Yasmien Kurdi

Early life

Kurdi was born to a Muslim father, Mohammad Kurdi, and Miriam Ong-Yuson, who is a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo. She is of Lebanese-Kurdish (paternal) and Chinese-Filipino (maternal) descent. She spent most of her early life in Kuwait because of her father's work there, and was there with her family during the Gulf War. She was a member of the junior choir in her church before joining StarStruck. She studied elementary in Jabriya Indian School, and finished high school and nursing at New Era University.

2003-2006: Starstruck, career beginnings, and In The Name of Love

Her early career included modeling for Candy, Seventeen, and MOD magazine. She was one of the finalists in ABS-CBN's ASAP Pond's Soft Skin Search, but lost to the Jaboom twins. In 2009, Kurdi starred in an ad promoting vegetarianism for PETA Asia-Pacific.

2007-2011: Breakthrough and Love Is All I Need

In May 2007, after her success in the Bakekang series as "Charming", Kurdi starred in Pati Ba Pintig ng Puso with JC de Vera. She played Jenna, a maid who has an eye on her employer's grandson. In its press conference, GMA Network crowned her as its GMA Drama Princess. On September 10, 2007, Kurdi starred again with JC de Vera in Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig, which originally starred Sharon Cuneta in 1987. After their huge success as a loveteam in Pati Ba Pintig ng Puso, GMA cast them both in Sine Novela.

The network gave them an adaptation of another Sharon Cuneta movie, Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita. The series crushed its rival My Girl. In the last quarter of 2008, Kurdi led the remake of Saan Darating Ang Umaga? which garnered prime time ratings, though it aired in the afternoon. The Sine Novela is a top rater and the all-time highest in national TV ratings, never beaten by Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin? which held the Mega Manila only.

Kurdi then appeared on Dear Friend: Madrasta, which topped the weekend daytime ratings. She then starred in SRO Cinemaserye's suspense drama Suspetsa.

In 2010, Kurdi was cast in her first role as a villain, on the GMA Network fairy tale television series Grazilda.

2011-2013: Hiatus and comeback Lead Roles

In 2011, Kurdi joined the epic series Amaya for a multi-episode guest arc playing Apila, she then quit show business to concentrate on her college education and raising a family, coming back in 2013 after a two-year hiatus. Recently, she starred in the hit afternoon drama series Sa Piling ni Nanay where she played a surrogate mother.

Activism

Kurdi is a supporter of PETA and has helped with a number of campaigns. On November 9, 2007, she posed inside a cage while holding a sign that said: "Liberate your diet. Go vegetarian." "Through PETA, I am able to speak up for animals and help them be heard. That's why I jumped at the chance to climb into a cage and urge people to 'liberate' their diet and give vegetarianism a try," Kurdi explained.

Recently Kurdi has joined the call to 'Free Mali' from the Manila Zoo, where the elephant has spent 39 years in captivity alone, in a tiny enclosure and without adequate medical care.

Personal life

In 2013, Kurdi revealed to Philippine Entertainment Portal that she is already married to Rey Soldevilla, who is a pilot. In January 2012, they have a daughter named Ayesha Zara, whose name Ayesha means "she who lives" or "womanly" in the Arabic language, and name Zara means "beautiful, bright, shining and brilliant" or "flower, blossom, or beauty" in the Arabic language. Soldevilla is from Zamboanga City but Kurdi's mother is against her marriage based on religious differences.

Conversion to Roman Catholicism

Raised in the Iglesia ni Cristo faith, Kurdi converted to her husband's Roman Catholic faith upon their marriage in January 25, 2012. This is because the Iglesia ni Cristo strictly forbids its members from getting married to a person from another faith unless the latter converts to the Iglesia ni Cristo faith, and any member violating such doctrine would merit an automatic expulsion. Her relationship with Soldevilla and eventual conversion initially became a sore issue with her family, which wasn't resolved until her mother Miriam attended Ayesha's first birthday party in 2013.

Health

In early 2014, Kurdi was diagnosed with a cyst on her vocal cords, which explained the recent hoarseness in her voice. She was scheduled for surgery in July 2014 to remove the cyst. According to her doctor, there was no guarantee that her voice would fully recover after the operation.

Discography

In 2005, Kurdi released her first album, In the Name of Love, under GMA Records. She released her first single, "I Know" (which was used as a Filipino soundtrack of the Korean teledrama Sweet 18 aired by GMA), followed by "In the Name of Love" and "Umaambisyon" in the same year. In 2007 she released her second album, Love Is All I Need, which included the singles "Candlelight Romance", "Goodbye", "Kisapmata", "One Day", "Take It or Leave It", "Even If" and "Love Is All I Need".