main hosts of the daily noontime variety show It's Showtime (2020–present).

== Early life == Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu was born on April 19, 1990. She is the fourth of five children to William Chiu, a businessman from Mindoro and Louella (née Yap; 1963–2013), a native of Dinagat Islands who migrated to Surigao del Sur; both her parents are Chinese Filipino. She is fluent in Cebuano, Tagalog, and English, with her Waray, Hokkien, and Mandarin Chinese at a beginner level only. Since her parents' separation in 1998, Kim had a dysfunctional relationship with both of her parents. She and her siblings Lakam, Twinkle, William, and John Paul were raised by their paternal grandmother and, as children, frequently moved residences in the Visayas; including in Tacloban, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Mindoro and back to Cebu City until 2006. In 2013, she reconciled with her father "after five years of estrangement" while visiting his second partner and half-siblings in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. A month later in June, her biological mother, Louella, fell into a coma. Following a week of hospitalization, Louella died on June 23, 2013, due to brain aneurysm. In a eulogy dedicated to her mother, she debunked rumors of animosity over her mother's child abandonment and expressed: "An angel guides me in my decisions in life. For me, that is finally my mom."

== Career ==

=== 2006–2008: Career beginnings ===

Chiu gained prominence when she won the reality series Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition. She was dubbed as "Chinita Princess ng Cebu". For the show, Chiu left her hometown of Cebu City and moved to Manila. She, along with the rest of the housemates entered the Big Brother house on April 23, 2006. After 42 days in the Big Brother house, she was named the Teen Big Winner with 626,562 votes (41.4% of the total votes) at the Aliw Theatre inside the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay. She was the only housemate who was never nominated for eviction. After winning, Chiu became part of Star Magic. She and her on-screen partner Gerald Anderson became regulars in ASAP XV and appeared together in several ABS-CBN shows Love Spell, comedy sitcom Aalog-Alog and in the film First Day High. In 2007, Chiu starred in the primetime TV series entitled Sana Maulit Muli alongside Anderson which was released to significant acclaim. That year, she was nominated and eventually won the 38th Guillermo Mendoza Box Office Awards as Most Promising Female Star and Best New Female TV Personality (for Sana Maulit Muli) at the 21st PMPC Star Awards. Sana Maulit Muli was later released in Taiwan under the PTS network, under the title Chances. Chiu then launched her debut album "Gwa Ai Di" (Hokkien simplified Chinese: 我爱你; traditional Chinese: 我愛你; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Góa ài dí; lit. 'I Love You') under Star Records, which included the single Crazy Love. It reached a Gold Record status. Gaining much recognition for her acting roles, she then starred in the movie I've Fallen For You under Star Cinema and continually appeared in numerous advertisements. In 2008, Chiu was cast in the Philippine adaptation of the South Korean TV series My Girl.

=== 2009–2011: Breakthrough ===

In 2009, Chiu secured her name as a top actress in the highly acclaimed TV series entitled Tayong Dalawa. She garnered several acting awards for her portrayal of Audrey, a woman who is loved by two soldiers. Her movie I Love You, Goodbye became part of Star Cinema's official entry to the 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival. It was Chiu's first role as a villain and her first film to hit P100 million mark, with her receiving several nominations under different award-giving bodies including PMPC, 12th Gawad PASADO Awards and the 34th MMFF for Best Supporting Actress. In 2010, she then starred in the romance film Paano Na Kaya, released nationally and internationally. She also starred in the well-received primetime drama, Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo, the highest rating teleserye of 2010 in the Philippines. In October 2010, Chiu and Anderson teamed up for the last consecutive time in the film Till My Heartaches End. In the midst of movie promotions, it was reported that the long-time couple (known as Kimerald) had split, yet the reason for the breakup was not discussed. She top-billed in a weekly musical anthology series Your Song, as a sub-series for the 12th season called Your Song Presents: Kim. It ran for four months and led her to pair up with Sam Milby, Jake Cuenca, Pokwang, Derek Ramsay, Enrique Gil and Vice Ganda. In 2011, Chiu starred in the romantic-comedy television series My Binondo Girl alongside Xian Lim, Matteo Guidicelli, and Jolo Revilla.

=== 2012–present: Film career and critical success ===