Edgardo Jose "Gary" Santiago Valenciano (born August 6, 1964) is a Filipino singer, songwriter and television personality. Known for his musical versatility and performances, he is a recipient of various accolades, including 12 Awit Awards, 3 FAMAS Awards and the Myx 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 as Brian McKnight, George Duke, Paul Jackson Jr., Michael Shapiro, Ricky Martin, Cliff Richard, Leon Patilo, Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patti, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Kool & the Gang.^[2] Outside of music, Valenciano's philanthropy is focused on hope, faith, and positive change; having been appointed as the first UNICEF 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 15th Asian Games in Qatar.^[4] He was also invited as one of the performers at the 23rd Asian Television Awards in Malaysia.^[5] He is currently part of ABS-CBN's contract artists and one of the mainstay hosts of ASAP.

Edgardo Jose Santiago Valenciano was born in the Santa Mesa district of the City of Manila on August 6, 1964. He is the sixth of the seven children of Vicente Calacas Valenciano, a Bicolano from Camalig, Albay, and Grimilda Santiago y Olmo (1934–2019) from Arecibo, Puerto Rico.^[6] His parents met in New York City, married, and settled in Manila.^[7] His mother is a Puerto Rican of Italian descent^[8][9] who sang opera in Manila during the 1960s. Valenciano attended primary and secondary school in La Salle Green Hills.

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In 1978, at 14 years old, Valenciano made his first television appearance in an advertisement for Fress Gusto, a now-discontinued soft drink sold by San 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 programme The Pilita and Jackie Show, and later in Germspesyal and Penthouse Live.

He had his first solo concert in April 1984 at the Araneta Coliseum, followed by a number of albums. Three of his albums were released internationally, including the Christian-inspired album Out of the Dark. He won the Awit 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 of The 700 Club. He performed at the 50th anniversary of CBN in Virginia Beach and has guested on The 700 Club USA many times.^{[citation needed]}

As a performing artist, he was called the "Michael Jackson of the Philippines" in the '80s and '90s, and continues to hold concerts all over the world. He has sold-out venues and theatres in the Philippines and all over the world, performing in venues like the Shrine Auditorium and Microsoft Theater in California, the Roy Thompson Hall in Canada, the Budokhan Hall in Japan, the Navy Pier in Chicago, and the Sydney Entertainment Center and Hillsong Auditorium in Australia. He has performed all over the world, including in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Oman, Qatar, France, United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Amsterdam.^{[citation needed]}

In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines' first National Ambassador. In 2006, the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee has named Gary Valenciano the official performer of the Asian 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 in Negros Oriental.

Valenciano returned to acting in 2008 by appearing in the drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya, where he portrayed a prisoner who finds religion and becomes a born 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 with Martin Nievera called As 1, with the carrier single of the same title.^[16]

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

For his 25th anniversary in 2008, STAR RECORDS, the music arm of ABS-CBN, released GV 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 album With You won the Best Inspirational Album for the same year at the Catholic Mass Media Awards.^[18]

Valenciano married Maria Anna Elizabeth "Angeli" Pangilinan, the sister of former senator Francis 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; and Kiana Valenciano, a model and singer-songwriter. The family resides in Antipolo.^[19]

He is currently living with type 1 diabetes, 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 in ABS-CBN's top-rating Sunday afternoon show, ASAP, and had to undergo open heart surgery due to blockage of his left 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 in Orlando, Florida, after battling pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and H1N1 flu.^[23]