Tanya Garcia

Tanya Katherine Rosales Lyttle, more popularly known by her screen name Tanya Garcia (born August 5, 1981), is a Filipina telenovela and film actress. She was born to a white American father and a Filipina mother of Spanish descent. She became a household name after playing Cecilia in one of the longest running soap operas of GMA Network, Sana ay Ikaw Na Nga, opposite Dingdong Dantes.

Her showbiz career started when she was introduced as one of the teen stars of Star Circle Batch 5 on ABS-CBN. She appeared in youth-oriented shows like Gimik (where she was first paired with Patrick Garcia) and played supporting role in Esperanza as Judy Ann Santos’ sister.

She took a break from her showbiz career for a while and concentrated on her studies. She took up Mass Communication in Dominican College when she was signed by Viva Films and later on appeared in the Viva Television afternoon drama Anna Karenina as Grace opposite Dingdong Dantes. She also had a cameo role in the TV Drama Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin.

Her rise to fame started when she played the role of Cecilia in the drama telebabad show Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga with Dingdong Dantes, Bobby Andrews and Angelu De Leon. On the later part of the soap, she also played the role of Olga, the antagonist of Cecilia, which was played again by Maricar de Mesa.

After her stint at the said show, she was reunited with onscreen partner Dingdong Dantes at the light dramedy Twin Hearts as Althea, a heart operation survivor who fell in love with the ex-boyfriend of the heart donor. She was also paired with Dennis Trillo.

She did a religious-theme show in QTV called Noel where she was paired with James Blanco and Paolo Contis. She was then later on paired with Ogie Alcasid in the family-oriented tv show “Ay Robot” again with QTV.

She also appeared in the third season of Now and Forever Presents Agos as Sophia, a young liberated lawyer who eventually fell in love with her brother (played by Dennis Trillo). She also had a cameo role in the show Makita ka Lang Muli as the young Celia Rodriguez.

She is considered as one of the sexiest Pinay in the Philippine Showbiz scene. She first appeared in the March 2006 issue of FHM Philippines.

Tanya Garcia also starred in numerous movies. She played the role of a possessed man’s wife in Kulimlim with Robin Padilla as her leading man in 2004. Some of her movie credits include Shake, Rattle and Roll 2K5, Filipinas and Batas Militar.

After her long hiatus on the telebabad run, she’s back as the wicked stepmother Aloya in the new GMA Fantasy show Super Twins topbilled by Jennylyn Mercado, Nadine Samonte and former loveteam Dennis Trillo.