Eddie Garcia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eddie Garcia
|
|
|---|---|
Garcia in 2019
|
|
| Born |
Eduardo Verchez Garcia
May 2, 1929 Juban, Sorsogon, Philippine Islands
|
| Died | June 20, 2019 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Other names | Manoy |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1949–2019 |
|
Works
|
Filmography |
| Spouse(s) | Lucilla Scharnberg (d. 1995) |
| Partner(s) | Lilibeth Romero |
| Children | 4 (3 with Scharnberg) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch of Service |
|
Eduardo Verchez Garcia (May 2, 1929 – June 20, 2019) was a famous Filipino actor, director, and producer. Many people called him Manoy. He had a very long career, acting in almost 600 movies and TV shows over seven decades. He is often called the "greatest Filipino actor of all time." He played many different kinds of characters in his films.
Some of Garcia's most well-known movies include Beast of the Yellow Night (1971) and The Woman Hunt (1972). Later, he starred in Deathrow (2000), The Debut (2001), and Abakada... Ina (2001). His later films were Bwakaw (2012) and Rainbow's Sunset (2018). This last film was his final movie appearance before he passed away. He also appeared in popular TV shows like Little Nanay (2015–2016) and FPJ's Ang Probinsyano (2016–2019).
Eddie Garcia won many awards during his career. He received 43 wins and 38 nominations from important award groups. He is the only person to be honored in three categories by the FAMAS Hall of Fame. These categories are Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director. Garcia is also the only Filipino to win the Asian Film Award for Best Actor.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Eddie Garcia was born Eduardo Verchez Garcia on May 2, 1929. His birthplace was Juban, in Sorsogon province. His parents were Antonio Garcia and Vicenta Verchez. He grew up on a farm in Naga with his four siblings. His grandparents raised them.
His family were descendants of Spanish settlers in the Philippines. Garcia's grandfather was a captain in the Spanish army. He came to the Philippines in 1870 and married a woman from Pampanga. They decided to live in Naga.
Eddie Garcia went to Sorsogon Elementary School. He then moved to Manila and finished high school at San Beda College. He also studied A.B. Psychology at the same college for three years.
Career Journey
After World War II, Eddie Garcia served in the Philippine Scouts. He worked as a military policeman in Okinawa, Japan. When he returned, his commanding officer asked him to serve overseas again. However, he met a friend who convinced him to try acting instead.
Starting Out in Acting
Garcia first auditioned for the famous director Manuel Conde. He got his first role in the movie Siete Infantes de Lara in 1949. This was the start of his long acting career. In the same year, he appeared in Kahit ang Mundo'y Magunaw. Other early films include Huling Patak ng Dugo and Kilabot ng Langit, both released in 1950.
At first, because of his looks, he often played bad guys. He starred in the film Contravida in 1955. He was so good at playing villains that he won his first FAMAS awards. He won Best Supporting Actor for three years in a row. These were for Taga sa Bato (1957), Condenado (1958), and Tanikalang Apoy (1959). He is the only person to win three straight awards from FAMAS.
He directed his first movie, Karugtong ng Kahapon, in 1961. He also directed Historia un Amor in 1963. In 1969, Garcia directed Pinagbuklod ng Langit. This movie was about then-President Ferdinand Marcos. It won him his first Best Director award from FAMAS.
Becoming Famous and Awarded
From the 1970s to the early 1980s, Garcia was a key part of Philippine cinema. This time is often called the "Second Golden Age of Philippine Cinema." He worked with National Artist and director Lino Brocka in films like Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974). He also appeared in Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon (1976) and Miguelito: Ang Batang Rebelde (1985).
He went back to directing and made Atsay in 1978. This film won Best Picture at the Metro Manila Film Festival. It starred Nora Aunor.
Garcia directed Magdusa Ka in 1986. He then won back-to-back Luna Awards for Best Director for Saan Nagtatago and Pag-ibig in 1987. He also acted alongside Fernando Poe, Jr. in Kapag Puno na ang Salop (1987) and its sequel, Ako ang Huhusga (1989). He won the Metro Manila Film Festival Award for Best Director for Imortal in 1989.
He became a FAMAS Hall of Famer as a director in 1991. He was also named "All Time Favorite Actor of RP Movies" in 1992. Garcia starred in Boyong Mañalac: Hoodlum Terminator in 1991. He won the FAMAS Best Actor award for this film the next year. He won this award many more times for other movies. These included Sambahin Ang Ngalan Mo (1998), Bakit May Kahapon Pa? (1996), and Mariano Mison... NBI (1997).
In 1998, he received the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) Lifetime Achievement Award. He starred in Raymond Red's Anino (Shadow, 2000). This short film won a top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000. Garcia played an older prisoner who protected a young one in Death Row (2000). He won the Best Actor award for this movie.
Garcia directed Abakada... Ina in 2001 and won another Luna Award for Best Director. He was awarded Best Actor for the movie Mano Po in 2002. He also won Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 2002 Star Awards. This was for his role as the fictional Philippine President in the TV show Kung Mawawala Ka on GMA 7. He received the Urian Award for Best Actor for Death Row in 2000. In 2005, he played the main role in ICU Bed #7. This film was part of the first Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. He won Best Actor for his role as an elderly man dealing with life. He received the special Natatanging Gawad Urian award in 2006.
Later Years
.jpg)
In 2010, a documentary film called Machete Maidens Unleashed! was released. Garcia was interviewed in this film. It explored action movies made in the Philippines in the 1970s and 1980s.
Garcia made the independent film Bwakaw in 2012. The director, Jun Robles Lana, was worried Garcia would not accept the role. He thought they could not afford a big star like him. But Garcia had already read the script and simply asked, "So when do we start shooting?" Garcia won his first international film award for this movie. He received the Asian Film Award for Best Actor at the 55th Asia-Pacific Film Festival in 2012. He is the only Filipino to win this award so far.
In early 2013, Garcia received the first Dolphy Lifetime Achievement Award. This was given during the Entertainment Press Society's Golden Screen TV Awards. Also that year, Garcia was interviewed in the documentary The Search for Weng Weng.
In August 2014, Garcia was named one of the five best living Filipino actors by Inside Showbiz magazine. He was also on Yes! Magazine's list of "2014's 100 Most Beautiful Stars."
In 2015, he appeared in the TV series Little Nanay. He then moved to ABS-CBN. He played Don Emilio in FPJ's Ang Probinsyano from 2016 to 2019. This was one of the longest-running action TV shows in Philippine history. Garcia returned to GMA Network for Rosang Agimat. Sadly, an accident during the filming of this show led to his death.
Garcia continued to act actively even at 89 years old in 2018. He often said that "retirement was never in my vocabulary." His last notable films were ML and Hintayan ng Langit. In ML, he played Colonel dela Cruz, a retired officer with Alzheimer's disease. He won the Gawad Urian's Best Actor award for this role. In Hintayan ng Langit, he starred as Manolo, who met his ex-girlfriend in Purgatory. This movie was also available on Netflix.
Garcia's last movie appearance during his lifetime was Rainbow's Sunset. He played Ramon, a gay senator who came out when he was older. This film was part of the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival. Garcia also had a special role in the comedy film Sanggano, Sanggago't Sanggwapo. This movie was released after his death. He could not finish filming all his scenes due to the accident.
Personal Life
Eddie Garcia kept his personal life private. He believed his acting career and private life were separate. He lived a simple life without fancy cars or expensive things. Throughout his career, he was known for being professional. He avoided rumors or problems with his co-stars. A film producer, Marichu Maceda, said Garcia was "disciplined and independent." He handled things himself without needing assistants.
Garcia was in a relationship with Lilibeth Romero for 33 years. Before Romero, Garcia was married to Lucilla Scharnberg. She passed away from cancer in 1995. He and Lucilla had three children: Eduardo "Eddieboy" Jr. (1951–1973), Erwin (March 13, 1956–March 13, 2021), and Elizabeth (nicknamed Lisa). Eduardo "Eddieboy" Jr. died in a motorcycle accident at 22. Elizabeth passed away from a heart attack in 1996. His other daughter lives in California.
Garcia once said he wanted to be a soldier or a lawyer. He saw acting as "just a job" and "an honest way to make a living." Besides acting, he loved target shooting. He was a skilled marksman because he was a trained soldier. Garcia also supported the Ako Bicol party-list group in the 2019 elections.
Garcia lived a healthy lifestyle. He exercised, took vitamins, and ate well. He preferred fish and vegetables over meat. Even at 90, he went to the gym to stay healthy. He described his lifestyle as "everything in moderation: food, work, even fitness, and workout."
Death
On June 8, 2019, Eddie Garcia was filming for a TV series called Rosang Agimat. He tripped on a cable wire and hit his head on the ground. He was taken to Mary Johnston Hospital in Tondo, Manila. He was unconscious and later moved to the ICU at Makati Medical Center. The accident was caught on video.
His family later clarified that he did not have a heart attack. Instead, he suffered a neck and cervical fracture from the fall. They said he was healthy before the accident. A CT scan showed his brain was normal, meaning he did not have a stroke. The fracture left him unconscious. On June 15, his family decided to let him rest peacefully. On June 19, he showed very little brain activity. He passed away the next day, June 20, 2019, at 4:55 pm, at 90 years old. As he wished, his remains were cremated right away. His wake was held at Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig.
Aftermath of the Accident
Garcia's accident and death became a big issue. Many people noted there was no medical team or ambulance on the set. Unconscious, Garcia was carried by people who were not medical staff into a taxi. His wife, Lilibeth, and others said the accident could have been prevented. They felt the GMA management should have taken safety steps.
The Directors' Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI) said Garcia's death was a "sad and urgent reminder" for the film and TV industries. They stressed that safety rules on set are very important. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) started an investigation. They looked into the conditions of Garcia's accident. The DOLE found some safety violations by GMA Network. These included a lack of first-aid, medical supplies, and a stretcher. They also noted how Garcia was carried by people using only their bare hands.
On September 4, the DOLE added that GMA Network did not submit an accident report within 24 hours. On December 23, the DOLE fined GMA Network about ₱890,000.00 because of the incident. The network appealed this decision.
Acting Style and Reputation
Eddie Garcia was best known for playing villain roles. Even though he played characters that people often disliked or feared, he was a critically acclaimed actor. He once shared that a fan attacked him with an umbrella because of a villain role he played. But he did not get angry. He believed it meant he did a good job portraying the character. He was also known for his funny lines, especially in action and comedy films. People sometimes called him "The Sean Connery of the Philippines."
Garcia earned a reputation as one of the most reliable and skilled actors in the Philippine film industry. He influenced many famous actors, like Coco Martin. Television host Julius Babao called him "a true icon of the Philippine movie industry." Journalist Ruel Mendoza called him the Ama ng Pelikulang Pilipino, which means "Father of Philippine Movies."
Filmography
Eddie Garcia appeared in a total of 670 films and television shows as an actor. He also directed 37 films during his career. He had the highest number of appearances in films and TV shows by a Filipino actor.
Awards and Legacy
| Award | Wins | Nominations |
|---|---|---|
| Asia Pacific Film Festival | 1 | 0 |
| Asian Film Awards | 2 | 0 |
| Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival | 2 | 0 |
| Cinemanila International Film Festival | 1 | 0 |
| FAMAS Awards | 20 | 19 |
| Film Academy of the Philippines | 5 | 5 |
| Gawad Urian Awards | 3 | 6 |
| Golden Screen Awards | 3 | 2 |
| Metro Manila Film Festival | 2 | 1 |
| PMPC Star Award for Movies | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 43 | 38 |
Eddie Garcia won many awards for the films he directed. Miguel Escobar from Esquire called Garcia "a legendary actor-director." Korina Sanchez said Garcia gave "above and beyond" to pop culture and the Philippine film industry.
Garcia received a huge number of awards throughout his career. However, he said he did not make movies just to win awards. He is the only Filipino to receive the Asian Film Award for Best Actor. He also won awards from other film festivals, like Luna Awards and Metro Manila Film Festival Awards. Garcia was the most awarded and nominated person in the history of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards. He had a total of 43 wins and 38 nominations. These included six Best Supporting Actor wins, five Best Actor wins, and five Best Director wins. He also received three FAMAS Hall of Fame Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award. He won his first FAMAS Award in 1957 and his last, a Hall of Fame for Best Actor, in 2003.
Garcia's stepson, House representative Michael Romero, said he would propose an "Eddie Garcia Law." This law would honor Garcia and help protect actors in TV and movie industries. It would require production companies to provide insurance and set rules for working hours. It would also establish medical and safety procedures on set.
In June 2019, a group called Partylist Coalition Foundation Inc. announced they would nominate Garcia for the Order of National Artists. This is a very high honor given after a person has passed away.
See also
In Spanish: Eddie García para niños
Images for kids
-
Garcia in 2019
-
Garcia in 2013
