Edgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano (born August 6, 1964) , better known as Gary Valenciano or Gary V., is a Filipino musician. He is also dubbed as Mr. Pure Energy. He has released 26 albums, and won the Awit Awards for "Best Male Performer" 11 times. In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador.
He is currently part of ABS-CBN contract actors, and is frequently tapped to sing the theme songs for the network's soap operas and Star Cinema movies.
Gary Valenciano was born in Santa Mesa, Manila on August 6, 1964. He is the sixth of Vicente Valenciano and Grimilda Santiago Ortiz's seven children. His parents met in New York, married, and settled in Manila. His father is from Bicol, Philippines. His mother is a Puerto Rican woman of Italian descent, who sang opera in Manila during the 1960s. Valenciano took his primary and secondary studies in La Salle Green Hills.
Valenciano started performing in 1982 and launched his career in singing and show business on May 13, 1983. He first appeared as a solo in a television show called The Pilita and Jackie Show in 1982, and later in Germspesyal and Penthouse Live. He had his first solo concert, in April 1984 at the Araneta Coliseum. That would be followed a number of albums, three of them released internationally, including a Christian inspired album called Out of the Dark.
He is married to Maria Anna Elizabeth "Angeli" Pangilinan, with whom he has three children: Juan Paolo Martin, Jose Angelo Gabriel and Kristiana Maria Mikaela. Valenciano has released multiple albums. He has won the Awit Award for "Best Male Performer" 11 of the past 21 times.
In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador. In 2008, he marked his tenth year as a UNICEF Ambassador with a visit to Sitio Avocado, a former war zone in Negros Oriental.
In 2008, Valenciano returned to acting by appearing in "Maalaala Mo Kaya" which he plays a prisoner who turns his life to Jesus and becomes a changed man as a Christian. The same year, he was nominated as "Best Single Performance By An Actor" in the 22nd PMPC Star Awards for TV. In 2009, Valenciano released a collaborative album with Martin Nievera called "As 1", with their carrier single, "As 1".
In 2010, Gary V. returns to acting again via a Holy Week drama special, Gulong, a CBN Asia Production was recently shown on GMA 7, this was his 3rd GMA 7 holy week special since 2006. The same year, Gary V. releases his brand new 25th full-length album and his 4th compilation album, "Replay" was recently released, with his carrier single, "Did It Ever". He is currently living with diabetes.
Source: Wikipedia
