We join the entire entertainment industry in mourning the passing of Ms. Jaclyn Jose - Mary Jane Guck in real life - whose death on March 2, 2024 sent shock waves to the country. The 60-year-old veteran actress died of cardiac arrest in her home in Quezon City.

Jaclyn was one of those low-profile actresses who didn’t want to call attention to herself. She wasn’t the typical movie star type who loved socializing. She kept much to herself and her little corner of the world on movie sets.

When she had a romantic relationship with fellow actor, the late Mark Gil, which gave birth to Andi Eigenmann, there was no more turning back. She had become news, breaking the silence that she had kept precariously for a long time.

Yet, more than the juicy headlines that she subsequently created, Jaclyn has left a rich body of work that today’s young actors can emulate. Her crowning glory must have come in 2016 when she became the first Filipino, and the very first from Southeast Asia, to win the Best Actress award at the Cannes International Film Festival in France for her work in Brillante Mendoza’s Ma’Rosa.

To Jaclyn, and perhaps to all other actresses who started their careers via bold , sexy roles, it was perhaps the highest vindication. The prestigious crown has justified all that disrobing and engaging in sexy scenes with her screen partners before she finally came into her own as a great dramatic actress.

Jaclyn has unwittingly launched an otherwise unheard of Jaclyn Jose School of Underacting, which calls for understated performance. Her acting required no acting. It was quite simple and natural, with a strong tendency to be in monotone mode.

Others scoffed at Jaclyn’s acting. Some comedians even made fun of it. But, her directors loved it. She was an original.

Early on, in the 80s, when she was still lingering in sexy movies, Jaclyn had professed her admiration for the acting of her idols, Nora Aunor and Lolita Rodriguez, two legendary actresses known for their naturalistic performing style. Jaclyn had the opportunity to act opposite Nora in The Flor Contemplacion Story, Naglalayag, and Pieta, among others.

National Artist Nora paid tribute to Jaclyn Jose in an extended post where she acknowledged the late actor’s contributions to Philippine movies. Jaclyn joins other talented actors who have passed on recently, including Cherie Gil, Ronaldo Valdez, John Regala, who have left huge voids in the acting department.

For those who may not be too familiar with Jaclyn Jose’s school of acting, they may check out some of her landmark films: Flesh Avenue, Itanong Mo Sa Buwan, Macho Dancer, Private Show, White Slavery, Takaw Tukso. She was last seen nightly on toprating series, FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, where her character, Chief Espinas, hovered between life and death after being shot.