He was introduced to the movie industry with help of Dolphy when he was paired with Susan Roces.
His wife, Marife, is the daughter of director Gerardo de Leon.
He was of American descent.
He was known for playing imposing patriarch roles.
He played the first Filipino Colonel Sanders in Kentucky Fried Chicken advertisements.
Valdez started his earlier career as a leading man and was later more known for portraying paternal roles and antagonists in both TV and film.
He was a regular host of GMA Network television shows SOP Rules, Nuts Entertainment, Eat Bulaga!, Kakasa Ka Ba Sa Grade 5?, Power of 10, All Star K! and Sunday All Stars.
In 2015, he was feted the Golden Screen TV Awards' Helen Vela Lifetime Achievement Award for Drama.