[4] Jose made her film acting debut in 1984, starring in dramas directed by William Pascual, Chito S. Roño and Lino Brocka, which earned her recognition in the Philippine movie awards circuit.

[6] Her mother, Rosalinda Santa Ana,[7] was a zarzuela actress, while her father, Edward Lawrence Guck was an American serviceman of German descent[8] stationed at Clark Air Base.

[10] Jose made her film acting debut in 1984 in back-to-back dramas in William Pascual's Chicas and Chito S. Roño's Private Show, earning her first FAMAS Awards nomination for the latter.

In a 2021 interview, Jose said that she was initially reluctant to go into acting and deliberately played a subtle performance during her audition for Chicas in the hopes of not getting selected, only to discover that it was exactly what the judges had in mind.

She played the role of a rebel's wife and starred alongside Maria Isabel Lopez, Lala Montelibano, Daniel Fernando and Ricky Hora.

From 1997 to 1999, Jose played the role of Magda in the original 1997 series Mula sa Puso, before making her first appearance on Maalaala Mo Kaya.

[13] After a two-year absence from television, Jose transferred to ABS-CBN's rival network, GMA and played Marianna Peron on the popular TV series Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga.

In early 2004, Jose had a recurring role as Carol in Te Amo, Maging Sino Ka Man with her co-star from Mula Sa Puso, Princess Punzalan.

In 2005, she played another supporting role, Elena Cruz, in the popular TV series Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin.

She played Celeste Cristi in the TV series Komiks Presents: Agua Bendita in 2006, co-starring alongside Shaina Magdayao, Rayver Cruz, and Ramon Bagatsing.

Jose played a supporting role of Luisa Alcantara-Delos Santos, Agnes's mother, in the series Reputasyon, acting alongside starring actress Cristine Reyes from 2011 to 2012.

Jose made her second appearance on TV5 in the 2012 remake of the popular 1990s series Valiente, where she played Doña Trinidad Braganza, a villain role originated by Odette Khan.

In 2013, she returned to GMA, where she played the role of Doña Charito Vda de Carbonel in the popular 2013 series Mundo Mo'y Akin.

Jose made a guest appearance on the TV series, My Husband's Lover as Doña Charito Vda de Carbonel, Elaine's snobbish friend, a crossover character from Mundo Mo'y Akin.

In 2014, she acted in the series Carmela: Ang Pinakamagandang Babae sa Mundong Ibabaw, portraying Patricia "Trixie" Flores, the main antagonist of the show.

In 2015 and 2016, Jose joined the cast of Marimar as the new version of the villain Señora Angelika Santibañez, who was originally played by Katrina Halili.

She briefly starred in Season 1 of Alyas Robin Hood as Judy de Jesus, the mother of the character played by Dingdong Dantes.

Despite being a contract artist of GMA Network, in 2023, she returned to ABS-CBN as guest to play as an anti-hero/protagonist in her final drama FPJ's Batang Quiapo as Dolores Espinas.