Biography
Who is Ara Mina?
Early life and real name
Born as Hazel Pascual Reyes-Almarinez, she grew up in Marikina as the eldest of nine children. Her mother is Francis Marie Klenk and her stepfather is Romeo Reyes. She met her biological father, former congressman Chuck Mathay, when she was eighteen years old.
Her stage name has a unique origin story based on her family. Her mother selected the name by combining the real first names of her two sisters, Cristine and Princess. She has several famous siblings, including actress Cristine Reyes and San Juan councilors Cris and Macky Mathay.
Acting and entertainment career
She entered the Philippine entertainment industry at fourteen years old. Her debut was on the youth program That's Entertainment, which was hosted by German Moreno. Following this, she signed with Viva Entertainment and has appeared in approximately sixty movies and forty television programs throughout her professional life.
She received significant recognition for her dramatic roles in films. She won a Best Actress award for the movie Mano Po at the 2002 Metro Manila Film Festival. In 2003, she earned additional Best Actress awards for her performance in the film Ang Huling Birhen sa Lupa from the Manila Film Festival, FAMAS, and Golden Screen Awards.
Music and business ventures
Beyond acting, she has released three recording albums. Her first self-titled album featured the hit track Ay, Ay, Ay, Pag-Ibig and earned a gold record award shortly after release. Her second album, Heavenly, included the song Oops Teka Lang, which served as a theme song for a film starring Robin Padilla.
She is also an entrepreneur who founded the Ara Mina Foundation in 2007. This organization supports children born with birth defects, an issue she became passionate about because of her sister Princess, who was born with Down syndrome. Also, she owns a restaurant chain called Hazelberry Cafe with locations in Pasig, Quezon City, Muntinlupa, and Pampanga.
Personal life and relationships
She has one child with Patrick Meneses, a former mayor of Bulakan. In 2021, she married businessman Dave Almarinez. They held their wedding ceremony in Baguio on June 30, 2021, after becoming engaged in January of that same year. Her husband previously served as a member of the Laguna Provincial Board and is the CEO of the Philippine International Trading Corporation.
Birthday and age
Ara Mina was born on May 9, 1979, which makes Ara 47 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Ara shares the date with 64 other famous people.
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