Angelica Panganiban was born in Payatas, Quezon City on November 4, 1986. Her biological mother is a Filipina who died in 2008 and was buried in Singapore, while her biological father, Mark Charlson is an American from Iowa, United States and a former member of the US Navy. She acquired the surname Panganiban from her adoptive family. Panganiban finished elementary school in 1999 at St. Vincent School in Teacher's Village, Quezon City, and high school in 2003 at the same school's Main campus along West Avenue. She was the Junior-Senior Prom Princess in 2002 and Miss Junior and Senior Prom in 2003. She was also a cheerleader and a Feature Editor in their school newspaper. She attended college at Thames International Business School, majoring in Mass Communication before transferring to Ateneo de Manila University where she majored in Bachelor of Fine Arts, Creative Writing.
Her birth mother is a Filipina (d. 2008 in Singapore) whom she never met. Her birth father, Mark Charlson, is a retired U.S. Navy man from Iowa, United States; who, in the mid-1980s was on the U.S.S. OBrien stationed in the Philippines. She was adopted by Annabelle Panganiban when she was a baby, and her grandparents Adolfo and Mila Panganiban, helped raise her. In an interview on the show Banana Split her grandmother Mila calls her Angel because she says, its as if God sent Angelica to their family as a blessing.
Was in a 6-year relationship with actor Derek Ramsay.
Won, Angelica Panganiban for Alamat ni China Doll , Best Actress (Cinema One Plus), Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival 2013.
