Eddie Garcia | |
|---|---|
 Garcia in the 1960s. | |
| Born | Eduardo Verchez Garcia (1929-05-02)May 2, 1929 |
| Died | June 21, 2019(2019-06-21) (aged 90) Makati, Philippines |
| Other names | Manoy |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1949–2019 |
| Employer(s) | ABS-CBN GMA Network TV5 |
| Works | Filmography |
| Spouse | Lucilla Scharnberg (d. 1995) |
| Partner | Lilibeth Romero |
| Children | 4 (3 with Scharnberg) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch of Service[1] | |
Eduardo "Eddie"Verchez Garcia (Tagalog:[ˈʔɛdigaɾˈsɪa]; May 2, 1929 – June 21, 2019),[2][3] colloquially known asManoy, was a Filipino actor, television personality, and filmmaker.[4] Widely regarded as the greatest Filipino actor of all time,[4][5][6] 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 inPhilippine cinema andtelevision.[7][8]
Garcia is the only individual to have been inducted in three categories in theFAMASHall of Fame: forBest Actor,Best Supporting Actor, andBest Director.[9] He is also the only Filipino to have received theAsian Film Award for Best Actor.[10] Garcia's best-regarded appearances includeBeast of the Yellow Night (1971),The Woman Hunt (1972),Deathrow (2000),The Debut (2001),Abakada... Ina (2001),Bwakaw (2012), andRainbow's Sunset (2018), the latter of which is his last film appearance. Later in his career, Garcia starred in television programs includingLittle Nanay (2015–2016) andFPJ's Ang Probinsyano (2016–2019).
Eddie Garcia was born as Eduardo Verchez Garcia on May 2, 1929, inJuban,Sorsogon[11][12] to Antonio Garcia and Vicenta Verchez.[13][14] He grew up on a farm inNaga, Camarines Sur, with his four siblings Mila, Efren, Menchu, and Santiago, and was raised by his grandparents.[15] Garcia's family weredescendants of Spanish settlers. Garcia's grandfather, who was a captain in theSpanish army, arrived in the Philippines in 1870; he married a woman fromPampanga and decided to settle in Naga.[15]
Eddie Garcia was educated at Sorsogon Pilot Elementary School and transferred toManila, where he finished high school atSan Beda College and took A.B. Psychology at college in the same campus for three years.[13]
Immediately after the end ofWorld War II, Garcia served with thePhilippine Scouts and was stationed as a military policeman inOkinawa, Japan. After returning to the Philippines, his commanding officer asked Garcia to enlist for another duty overseas but Garcia met a friend, who persuaded him to enter show business.[7][11][15]
Garcia's first audition was for directorManuel Conde; he was accepted for his first role in the feature filmSiete Infantes de Lara in 1949.[2][16] After his first role, Garcia appeared in the filmKahit ang Mundo'y Magunaw the same year, and during his first two years in the industry, he appeared inHuling Patak ng Dugo andKilabot ng Langit, both in 1950.
At first, due to his Hispanic features and bearing, Garcia was typecast in villain roles. In 1955, he appeared inContravida, which was directed by Olive La Torre. Garcia was so effective as a villain he won his firstFAMAS award forBest Supporting Actor, which he achieved for three consecutive years from 1957 to 1959 for the moviesTaga sa Bato (1957),Condenado (1958), andTanikalang Apoy (1959). Garcia is the only individual to win any award from FAMAS for three consecutive years.[7][11]
In 1961, Garcia directed his first movieKarugtong ng Kahapon[2][16] and also directedHistoria un Amor in 1963. In 1969, he directedPinagbuklod ng Langit, a biopic about PresidentFerdinand Marcos, for which Garcia won his first Best Director award from FAMAS.[7]
During the 1970s and the early 1980s, Garcia was a part of the film movement during theSecond Golden Age of Philippine Cinema. He appeared inNational Artist, and directedLino Brocka'sTinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974),Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon (1976) andMiguelito: Ang Batang Rebelde (1985), among other films. In 1978, Garcia producedAtsay, starringNora Aunor, for which he wonBest Picture at theMetro Manila Film Festival.[7]
Garcia directedMagdusa Ka in 1986, and won consecutiveLuna Awards for Best Director for directingSaan Nagtatago and Pag-ibig in 1987. He also acted oppositeFernando Poe, Jr. inKapag Puno na ang Salop (1987) and its sequelAko ang Huhusga (1989), which Poe also directed. Garcia won theMetro Manila Film Festival Award for Best Director for the filmImortal in 1989.[10] He became aFAMAS Hall of Famer as a director in 1991,[17] and was named "All Time Favorite Actor of RP Movies" at theGuillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation on March 21, 1992.[18] Garcia starred inBoyong Mañalac: Hoodlum Terminator as the lead actor in 1991 and won the FAMAS Best Actor for the film a year after, winning multiple times and non-consecutively in the next few years for movies includingSambahin Ang Ngalan Mo (1998),Bakit May Kahapon Pa? (1996), andMariano Mison... NBI (1997).[17]
In 1998, Garcia won theFilm Academy of the Philippines (FAP) Lifetime Achievement Award.[10] He starred in Raymond Red'sAnino (Shadow, 2000), whichwon thePalme d'Or in the short film category atCannes Film Festival in 2000.[17][19] Garcia played an aged convict who shields a young prisoner from harsh prison life in the movieDeathrow, for which he won the Best Actor award and theGawad Urian Award for Best Actor in 2000.[10]
In 2001, Garcia directedAbakada... Ina and won the Luna Award for Best Director. He was awarded Best Actor for the movieMano Po in 2002.[10] Garcia won the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 2002Star Awards for portraying Leandro Montemayor, the fictional Philippine President in the television drama seriesKung Mawawala Ka fromGMA 7.[20][21] In 2005, Garcia played the lead role of an elderly man who is coming to terms with his mortality in Rica Arevalo'sICU Bed #7, which was entered into the firstCinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and Garcia won the award for Best Actor.[10][17] Garcia also wontheNatatanging Gawad Urian award in 2006.[10]
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In 2010, Eddie Garcia was interviewed forMark Hartley's documentary filmMachete Maidens Unleashed!, which exploresexploitation films that were made in the Philippines in the 1970s and 1980s.[22][23][24]
Garcia appeared in the independently produced filmBwakaw (2012), which was directed byJun Robles Lana, a youngPalanca award winner and director. Lana gave Garcia the script, and was worried a big star like him would decline the role, and the crew feared they could not afford him. Lana told Garcia of his concern but Garcia had already read the script. Garcia accepted the role and asked, "So when do we start shooting?".[citation needed] Garcia won his first international film award at the 55thAsia-Pacific Film Festival as the film's lead actor on December 15, 2012, winning the award forAsian Film Award for Best Actor,[25][26] becoming the only Filipino so far to win the award.[27]
Early in 2013, Garcia was awarded the first Dolphy Lifetime Achievement Award (Ulirang Alagad ng Sining) during the Entertainment Press Society'sGolden Screen TV Awards.[20] Also that year, Garcia was interviewed in the documentaryThe Search for Weng Weng.[28][29]
In August 2014, Garcia was included inInside Showbiz magazine's list of the five best living Filipino actors,[30] and the Philippines'Yes! Magazine's list of2014's 100 Most Beautiful Stars.[31]
In 2015, Garcia appeared in the television seriesLittle Nanay. He transferred toABS-CBN and portrayed Don Emilio on the Philippines' longest-running action television showFPJ's Ang Probinsyano withCoco Martin from 2016 until 2019.[32][33] Garcia returned toGMA Network and appeared inRosang Agimat; while filming the show, an accident led to Garcia entering a coma and eventually his death.[34]
Garcia continued to appear 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".[35] Garcia's last notable works wereML, an entry of14th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in which he portrays Colonel dela Cruz, a retiredMETROCOM colonel suffering fromAlzheimer's disease, leading him to believe that he is still living in theMarcos dictatorship. Garcia's performance in his movie won him theGawad Urian's Best Actor award the following year.[36] He also appeared inHintayan ng Langit, an entry in the 2018QCinema International Film Festival, starring oppositeGina Pareño as a man who is reunited with his ex-girlfriend inPurgatory. The movie was released onNetflix in the following year during the time Garcia was comatose.[37][38][39] For his final film role, Garcia portrayed Ramon, a gay senator who comes out at an advanced age, inRainbow's Sunset, an entry in the2018 Metro Manila Film Festival.Rainbow's Sunset was directed byJoel Lamangan. Garcia was nominated for Best Actor but lost toDennis Trillo.[40] Garcia had a special participation role in the comedy filmSanggano, Sanggago't Sanggwapo, which was released on September 4, 2019, three months after his death. Garcia did not finish filming his required scenes in the movie due to the accident; it was his last appearance in a movie.[41][42]
Garcia kept most of his life private, viewing his acting profession and personal life as separate.[9][11] He lived a relatively simple life without any luxury cars and expensive equipment.[43][44] Throughout his career, he was known for his professionalism, and evaded intrigues and controversies linking him to his fellow co-stars.[45] Film producerMarichu Maceda described Garcia as "a disciplined and independent person, carrying things on his own without needing assistants or managers despite being popular".[46][47]
Garcia was in adomestic partnership with Lilibeth Romero for 33 years.[48] Before Romero, Garcia was married to Lucilla Scharnberg, who died of cancer in 1995. He and Scharnberg had three children: Eduardo "Eddieboy" Jr. (1951–1973), Erwin (March 13, 1956 – March 13, 2021) due to liver disease[49] and Elizabeth (nicknamed Lisa). 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. Elizabeth died of a heart attack in 1996.[13] His other daughter lives in San Diego, California.[citation needed]
Garcia said he originally wanted to be either a soldier or a lawyer, saying "Acting is just a job. It's an honest way to make a living."[50] Beyond acting, he was passionate abouttarget shooting as a sport. He was a skilled marksman, having once been a trained soldier.[15][51] Garcia campaigned forAko Bicol'sparty-list in the2019 Philippine House of Representatives elections as the regional group's primary endorser.[52][53]
Garcia maintained a healthy lifestyle through exercise,[11] vitamin supplements,[54] and healthy diet, saying he preferred fish and vegetables to meat.[9][16] Garcia still worked as an actor and director when he turned 90, and he said he still had an active sex life and went to a gym to remain healthy. He described his lifestyle as "everything in moderation: food, work, even fitness, and workout".[55]
On June 8, 2019, Garcia was rushed toMary Johnston Hospital inTondo, Manila, after tripping on a cable wire and hitting his head on the pavement during a shoot for GMA Network's television seriesRosang Agimat.[34][56][57] He was unconscious and the following day he was transferred to theintensive care unit (ICU) atMakati Medical Center.[58] The actual incident was captured on video.[59] Initial reports stated Garcia had suffered aheart attack on set, according to his family,[60] but was later found to have suffered acervical fracture due to the fall.[34][61][62]
Garcia's family released a statement contradicting a report that said 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.[63] ACT scan showed his brain was in a normal state, ruling out the possibility he suffered astroke.[58] Due to the fracture, Garcia was in acoma. On June 15, his family agreed to place Garcia ondo-not-resuscitate status.[34][64] On June 20, there were minimal signs of brain activity and he remained dependent on aventilator.[65] The following day, Garcia was pronounced dead at 4:55 pm (GMT+8) at the age of 90.[66][67] In accordance with his last wishes, immediately after his death, Garcia's remains were cremated and placed inside an olive-green urn. His wake was held at Heritage Memorial Park inTaguig.[68]
Garcia's accident and death became an issue because there was no standby medical team or ambulance on the set ofRosang Agimat. The unconscious Garcia was lifted from the pavement by non-medical personnel, who carried him to a passing taxicab. Several people, including his wife Lilibeth, said the accident could have been prevented if GMA Network's management had taken safety precautions.[57][69] The Directors' Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI) referred to Garcia's death as "a sad and urgent reminder to the film and television industries that safety protocols at work and on set are of paramount importance".[70] TheDepartment of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) started an investigation into the circumstances of Garcia's accident and death.[71] The OSHC found someoccupational safety and health (OSH)-related violations on the part of GMA Network based on an uploaded online video of Garcia's accident, such as lack of first-aid, medical supplies, and a stretcher. They also said Garcia was "carried by personnel using bare hands".[72] On September 4, the DOLE added GMA Network failed to submit an incident report within 24 hours after the accident.[73] On December 23, the DOLE fined GMA Network₱890,000.00 (about $15,000 US) because of the incident.[74] The network submitted an appeal in response to the ruling.[75]
Garcia is best known for portraying villains. According to Garcia, as a critically acclaimed actor portraying characters that are usually loathed or feared, he had been attacked by a fan who hurt him with an umbrella because his character rapedGloria Romero's character in aSampaguita Pictures production. Garcia did not lash out at the fan, believing "he did a good job in portraying it".[50] Garcia is also known for his humorous lines, mostly in action or comedy films.[21][76]
Garcia gained a reputation as one of the Philippine film industry's most-reliable, versatile and competent actors, and has influenced prominent actors likeCoco Martin, with whom Garcia worked for three years in one of the longest-running television shows of Philippine television.[77] Television presenterJulius Babao called Garcia "a true icon of the Philippine movie industry".[78][79] Journalist Ruel Mendoza called Garcia theAma ng Pelikulang Pilipino (lit. '"Father of Philippine Movies"').[80]
Garcia appeared in 670 films and television shows as an actor with his cousin Bino Gacia, and directed 37 films in his career.[citation needed] He had the highest number of appearances on films and television shows of a Filipino actor.[citation needed]
| Award | Wins | Nominations |
|---|---|---|
| Asia Pacific Film Festival | 1 | 0 |
| Asian Film Awards | 1 | 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 |
Garcia won multiple awards for films he directed.[80] Miguel Escobar fromEsquire called Garcia "a legendary actor-director".[81]Korina Sanchez called Garcia "above and beyond the quota in his contributions to pop culture and the Philippine film industry".[82]
Garcia said he did not make movies to gain awards.[25][44] He is the only Filipino to receive theAsian Film Award for Best Actor, and won awards from other film festivals, receivingLuna Awards and theMetro Manila Film Festival Awards. Garcia was the most-awarded-and-nominated person in the history of theFilipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards. He garnered 43 wins and 38 nominations: 13 forBest Supporting Actor, 12 forBest Actor, and 11 forBest Director.[citation needed] Out of these, he won six Best Supporting Actor awards, six Best Actor wins – the most by any actor, five Best Director awards, threeHall of Fame Awards, one Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial Award.[citation needed] Garcia was awarded his first FAMAS Award in 1957 and his last FAMAS, Best Actor, in 2019.[citation needed]
In June 2019, Partylist Coalition Foundation Inc. announced it intended to nominate Garcia for posthumous conferment of theOrder of National Artists.[18][83]
Garcia's stepson House representativeMichael Romero said he would propose an "Eddie Garcia Law" to "safeguard the welfare and well being of all actors working in the television and/or in the movie industries" by compelling production outfits to grant mandatory insurance, providing for working hours in television and movie production, and establishing medical and safety protocols and emergency procedures.[84][85] House Bill 1270—a consolidation of six similar bills, including one by Romero—passed theHouse of Representatives on February 7, 2023.[86] TheSenate of the Philippines approved on second reading Senate Bill No 2505, the proposed Eddie Garcia law, on February 12, 2024, and was calendared for third and final reading.[87] On May 24, 2024, PresidentBongbong Marcossigned into law Republic Act 11996 or the "Eddie Garcia Law".[88]
Along with his virility, his real age was one of the hilarious aspects of his showbiz publicty. It was only recently that he revealed he was born May 2, 1929 in Sorsogon.
Dr. Tony Rebosa told ABS-CBN in an interview that Garcia's partner of 33 years, Lilibeth Romero, was "quite composed" when the actor was declared dead.
AKO BICOL was endorsed by veteran actor Eddie Garcia, who hails from Sorsogon. Garcia was featured prominently in AKO BICOL's television commercials. It currently has 1.02 million votes.
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