Giselle Anne Töngi-Walters (born June 14, 1978) is a Swiss-Filipino actress, dancer, singer, host, VJ and model.

Early life and education

Töngi was born on June 14, 1978 in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to a Swiss father, Erich, and Filipina mother, Aurora. She has four siblings namely: Avie, Tony, John and Sharon. She was raised by her mother in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and moved to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

at age 15. Töngi studied at the

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

School of Acting in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. She obtained a bachelor's degree in communication studies from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and a master's degree in

nonprofit management The Master of Nonprofit Organizations (MNO or MNPO), Master of Non-profit Management (MNM), Master of Not-for-Profit Leadership (MNPL), Master of Nonprofit Studies (MNpS), Master of Public Affairs (MPA), Master of Philanthropic Studies, Master of ...

from

Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College, its first president was politician, abolitionist, and education reformer Horace Mann. It changed its n ...

Career

Töngi was 5 when she was discovered by an agent at a mall. She was then launched as a member of the pioneer batch of Star Circle (now

Star Magic ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts, Inc., trade name, doing business as Star Magic (formerly known as ABS-CBN Talent Center), is the Talent agency, talent agency owned by ABS-CBN Corporation based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines t ...

). In the early 2000s, she left a thriving acting career in the Philippines to try her luck in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. She landed a role in '' Saved by the Bell: The Musical'' and in 2004 in the stage play ''Days When Cocaine Was King''. She played a planted fan to the contestants during a challenge in ''

America's Next Top Model, Cycle 16 The sixteenth cycle of ''America's Next Top Model'' premiered on February 23, 2011, and was the tenth cycle to be aired on The CW. The catch-phrase for this cycle is "Rainy Day Women." The prizes for this cycle were: *A modeling contract with I ...

'', which can be seen in Episode 9 of the said Cycle. In 2014, Töngi replaced

Jannelle So Jannelle So-Perkins (born September 9, 1977) is a Filipino journalist and broadcaster known for her work as the creator, host and producer of "Kababayan Today" (formerly "Kababayan L.A.), a daily show magazine/talk show for and about Filipinos ...

as host and producer of ''Kababayan Today'', which airs on KSCI (LA-18).

Personal life

Töngi married bartender Tim Walters in a beach wedding in

Boracay Boracay (; often locally shortened to Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of three barangays in Malay, Akla ...

on February 19, 2005. Together they have a son Kenobi Benjamin and a daughter Sakura Anne Marie.

Filmography

Television

Film

Theater

Discography

Compilation appearances

Studio albums

Track listing

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Toengi, G. American actresses of Filipino descent Star Magic Viva Artists Agency That's Entertainment Wednesday Group Members VJs (media personalities) Living people 1978 births American people of Swiss descent American expatriates in the Philippines University of California, Los Angeles alumni Actresses from Metro Manila Actresses from New York City Antioch University alumni 21st-century American women