1. Widely regarded as the greatest Filipino actor of all time, Garcia appeared in nearly 700 film and television roles throughout his career in over six decades; held the distinction as the highest number of appearances in Philippine cinema and television.
Eddie Garcia is the only individual to have been inducted in three categories in the FAMAS Hall of Fame: for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director.
Eddie Garcia is the only Filipino to have received the Asian Film Award for Best Actor.
Eddie Garcia's best-regarded appearances include Beast of the Yellow Night, The Woman Hunt, Deathrow, The Debut, Abakada.
Later in his career, Eddie Garcia starred in television programs including Little Nanay and FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.
Eddie Garcia was born as Eduardo Verchez Garcia on May 2,1929, in Juban, Sorsogon to Antonio Garcia and Vicenta Verchez.
Eddie Garcia grew up on a farm in Naga, Camarines Sur, with his four siblings Mila, Efren, Menchu, and Santiago, and was raised by his grandparents.
Eddie Garcia's grandfather, who was a captain in the Spanish army, arrived in the Philippines in 1870; he married a woman from Pampanga and decided to settle in Naga.
Immediately after the end of World War II, Eddie Garcia served with the Philippine Scouts and was stationed as a military policeman in Okinawa, Japan.
At first, due to his Hispanic features and bearing, Eddie Garcia was typecast in villain roles.
Eddie Garcia was so effective as a villain he won his first FAMAS award for Best Supporting Actor, which he achieved for three consecutive years from 1957 to 1959 for the movies Taga sa Bato, Condenado, and Tanikalang Apoy.
Eddie Garcia is the only individual to win any award from FAMAS for three consecutive years.
In 1961, Eddie Garcia directed his first movie Karugtong ng Kahapon and directed Historia un Amor in 1963.
In 1969, he directed Pinagbuklod ng Langit, a biopic about President Ferdinand Marcos, for which Eddie Garcia won his first Best Director award from FAMAS.
Eddie Garcia appeared in National Artist, and directed Lino Brocka's Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon and Miguelito: Ang Batang Rebelde, among other films.
In 1978, Eddie Garcia produced Atsay, starring Nora Aunor, for which he won Best Picture at the Metro Manila Film Festival.
Eddie Garcia directed Magdusa Ka in 1986, and won consecutive Luna Awards for Best Director for directing Saan Nagtatago and Pag-ibig in 1987.
Eddie Garcia won the Metro Manila Film Festival Award for Best Director for the film Imortal in 1989.
Eddie Garcia became a FAMAS Hall of Famer as a director in 1991, and was named "All Time Favorite Actor of RP Movies" at the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation on March 21,1992.
In 1998, Eddie Garcia won the Film Academy of the Philippines Lifetime Achievement Award.
Eddie Garcia starred in Raymond Red's Anino, which won the Palme d'Or in the short film category at Cannes Film Festival in 2000.
Eddie Garcia played an aged convict who shields a young prisoner from harsh prison life in the movie Deathrow, for which he won the Best Actor award and the Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor in 2000.
Eddie Garcia was awarded Best Actor for the movie Mano Po in 2002.
Eddie Garcia won the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 2002 Star Awards for portraying Leandro Montemayor, the fictional Philippine President in the television drama series Kung Mawawala Ka from GMA 7.
Eddie Garcia won his first international film award at the 55th Asia-Pacific Film Festival as the film's lead actor on December 15,2012, winning the award for Asian Film Award for Best Actor, becoming the only Filipino so far to win the award.
Early in 2013, Eddie Garcia was awarded the first Dolphy Lifetime Achievement Award during the Entertainment Press Society's Golden Screen TV Awards.
Also that year, Eddie Garcia was interviewed in the documentary The Search for Weng Weng.
In 2015, Eddie Garcia appeared in the television series Little Nanay.
Eddie Garcia transferred to ABS-CBN and portrayed Don Emilio on the Philippines' longest-running action television show FPJ's Ang Probinsyano with Coco Martin from 2016 until 2019.
Eddie Garcia returned to GMA Network and appeared in Rosang Agimat; while filming the show, an accident led to Eddie Garcia entering a coma and eventually his death.
Eddie Garcia has appeared in films; when he reached the age of 89 in 2018, he said that he still accepts offers in acting, adding that "retirement didn't exist in his vocabulary".
Eddie Garcia appeared in Hintayan ng Langit, an entry in the 2018 QCinema International Film Festival, starring opposite Gina Pareno as a man who is reunited with his ex-girlfriend in Purgatory.
Eddie Garcia was nominated for Best Actor but lost to Dennis Trillo.
Eddie Garcia had a special participation role in the comedy film Sanggano, Sanggago't Sanggwapo, which was released on September 4,2019, three months after his death.
Eddie Garcia did not finish filming his required scenes in the movie due to the accident; it was his last appearance in a movie.
Eddie Garcia kept most of his life private, viewing his acting profession and personal life as separate.
Eddie Garcia lived a relatively simple life without any luxury cars and expensive equipment.
Eddie Garcia was in a domestic partnership with Lilibeth Romero for 33 years.
Eddieboy died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 22; Garcia called it "the biggest tragedy of his life", feeling guilty because he had gifted to his son the motorcycle his son had ridden.
Eddie Garcia was a skilled marksman, having once been a trained soldier.
Eddie Garcia campaigned for Ako Bicol's party-list in the 2019 Philippine House of Representatives elections as the regional group's primary endorser.
Eddie Garcia maintained a healthy lifestyle through exercise, vitamin supplements, and healthy diet, saying he preferred fish and vegetables to meat.
Eddie Garcia described his lifestyle as "everything in moderation: food, work, even fitness, and workout".
On June 8,2019, Eddie Garcia was rushed to Mary Johnston Hospital in Tondo, Manila, after tripping on a cable wire and hitting his head on the pavement during a shoot for GMA Network's television series Rosang Agimat.
Eddie Garcia was unconscious and the following day he was transferred to the intensive care unit at Makati Medical Center.
Eddie Garcia's family released a statement contradicting a report that said Eddie Garcia suffered a heart attack; they called the initial report "fake news" and said the actor tripped on a cable during filming, and was healthy prior to the incident.
Eddie Garcia's wake was held at Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig.
The unconscious Eddie Garcia was lifted from the pavement by non-medical personnel, who carried him to a passing taxicab.
Eddie Garcia did not lash out at the fan, believing "he did a good job in portraying it".
Eddie Garcia is known for his humorous lines, mostly in action or comedy films.
Eddie Garcia gained a reputation as one of the Philippine film industry's most-reliable, versatile and competent actors, and has influenced prominent actors like Coco Martin, with whom Eddie Garcia worked for three years in one of the longest-running television shows of Philippine television.
Eddie Garcia appeared in 670 films and television shows as an actor with his cousin Bino Gacia, and directed 37 films in his career.
Eddie Garcia had the highest number of appearances on films and television shows of a Filipino actor.
Eddie Garcia is the only Filipino to receive the Asian Film Award for Best Actor, and won awards from other film festivals, receiving Luna Awards and the Metro Manila Film Festival Awards.
Eddie Garcia was the most-awarded-and-nominated person in the history of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards.
Eddie Garcia garnered 43 wins and 38 nominations: 13 for Best Supporting Actor, 12 for Best Actor, and 11 for Best Director.
Eddie Garcia was awarded his first FAMAS Award in 1957 and his last FAMAS, Best Actor, in 2019.