Gary Valenciano
Valenciano performing inToronto in 2014
Born	Edgardo Jose Santiago Valenciano (1964-08-06)August 6, 1964 (age 60) Santa Mesa, Manila, Philippines
Occupations	Singer musician dancer record producer actor television host reality show judge
Agent	Star Magic (2024–present)
Spouse	Angeli Pangilinan ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	3, includingGabriel andKiana
Relatives	Francis Pangilinan (brother-in-law) Leo Martinez (brother-in-law) Sharon Cuneta (co-sister-in-law) Maricel Laxa (co-sister-in-law) Chito Miranda (nephew) Maine Mendoza (distant relative)
Musical career
Genres	OPM pop inspirational
Instruments	Vocals piano drums percussion
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Star Music Vicor Music Universal Records
Website	www.garyv.com
Musical artist

Edgardo Jose "Gary"Santiago Valenciano (born August 6, 1964) is a Filipino singer and actor. Known for his musical versatility and performances, he is a recipient of various accolades, including 12Awit Awards, 3FAMAS Awards and theMyx Magna Award.^[1]

Valenciano began his career in 1984 with the release of his self-titled debut album. In the succeeding years, he has ventured on screen, with appearances on several films and television shows. He has performed alongside artists such asBrian McKnight,George Duke,Paul Jackson Jr.,Michael Shapiro,Ricky Martin,Cliff Richard,Leon Patilo,Michael W. Smith,Sandi Patti,Steven Curtis Chapman, andKool & the Gang.^[2] Outside of music, Valenciano's philanthropy is focused on hope, faith, and positive change; having been appointed as the firstUNICEF National Ambassador for 25 years.^[3]

Valenciano was chosen by the Doha Asian Games Olympic Committee as the official interpreter of the anthem titled "Heart of the Games" at the 15thAsian Games inQatar.^[4] He was also invited as one of the performers at the23rd Asian Television Awards inMalaysia.^[5] He is currently part ofABS-CBN's contract artists and one of the mainstay hosts ofASAP.

Edgardo Jose Santiago Valenciano was born in theSanta Mesa district of the City of Manila on August 6, 1964. He is the sixth of the seven children of Vicente Calacas Valenciano, aBicolano fromCamalig,Albay, and Grimilda Santiago y Olmo (1934–2019) fromArecibo,Puerto Rico.^[6] His parents met inNew York City, married, and settled in Manila.^[7] His mother is aPuerto Rican ofItalian descent^[8][9] who sangopera in Manila during the 1960s. Valenciano attended primary and secondary school inLa Salle Green Hills, and was a part of theKundirana.

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In 1978, at 14 years old, Valenciano made his firsttelevision appearance in an advertisement for Fress Gusto, a now-discontinued soft drink sold bySan Miguel Corporation.^[10][11]

He started as a choir singer, then launched his career in singing and show business on May 13, 1983.^[12] He first appeared as a solo artist in 1982 in the television programmeThe Pilita and Jackie Show, and later inGermspesyal andPenthouse Live.

He had his first solo concert in April 1984 at theAraneta Coliseum, followed by a number of albums. Three of his albums were released internationally, including the Christian-inspired albumOut of the Dark. He won theAwit Award twelve times in the "Best Male Recording" category alone.^[13] He has been called "Mr. Pure Energy" due to his high energy dance performances in concerts.^[8]

As an actor, he won the "Best Single Performance by an Actor" trophy when he performed in a drama television movie for GMA Network in the '90s. He has appeared in 14 full-length films as the lead actor for some of the top movie companies like Viva Films, Regal Films, Seiko Films, and Star Cinema, with leading ladies like Vilma Santos, Maricel Soriano, Lorna Tolentino, Kris Aquino, Sharon Cuneta, Gretchen Barretto, Princess Punzalan, and Ms. Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres.^{[citation needed]}

As an inspirational artist, he recorded a number of Christian albums and was chosen to do a music video for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) for a song he co-wrote, "Could You Be Messiah," in 1994. He was then tapped for Global Mission in Puerto Rico in 1994 where he performed with Michael W. Smith and Steve Green. BGEA tapped him as well as in Amsterdam 2000 where he performed for over 10,500 evangelists. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Christian Broadcasting Network, producers ofThe 700 Club. He performed at the 50th anniversary of CBN in Virginia Beach and has guested onThe 700 Club USA many times.^{[citation needed]}

As a performing artist, Valenciano has performed all over the world, including in North America, Asia, Europe, Oceania, the Middle East and elsewhere. In the '80s and '90s he was dubbed "the Michael Jackson of the Philippines" , and continues to hold concerts all over the world in major venues.^{[citation needed]}

In 1998, he becameUNICEF Philippines' first National Ambassador. In 2006, the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee has named Gary Valenciano the official performer of theAsian Games' theme song, "Side By Side".^[14] In 2008, he marked his tenth year as a UNICEF Ambassador with a visit to Sitio Avocado, a former war zone inNegros Oriental.

Valenciano returned to acting in 2008 by appearing in the drama anthologyMaalaala Mo Kaya, where he portrayed a prisoner who finds religion and becomes aborn again Christian. That same year, he was nominated for "Best Single Performance by an Actor" in the 22nd PMPC Star Awards for TV.^[15]

In 2009, Valenciano released a collaborative album withMartin Nievera calledAs 1, with the carrier single of the same title.^[16]

In 2010, Valenciano was in aHoly Week drama special,Gulong ("Wheel"), a CBN Asia production shown onGMA.^{[citation needed]}

For his 25th anniversary in 2008, STAR RECORDS, the music arm of ABS-CBN, releasedGV 25, a compilation of songs he composed and recorded sung by music stars of the Philippines like Sharon Cuneta, Rachel Ann Go, Martin Nievera, Piolo Pascual, Jed Madela, Erik Santos, and Christian Bautista.^[17]

For his 30th anniversary in 2013, his concert ARISE, which was originally staged at the Araneta Coliseum for two nights and restaged at the MOA ARENA to a jam-packed audience, won as PMPC's Best Concert of the Year. His albumWith You won the Best Inspirational Album for the same year at the Catholic Mass Media Awards.^[18]

Valenciano formed the Shining Light Foundation in 1989, focusing on supporting diabetics and a scholarship program that has produced many multi-awarded scholars and students.^{[citation needed]}

Valenciano married Maria Anna Elizabeth "Angeli" Pangilinan, the sister of former senatorFrancis Pangilinan, on August 6, 1984. Together, they have three children: Paolo Valenciano, a director and the vocalist of the band Salamin;Gabriel Valenciano, a singer, keyboardist, dancer, and director; andKiana Valenciano, a model and singer-songwriter. The family resides inAntipolo.^[19]

He is currently living withtype 1diabetes, and has been an endorser for several wellness products related to the condition.^[20] In May 2018, Valenciano started feeling ill after a performance with his son Gabriel for the celebration of his 35th anniversary in showbiz on ABS-CBN's Sunday afternoon showASAP, and had to undergoopen heart surgery due to blockage of hisleft anterior descending artery caused by his diabetes. The procedure was successfully performed on May 6, 2018,^[21] and he was released from the hospital by May 12.^[22]

On April 17, 2019, Valenciano's mother died inOrlando, Florida, after battling pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and H1N1 flu.^[23]

• First artist in the world to have a Sennheiser Special Edition microphone named after him – Sennheiser Evolution Series 2001^[48]
• First and currentUNICEF National Ambassador of Goodwill in the Philippines, 1998–present
• Stargate People Asia 2024 Men Who Matter - Legacy Awardee

• Gary Valenciano atIMDb
• Gary Valenciano's official website

• 1964 births
• Living people
• Bicolano actors
• Filipino evangelicals
• Filipino OPM composers
• Filipino film score composers
• Filipino male film actors
• 20th-century Filipino male singers
• 21st-century Filipino male singers
• Filipino Pentecostals
• Filipino people of Italian descent
• Filipino people of Puerto Rican descent
• Filipino male pop singers
• Filipino male television actors
• Filipino singer-songwriters
• Converts to evangelical Christianity from Roman Catholicism
• People from Santa Mesa
• Singers from Manila
• Male actors from Manila
• Performers of Christian music
• English-language singers from the Philippines
• Tagalog-language singers
• Tenors
• UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors
• Universal Records (Philippines) artists
• Star Music artists
• ABS-CBN people
• GMA Network (company) people
• Male film score composers
• Pangilinan family

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